Kocia Osada*Pl
Neva Masquerade cattery
About the breed:
Character:
The neva masquerade breed is a sister breed of siberian cats. From siberians they differ only in blue eye colour and colourpoint coat colour. The character of these two races is no different, although some say that nevas are a bit more gentle.
Young kittens require a lot of attention and constant contact with the breeder in the process of their socialization, which pays off later on a balanced and communicative companion in our home :)
They are definitely cats of great temperament and intelligence. By nature rather cheerful, active and curious. Without major problems, they master the rules prevailing at home what is allowed and what is not and they follow them, at least as long as guardian looks at them ;) It's an emotional, loyal and gentle race. They tend to be very sensitive and can sense the mood of people surrounding him.
They enjoy the company of other cats in the group and usually, they live in harmony with them and are non-conflicting. They also make friends with dogs without any problems. They also perfectly handle with loneliness in the absence of household members, however, they may need some attention after return :)
The gentleness of nevas can be seen not only towards people but also about all furnishings at home. It is a breed that relatively little scratches and destroys furniture. They are very friendly towards their household members and just like dogs, they get attached to them. Quite a natural view is how they wait at the door for the return of their guardian, retrieve thrown balls or walk willingly on a leash.
Perfect friends and playmates for children who endure all forms of tenderness with great patience. In homes with the youngest babies, they often sleep in a child's bed if they are allowed to do so and when the child cries they try to calm them down. It is a breed without any signs of aggression and in situations where the child crosses the cat's boundaries, they simply go away to a quieter place.
They easily adapt to staying in the apartment. However, when they have the opportunity, they willingly use a secured balcony or a specially prepared catwalk in the garden. They really like climbing and being at heights, so they should have at their disposal a cat tree with a booth and platforms, on which they will be able to climb and sharpen their claws.
Health:
Diseases:
Neva masquerade and siberian cats are natural breeds of cats. This means they enjoy very good health and immunity and are not prone to disease. They are considered one of the healthiest breeds of cats. This does not mean, however, that they do not deteriorate in their health. Like all other breeds of cats, they may develop hypertrophic heart cardiomyopathy (HCM) or polycystic kidney disease (PKD). Fortunately, this is extremely rare.
It is a long-maturing breed and reaches its full maturity at the age of 3 to 5 years.
Neva masquerade cats live between 12 and 16 years.
Nourishment:
Cats of this breed require a well-balanced diet and good-quality food because they sometimes are choosy. As it is a race descend from the natural environment they are born hunters. And if so, it means that the basis of their diet should be meat.
You can feed them with the BARF diet, which is considered by many to be the best for cats and dogs but requires a lot of knowledge. Such a prepared diet should contain a mixture of fresh meat of different species, except pork meat, enriched with necessary supplements and vitamins.
Composing the BARF diet is, however, quite difficult and time-consuming and any mistake in the selection of supplements and vitamins can have bad effects on the cat's health. Therefore, people who do not feel up to preparing meals for their kittens by themselves can find a very good solution to buy ready-made, fully balanced dry or wet food. There are a lot of such feeds on the market today, however, before buying it, it is worth to familiarize yourself with their composition, because they may vary their composition and it is not difficult to make a wrong choice here.
It is also worth mentioning that adult cats do not drink milk. Not only do they not need it, but it is even inadvisable for them. We only give the cat water to drink.
Care:
Caring for our neva's cat is not too troublesome. Usually, you need to brush their fur once a week. From time to time, bathing or powdering is recommended. In winter, the coat becomes thicker and longer, while in summer it moults and becomes much shorter. Only the tail remains profusely hairy, regardless of the season. Every once in a while you need to check whether ears need cleaning and nails don't need cutting.
Neva Masquerade and allergy:
Siberian and neva masquerade cats are considered hypoallergenic breeds. There are many breeders who advertise that they have non-allergic cats, which certainly may help then to attract a potential buyer. However, this is not entirely true. There are many studies confirming that cats of these breeds produce much less Fel-D1 protein, which affects people for the occurrence of cat allergies. Much less, however, doesn't mean at all. That's why it is very important to have in mind that, in fact, these breeds are not as sensitizing as most other cat breeds, but can still be somewhat sensitizing. Therefore, it is important that people who are allergic to cats before decide to buy a cat, even this "non-allergic" breed, have some prior contact with the kitten to personally test how their body will react to the cat and whether it will develop an unwanted allergy. The fact is, however, that many people with allergies to cats perfectly tolerate the presence of a neva masquerade cat at home. So if someone has been dreaming of a cat all their life but because of their allergies reconciled that they will never be able to have any, there is a chance that kitten of this breed may be the solution.
