The Minuet (formerly known as the Napoleon) is a hybrid mix of

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

and

Munchkin A Munchkin is a native of the fictional Munchkin Country in the Oz books by American author L. Frank Baum. They first appear in the classic children's novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900) where they welcome Dorothy Gale to their city in O ...

cat breeds. Categorized by

The International Cat Association The International Cat Association (TICA) is considered the world's largest genetic cat registry. Originally a North American organization, it now has a worldwide presence. The organization has a genetic registry for pedigreed and household pet cat ...

(TICA) as a ''domestic hybrid'', "developed from a deliberate cross between two existing domestic breeds, incorporating characteristics of both parental breeds into the new mix." According to TICA's official standards, these breeds represent the only permissible outcrosses one may use to create the Minuet. This includes the combinations Minuet × Minuet, Minuet × Munchkin, and Minuet × one of the Persian-type breeds (including

Persians The Persians are an Iranian ethnic group who comprise over half of the population of Iran. They share a common cultural system and are native speakers of the Persian language as well as of the languages that are closely related to Persian. ...

, Himalayans and Exotic Shorthairs). Minuets come in both long-haired and short-haired varieties.

Origin

The mix was created by Joseph B. Smith, a

Basset Hound The Basset Hound is a short-legged breed of dog in the hound family. The Basset is a scent hound that was originally bred for the purpose of hunting hare. Their sense of smell and ability to ''ground-scent'' is second only to the Bloodhound.Har ...

breeder and

American Kennel Club The American Kennel Club (AKC) is a registry of purebred dog pedigrees in the United States. In addition to maintaining its pedigree registry, this kennel club also promotes and sanctions events for purebred dogs, including the Westminster Kenn ...

(AKC) judge. He was inspired by the Wall Street Journal's front-page feature of the Munchkin on June 12, 1995. He was a fan of the Munchkin, but felt that the unavoidable long-legged versions were indistinguishable from similar mixed cats, commonly seen in animal shelters. Smith decided that something had to be done to create a cat unique in both short- and long-legged versions, something that looked purebred. He chose the Persian breed group as an outcross to the Munchkin for two reasons: beauty and boning. The original Napoleon standard was written with this in mind. In January 2015, TICA's board of directors voted to change the name of the mix to the Minuet. The breed is still not recognized by many associations, including

Cat Fanciers' Association The Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) was established in the United States in 1906. The CFA is currently the world's largest registry of pedigreed cats. Originally headquartered in Manasquan, New Jersey the CFA moved to Alliance, Ohio in 2010. ...

American Cat Fanciers Association The American Cat Fanciers Association (ACFA) is an American non-profit organization formed with the intent of allowing greater flexibility in the development of pedigreed cats. The ACFA is a cat registry for purebred, pedigreed cats, experiment ...

, or

Fédération Internationale Féline The Fédération Internationale Féline (FIFé) (in English "International Feline Federation") is a federation of cat registries. There are currently forty-two member organizations in forty countries. Membership spans Europe, South America, and ...

Description

The Napoleon inherited its distinctively short legs from the Munchkin, which are caused by a naturally occurring genetic mutation. From the Persian group (including Persians, Exotic Shorthairs and Himalayans) the Minuet has inherited its short snout, round face, dense coat and substantial boning. The boning provides a good support system for its uniquely short legs. White gray long hair minuet

Care

Overall, Minuets have few health problems, but there are specific genetic conditions to look out for as with any species. Because of their Persian lineage, Minuets are prone to

polycystic kidney disease Polycystic kidney disease (PKD or PCKD, also known as polycystic kidney syndrome) is a genetic disorder in which the renal tubules become structurally abnormal, resulting in the development and growth of multiple cysts within the kidney. These cy ...

(PKD). Breeders regularly screen parent cats for PKD prior to breeding. Other shared problems with the Persian lineage include epiphora (excessive formation of tears) due to

nasolacrimal duct obstruction Nasolacrimal duct obstruction is the obstruction of the nasolacrimal duct and may be either congenital or acquired. Obstruction of the nasolacrimal duct leads to the excess overflow of tears called epiphora. Sign and symptoms Excessive tear ...

and thick coats prone to matting in absence of regular grooming. Like Munchkins, Minuets can develop osteoarthritis, but this is much less common than it is in dog breeds that share the dwarfism phenotype (

Dachshund The dachshund ( or ; German: "badger dog"), also known as the wiener dog, badger dog, and sausage dog, is a short-legged, long-bodied, hound-type dog breed. The dog may be smooth-haired, wire-haired, or long-haired, and comes in a variety of c ...

and

Corgi The Welsh Corgi ( or Corgi, plural Corgis, or occasionally the etymologically consistent Corgwn; ) is a small type of herding dog that originated in Wales. The name ''corgi'' is derived from the Welsh words and (which is mutated to ), meani ...

breeds, for example).

References

{{Reflist

External links

Youtube videos about minuet cats
Cat breeds Cat breeds and types with short legs

Origin

Description

Care

See also

References

External links