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Munchkin
Longhair Muchkin
Standard Nr.
Ursprung	USA
Gewicht	Kater: 3–4 kg Kätzin: 2,5–3,5 kg
allgemein anerkannte Farben:	Seal Point, Blue Point, Chocolate Point, Lilac Point
nicht allgemein anerkannte Farben:	Red Point, Cream Point, Fawn Point, Cinnamon Point, Apricot Point, Caramel Point sowie Tortie Point (sowie Foreign White)
erlaubte Fellzeichnung
nicht erlaubte Fellzeichnung
Liste der Katzenrassen

Die Munchkin ist eine mittelgroße Katze mit extrem verkürzten Beinen und einer langen Wirbelsäule. Die Bewegungen der Munchkin werden mit denen eines Frettchens verglichen, ihr fehlt also die Eleganz langbeiniger Katzen. Munchkins haben einen kräftigen Körper mit einer gut abgerundeten Brust. Sie haben kurzes oder langes Fell. Beide Varianten haben plüschiges, wetterfestes Fell mit seidigem Glanz. Die langhaarige Munchkin hat einen buschigen Schwanz. Munchkins gibt es in allen Farben und Fellzeichnungen und auch ihre walnussförmigen Augen können alle Farben haben.

Geschichte der Munchkin

In den frühen Achtzigern nahm die US-amerikanische Katzenfreundin Sandra Hochenedel eine trächtige Fundkatze auf, die mehrere kurzbeinige Kitten zur Welt brachte. Einer der Kater namens „Toulouse“ (nach dem Maler Toulouse-Lautrec, der ebenfalls von kleiner Statur war) wurde zum „Stammvater“ der heutigen Munchkin-Rasse. Die Kurzbeinigkeit ist die Folge einer natürlichen, dominant vererbten Mutation, die bereits seit den Vierzigern dokumentiert ist; neu war die gezielte Zucht auf dieses Merkmal hin.

Die Anerkennung als Rassekatze durch die „International Cat Association“ (TICA) erfolgte im Jahr 1995, europäische Verbände akzeptieren die Munchkin-Katze hingegen nicht . In ihrem Ursprungsland ist die Samtpfote auch unter dem Trivialnamen „Sausage Cat“ („Wurstkatze“) bekannt. Benannt wurde die Rasse nach dem zwergenhaften Volk der Munchkin aus dem Kinderbuch „Der Zauberer von Oz“. In Deutschland ist die Munchkin aktuell noch sehr selten anzutreffen.

Gesundheitliche Sorgen

Zuchtverbot

Mehrere Länder und Gebiete haben die Zucht mit Munchkins verboten, einschließlich der [Niederlande] (2014), die die Zucht aller Tiere mit genetischen Defekten verbietet, und [[Victoria (Staat) |Victoria] ([Australien]) .<>{Cite web |Last=Abteilung von Jobs |first=Precincts and Regions |date=Juli 6, 2020 |title=Code of Practice for the Breeding of Animals with Heritable Defects that Cause Disease - Agriculture |url=https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/livestock-and-animals/animal-welfare-victoria/domestic-animals-act/codes-of-practice/code-of-practice-for-the-breeding-of-animals-with-heritable-defects-that-cause-disease |access-date=April 1, 2023 |website=Agriculture Victoria}}</ref> Das Australian Capital Territory (ein Gebiet von Die australische Regierung betrachtet die Munchkin-Rasse als "malformierte Tiere" und die absichtliche Zucht von ihnen als "inakzeptabel" wegen der "genetischen Gesundheitsprobleme, die mit einer solchen Zucht verbunden sind". Munchkin-Kreuzungen wie die bambino wurden ebenfalls gesetzlich eingeschränkt.

Merkmale

Munchkin Kätzchen, 7 Monate alt

Einige Quellen besagen, dass die Kürze ihrer Beine ihre Lauf- und Sprungfähigkeiten nicht beeinträchtigt. während andere sagen, dass ihre Fähigkeit zu springen durch ihren Zustand begrenzt ist.

The Munchkin has similar characteristics to normal domestic cats, due to their frequent use as outcrosses. It is a small to medium-sized cat with a moderate body type and medium-plush coat. Male Munchkins typically weigh between Vorlage:Convert and are usually larger than female Munchkins, which typically weigh between Vorlage:Convert. The hind legs can be slightly longer than the front which creates a slight rise from the shoulder to the rump. The legs of the Munchkin may be slightly bowed, although excessive bowing is a disqualification in the show ring. Cow-hocked legs are also penalized.

The Munchkin comes in all coat colors and patterns. It also comes in a long-haired variety, which is shown in a separate Munchkin Longhair category. The short-haired variety has a medium-plush coat while the long-haired has a semi-long silky coat. TICA rules for outcrossing allows the use of any domestic cat that does not already belong to a recognized breed. Similarity to other breeds is grounds for disqualification. Non-standard Munchkins are not allowed to be shown.

In 2014, Lilieput, a Munchkin cat from Napa, California, was named the shortest statured living cat in the world by Guinness World Records. She stands Vorlage:Convert tall.

Health

It is not fully known how the mutation impacts the health of the breed. Having only been officially introduced in 1991, the breed is still considered young. There were early speculations that the Munchkin would develop spinal problems commonly seen in short-legged dog breeds.