History of breed:
Neva Masquerade cats are a color variation of Siberian cats, and Siberian cats are a natural breed derived from free-living semi-longhaired cats living in Russia. The name Neva Masquerade cats was given by the breeders of the TARC club from the Neva River flowing through St. Petersburg and from the noisy masked balls held in this city on the river bank. It is also said that the name comes from the appearance of the cat and its characteristic mask on its head.
The history of Neva Masquerade cats as a separate breed is relatively short because it was recognized in 2009 thanks to Polish breeders, but let's start with the beginnings of Siberian cats. The first mentions of Siberian cats can be found in publications from the 16th century, while to this day there is no clear information about their exact origin.
It is said that Siberian cats are derived from forest cats inhabiting Siberia, but there is no specific description of cats from those times to be able to assign them to this breed. Only the designation of cats as "bukhara" confirms the presence of cats resembling Siberian on the territory of Russia. The beginnings of the breed date back to the 17th century. It is a race that has evolved naturally without human intervention. In 1986-87 breeding clubs in Moscow and Leningrad started their activity. In 1989, two felinologists from the club "Kotofei" O. S. Mironova and I. J. Katser created the first standard for this breed based on a tomcat named Roman. At the same time, the Siberian race was registered by other Russian felinologists in Moscow. In 1990, the Soviet Felinological Association approved the Siberian cat standard, which was used in 1991 to recognize the first international breed standard. In the meantime, of course, this standard has often been modified, some features have been added, others have been subtracted, various colour varieties have been added, such as tabby, tabby with white, solid, solid with white or colourpoint.
In Poland, Siberian cat breeding began in 1990 thanks to Mrs. Jolanta Sztykiel from the cattery z Baśni*Pl and her cats named Bajra Rołas. At the same time, Siberian cats reached the United States. In 1992, the World Cat Federation (WCF) was the first federation to recognize Siberian cats (including neva masquerade as a colourpoint coat), while in 1997 the Federation Internationale Feline (Fife) did the same, but they didn't recognize colourpoints. In 2006, TICA and CFA followed in the footsteps of two previous federations.
The colour variety of Siberian cats has been the subject of many discussions. The breeders divided into two camps, one of which believed that colourpoint had long been in the population of Russian cats, while the other believed that this colour variety was created by crossing with Siamese, Persian and Balinese cats brought to Russia. In connection with this, in 2001 a commission was established to settle this dispute. It was then considered that the colourpoint variety is the original variety of Siberian cats.
On December 15, 2007 in Warsaw, the application submitted by Polish breeders associated in the Siberian Cat Club "SIB Cat Club" and Neva Masquerade Lovers Club "Nevaclub" (no longer existing) for recognition of Neva Masquerade as a sister breed of Siberian cats was examined. In 2008, FIFe recognized Neva as a separate sister breed of cats and marked with NEM code. However, the initial recognition of Neva Masquerade by FIFe as a separate race took place in 2009, and fully in 2011.
Neva masquerade breed standard:
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Origin: Russia
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Character: inquisitive, friendly, intelligent, cheerful, gentle and sensitive
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Activity: active, likes to play and contact with human
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Size: medium size. Females usually smaller and more delicate than males
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Weight: 4-7 kilo
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Torso: well-muscled with strong bones, strong neck and wide chest; giving the impression of "rectangular"
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Head shape: medium-sized, round, massive, slightly longer than wider, slightly convex forehead, rounded chin, well-developed cheekbones, slightly retracted chin, clearly curved profile
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Ears: Medium-sized, triangular, broad at the base, rounded at the top, slightly bent forward, covered with tufts of hair inside, widely spaced apart on the head
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Eyes: large, slightly oval, set obliquely and quite far apart, always blue
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Tail: long and bushy, rounded at the end, densely covered with hair
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Legs: medium length, strong and massive, well pubescent between toes
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Coat: semi-long, covering hair smoothly adhering to the body, waterproof and rough on the touch, soft and thick undercoat
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Colour: Colourpoints on the facial part of the head, ears, limbs and tail; there are many varieties of colourful markings, in the colours: black, blue, red and cream, tabby and solid, with white and without white. Kittens are born completely white, without coloured markings
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Life expectancy: 12-16 years
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EMS code used to describe the breed in FIFe: NEM
Advantages of the breed:
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a very healthy and disease-resistant breed, not too demanding in care
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it is unlikely to damage furniture
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emotional, but not obtrusive
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great as a family cat, likes children and playing, forgives a lot
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accepts other cats and dogs
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can be both an indoor cat and an outgoing cat under the supervision of a guardian
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less allergic, due to the lower content of salivary proteins responsible for allergic reactions
