So, you’re interested in Minskin kittens? Those near-hairless cats aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but they’re absolutely adorable!
There’s a lot of debate going on in the world about this breed, and people aren’t really sure what to think of them anymore. Getting a feline friend for yourself would make you happy, but you have to make sure that you know everything there is about the breed before you bring them home.
Especially when the breed brings up some controversial topics among people. So, what even are Minskin kittens? How do you raise them? What do you need to know about them?
It’s a good thing that we have everything covered!
What are Minskin kittens?
It’s not hard to understand where the name for Minskin kittens comes from. It’s a combination of the words “miniature” and “skin.” Once you take a look at them, you’ll understand why they were given this name.
These tiny cats weigh, on average, around four pounds. Their legs are much shorter, especially their front legs. Because of this, you may think that they walk funny or that their body looks a little bit stocky.
These cats also fall under the big-eyed breeds. Because of their small build, their heads are also small, which makes their eyes and ears appear huge!
The main thing that contributes to that, besides their size, is the fact that Minskin kittens appear hairless. Actually, they’re not! They have a light and short layer of coat. Sometimes their belly may be hairless, but the rest of the cat is coated with very short fur.
There’s currently an entire debate going on about this breed and the ethics of creating and breeding them. TICA (The International Cat Association) recognizes this breed as being legitimate, however, CFA (Cat Fanciers Association) thinks that there’s an ethics problem here, so they don’t recognize this breed.
That’s because there’s still a debate going on in the circles of cat lovers about whether or not the breeding of dwarf cats is ethical. These cats aren’t really able to live without the help of someone else, and they’re more prone to health risks than other cats.
For that exact reason, you may want to look into the ethics of this matter before you decide to bring one or two Minskin kittens into your home!
7 things you should know about Minskin kittens
1. It’s a rare breed that was custom-made
People tend to call the Minskins the “designer cats.” This breed was created in Boston, USA. Paul Sorley wanted to create a breed that only had hair in certain parts of its body – like the back or the tips of its ears.
The breed was officially recognized in the year 2000.
This is an extremely rare breed, as it’s man-made (literally), and getting your hands on one is a fairly difficult task. For example, there’s a statistic that says that Paul had 50 Minskin kittens in the year 2005. Even though the number has increased throughout the years, it’s still an extremely rare breed.
2. 4 breeds were involved in the process
The Munchkin, Sphynx, Devon Rex, and the Burmese, were all involved in the creation of Minskin kittens. The Munchkin is known for its short legs, which happened because of a genetic mutation. It’s important to understand that not every kitten of a Munchkin will have short legs, it’s up to the fact of whether or not the kittens also have this specific gene.
The Sphynx cat is the one that looks the most like the Minskin cat. They both have a very thin coat layer, so they look almost naked.
The Devon Rex and the Burmese are both quite intelligent cat breeds with short coats. Because of that, they appear tall and lean. All of these breeds have big eyes, which the Minskin cat is known for.
3. They’re easy to train
Minskin kittens are very easy to train. All the breeds that were used to create these cats are highly intelligent, and you may even be able to teach them tricks as easily as when you’re teaching a dog.
For example, you can teach them simple tricks like sitting down, rolling over, playing dead, or fetching something. This is important because these cats need to play around, and it’s easier if you use their wits for something useful or entertaining.
Most importantly, it’s easy to teach them to use their litter box and when it’s time to eat. You may even teach them how to communicate with those little word buttons. Your little feline friend could tell you when she wants food just with a click of her paw.
4. They’re not suited for the outdoors
Minskin kittens most assuredly aren’t supposed to be outdoors. They’re strictly indoor cats, and you should never leave them on their own to roam the outdoors. They’re too small, which makes them susceptible to predators.
Also, because of the absence of a long coat, they’re not going to survive in low temperatures.
Their legs are much shorter than other cats, so they’re not great hunters either. This could lead to them starving because they can’t hunt down any food. You wouldn’t want a cat to be put into such a position as it’s unethical.
If you’re able to give them a warm home and keep them inside your house, within a nice environment, then this is a great breed for you. If you’d, at any point in time, even consider throwing them out on the streets, then let someone else adopt a Minskin kitten.
5. You have to bathe them more often
The fur on long-haired cats isn’t just there to keep them warm, it’s also there to keep their skin clean. Considering that these cats have almost no fur at all, they need to be cleaned and bathed much more often.
This is because they’re more susceptible to fungi infections. It’s important to give them a bath at least once a week when they’re adult. This means, that you’d have to use a washcloth to get into all their wrinkles, ears, and eyes. Just like the Sphynx cat, you can’t just hope that they’ll clean themselves.
It’s hard for them to clean under all of their skin-flaps. So you’ll also have to look at their little paws and make sure that you get into every single crevice between their fingers and under the claws. Otherwise, the dirt will accumulate and create an awful infection that could put your cat at potential risk.
Make sure that you’re using a good vet formula antifungal shampoo. This way you’ll prevent any irritations or skin conditions. This may seem tedious, but it’s nothing more than some extra playtime with your kitten.
Just a small reminder to completely dry her up after the bath so that your kitten doesn’t get sick. She doesn’t have an undercoat to keep her warm!
6. They’re family-friendly cats
Minskin kittens love a stable home where they can be loved and cared for. These kittens are extremely friendly, they’re great with kids, and they’re even good with other pets.
These animals seem like they’re serious, but they’re actually very playful. If you have aggressive dogs and cats in your home, then you may not want to bring a Minskin into the mix.
Minskin kittens are small and fragile beings who have to be handled gently. I know that you think that it’ll be okay, but just remember the fact that a full-grown Minskin doesn’t even weigh a full 4 pounds.
However, these kittens are quite playful and because of their high intelligence, it’s easy to teach them little tricks. You’ll be able to play around with them and leave them alone with your children without the fear that they could become aggressive.
7. They can inherit some health problems
Minskin kittens can live a fairly long life. They can live up to 14 years if you take good care of them! However, they can inherit some health problems if you don’t do extensive research on the breeder that you’re getting them from.
This breed in particular is too young, so experts can’t determine if any underlying health issues are genetically linked to this breed. You must take good care of the hygiene of your kittens as well as feed them a proper diet that’s nutritious and healthy.
On the other hand, considering the different cat breeds that were needed to create Minskin kittens, they can take on some of their health problems.
For example, spinal issues, skin cancer, sunburn, or even severe heart problems.
Your kitten could develop spinal issues considering that Munchkin cats usually have a problem with this, and they could genetically spread that to their offspring.
When it comes to skin cancer and sunburns, that’s because they’re almost hairless cats. If you’re not careful, and your cat spends too much time in direct sunlight, this could become a serious issue.
Lastly, any cat could develop severe heart problems, but it’s possible that your Minskin kittens won’t take after their Sphynx and Devon Rex ancestors.