The genetic mutation causing the short-legged trait in Munchkins is referred to as achondroplasia, the genetic disorder that results in dwarfism and is typically associated with an enlarged head as well as short legs but can also involve symptoms that include undersized jaw, thick-looking joints, curved spine, and a bow-legged or knock knee posture. The condition has sometimes been referred to as hypochondroplasia or pseudoachondroplasia.

However, there appear to be two conditions with increased incidence in the Munchkin breed: lordosis (excessive curvature of the spine)Vorlage:Cn and pectus excavatum (hollowed chest). Both conditions are commonly seen in humans with pseudoachondroplasia.

Munchkin cats are known to be at a higher risk (than other feline breeds) for severe osteoarthritis because the shorter limbs affect their activity levels and behavior. Diagnosis of osteoarthritis and the assessment of its severity for a cat may require radiography.

Many pedigree cat associations around the world have refused to recognize the Munchkin cat due to dwarfism's possible health issues.

Genetics

The Munchkin gene is autosomal dominant. Homozygous embryos for the Munchkin gene, with two copies of the gene, are not viable and do not develop in the womb. Only kittens that are heterozygous for the Munchkin gene, with only one copy, develop into viable short-legged Munchkin kittens. Because only heterozygous Munchkin cats are able to pass on the gene, all litters with at least one standard (short legged) Munchkin parent have the possibility of containing kittens with the phenotypes: short-legged or normal-legged (referred to as non-standard Munchkin), with the genotypes of Mm or mm, where M is the trait for short legs and m is the trait for long legs. The mating of two Munchkin parents, Mm x Mm, have the chance of producing these offspring: 25% MM- a nonviable kitten, 50% Mm-short-legged, 25% mm- normal. The resulting litter will be 2/3 Mm-short-legged and 1/3 mm-normal.

Punnett squares, in which the M represents the dominant Munchkin gene and the m represents the recessive normal gene, may be used to illustrate the chances of a particular mating resulting in a short-legged cat.

Kittens bearing two copies of the Munchkin gene (MM) will not develop in the womb. Kittens bearing one Munchkin gene and one normal gene (Mm) will be short-legged Munchkins. Kittens bearing two normal genes (mm) will be normal. Mm Munchkin kittens will be able to pass on the Munchkin gene to their own offspring. Normal mm kittens will not, as they do not have a copy of the Munchkin gene.

When two Munchkin cats are crossed and small litter sizes occur, this indicates that embryos that are homozygous for the Munchkin gene are non-viable.

Mating two standard Munchkins

	M	m
M	MM	Mm
m	Mm	mm

For each kitten conceived from this mating, there is a 25% chance it will fail to gestate, a 25% chance it will be normal, and a 50% chance it will be short-legged.

Mating a standard or non-standard Munchkin with a normal cat

	M	m
m	Mm	mm
m	Mm	mm

For each kitten conceived from this mating, there is a 0% chance it will be homozygous for the Munchkin gene, a 50% chance it will be normal non-standard (long legged) Munchkin, and a 50% chance it will be a standard (short legged) Munchkin.

Derived breeds

The popularity of the Munchkin has led to the crossbreeding of the Munchkin with other breeds, to try to establish new, derived breeds, most of which are unrecognised by any major registry. Some named experimental crossbreeds (all of them dwarf cats) include:

• Bambino, a mostly-hairless dwarf cat, from a cross of the Munchkin and the Sphynx breeds. Recognised by the Rare and Exotic Feline Registry (REFR). In 2019, the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority ordered a couple to stop breeding the Bambino due to welfare concerns.
• Dwelf, a cross between the Munchkin, Sphynx, and American Curl, with the defining traits of all three breeds: shortened legs, hairlessness, and curled ears. It is recognised by REFR.
• Genetta, a cross between Munchkin, Bengal, and sometimes Ocicat breeds, with a spotted, striped, or marbled coat. It is recognised by REFR.
• Kinkalow, a cross between Munchkin and American Curl, with short legs and curled ears. It is recognised by REFR.
• Lambkin (or Nanus Rex), a cross between Munchkin and Selkirk Rex, with short legs and a curly coat. It is recognised by the REFR.
• Minskin, a breed developed from Munchkin, Burmese, Sphynx, and Devon Rex stock, with short legs, hairlessness or a very short coat, and point coloration. It is recognised by REFR, and preliminaily by The International Cat Association (TICA) since 2018.
• Minuet (or Napoleon), a cross between Munchkin and Persian (or sometimes Himalayan or Exotic Shorthair), with short legs and brachycephaly ("peke-face", characteristic of the latter breeds). Coat length and coloration depend on the bloodline. It is a fully recognized breed by TICA (experimentally since 2001). It is still recognized under the Napoleon name by REFR.
• Skookum (or LaMerm), a cross between Munchkin and LaPerm, with the short legs of the former and curly coat of the latter. It is recognised by the REFR.

See also

• Dwarf cat
• Selective breeding
• Squitten
• Cat body type genetic mutations
• Scottish Fold, a variety of cat with a gene causing osteochondrodysplasia rather than achondroplasia.
• Welsh Corgi, a dog breed with a similar stature and health issues.

References

[[Category:Cat breeds]] [[Category:Cat breeds originating in the United States]] [[Category:Cat breeds and types with short legs]]