New Cats On The Blog

... your One-Stop about the happenings in Asian cat fancy

HOW IT STARTED:
The idea to have a new cat breed for Malaysia started sometime in 1994. The question at the time was…. “What should it be like? What would the genetic pattern be? Would it fulfill the definitions of a pure breed?”

A pure breed shall have the following characteristics:
· A particular type which differs from any other breed, which be in the form of the body and head shape and size , ears and/or fur
· A standard variety of colours and patterns
· Free from genetical and physical defects
· Of a documented origin (commonly called the pedigree)
· Breeds true, meaning the offsprings MUST resemble the parents in both type and variety

How would we know what to choose to satisfy the above from the array of various type of cats available locally? There are a lot of look alikes, the Burmesefactor, the Siamese pattern, the Abbyssinian ticking and there are the British and Exotic furs. There are a lot of defects, especially in the tail, kinks, knots, stumpies, longies and even bob tails!

So……. how do we start???

Opinions were seek from the various International judges that were here. For almost a year these were gathered, and finally Mrs Alva Uddin, the Honorary President of the FIFe (Federation Of Internationale Feline) came out with the selection for the KUCING MALAYSIA or MALAYSIA CAT. Who would know better other that FIFe, as they are the International World Body in maintaining and regulating breed standards.

WHY THAT PARTICULAR CHOICE ?
The KUCING MALAYSIA or MALAYSIA CAT should be medium in size with close lying furs and an oval, egg shapped head and convex in profile: a common feature amongst our local cats. The colours should be that of the Siamese - the reason for the blue oval eyes- as these colours originated from, and are unique to these regions. The white pattern was chosen due to it being commonly available in our local cats. The allowable base colours at the moment are seal-brown, blue, choc, lilac, red, cream and torties- agoutis included- with any amount of white. The proposed standards for the breed was drafted and submitted to FIFe board. Finally the breed was introduced to FIFe at its launching at the General Assembly in Kuching, Sarawak (state in Malaysia) on the 26 May 1996. As the cat was brought to the hall, enthusiasm from the conference delegates about the potential of this new proposed breed.

WHEN WILL IT BE ?
It takes 5 (five) generations before 15 specimens from at least 3 different generations can be presented to FIFe’s Judges and LO Commission for verification. By then the defects would have been eliminated and the criteria would be met. The breed will be presented to the General Assembly for recognition and endorsement. By a rough estimation, God Willing, it will be by the year of 2008.

Kelab Kucing Malaysia or Malaysian Cat Club welcomes you to embark on this challenging and long journey to own a cat breed we can call our own. Malaysian Cat Club members are involved in the breeding project which should see us getting our targeted tabby by the year 2005. If you think Kucing Malaysia describes just about any meowing feline in the country, please think again!

Malaysian Cat Club members who are in the process of breeding a uniquely Malaysia cat will provided a totally different picture. The club has now produced the second generation of what they term Kucing Malaysia through selective breeding of local cats with Siamese cats. The results at the moment however are still less than 50% perfect but are expected to get better as breeding is continued to produce the third generation. Malaysia Cat Club had purified the process even more and hopefully by the third generation MCC or KKM will be closer to getting the breed we want.

The Kucing Malaysia or Malaysia Cat will have some distinctive characteristics, especially in terms of its colour schemes. The cat will have velvety whitish-brown fur and a straight, full-coloured tail. The hairs around the eyes are will be of a darker colour than of the body. The female colour will be slightly lighter than the male. Features will include an oval-shaped face with full cheeks and a medium strong chin. Ears will be medium in size with rounded tips while eyes should be blue, open and alert. Its head will be medium in size and egg-shaped while the coat should be short and close lying.

THE CHARACTERISTICS/STANDARDS OF KUCING MALAYSIA (MALAYSIA CAT)
General Appearance
- The ideal Kucing Malaysia is a medium sized cat with a medium boned muscular body. The main feature will be the egg-shaped head and the openness of the blue or blue-green eyes, should give the characteristic alert appearance of the breed
Head
- Wide and rounded at the top with a good height and soft round lines. Full cheeks, medium long nose with medium strong chin. Profile showing a gentle convex curve giving an oval impression
Eyes
- Medium sized, almond in shape with a good width set; giving an open alert expression. Color should be blue or blue-green with blue preferred
Coat
- Short and close lying, silky with nearly no undercoat.
Ears
- Medium in size, slightly rounded tips with good width between. Flaring out a little and with slight tilt forward.
Body
- Medium in length and broad chest, with good depth and strong muscle tone. High legs, medium to slender in size ( more slender for females ) with slightly oval paws.
Tail
- Medium thick with a rounded tip, of medium length and up to the shoulder blades. Tail should full colored.
Colors
- All colors recognized in Pointed patterns with white. A white blaze in the face and muzzle is desirable.