Where the long-headed kitties at?

February 26, 2007 12:14 PM

Some folks seem to like brachycephalic, or short-headed cats. Like Persian and Himalayan cats, with their squished little faces. Okay, cool, takes all kinds. But has anyone ever tried to breed cats with unnaturally long heads?
posted by Greg Nog to science & nature (10 comments total)

Oriental Shorthair cats have pretty long heads...
posted by Rubber Soul at 12:21 PM on February 26, 2007

Like Chausies? So-called "wildcat-lookalikes" tend to have rather elongated snouts, although I don't know exactly how long you're looking for.
posted by muddgirl at 12:25 PM on February 26, 2007

We are Siamese if you please. So-called "Modern" Siamese cats have been bred for long heads/snouts compared to traditional, "applehead" Siamese.
posted by Violet Hour at 12:25 PM on February 26, 2007

Compared to the awesome variety in body shapes and sizes and colors of domestic dogs, cats vary very little. It may be because there's much less genetic variability to work with.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 12:39 PM on February 26, 2007

That, and cultures haven't been compelled to breed cats for certain jobs (herding, burrowing, sniffing, attacking, keeping the blind from underneath buses, etc).
posted by sourwookie at 12:45 PM on February 26, 2007

I have a Siamese and an Oriental Shorthair. Both, indeed, have very long, wedge-shaped heads. And gigantic ears.
posted by Addlepated at 12:56 PM on February 26, 2007

I have a wedgeheaded Siamese too. It took a little getting used to at first, but now I love it, especially because of how great he is at getting that last bit out of the mayo jar.
posted by nevercalm at 1:49 PM on February 26, 2007

My mom has a Cornish Rex, which besides being almost (but not quite) hairless, also has a very long face/head.
posted by otherwordlyglow at 2:02 PM on February 26, 2007

Data point: I've noticed that many of the cats I've seen in Key West (whether they have 5 toes or 6) have much longer, more pronouced muzzles than the kitties I know here in Virginia. (example) I think the original feline gene pool on Key West was relatively small, which may account for the preponderance of square-jawed cats; or maybe my own cats just have weak chins.
posted by junkbox at 6:17 PM on February 26, 2007

I support the idea of regional variation in cats. Where I grew up in Michigan, siameese were generally nasty critters, very hostile. In NYC, every siameese I met was totally sweet. Where I live in South Africa, no cats ever respond to my requests for aquaintance. Usually, neighborhood cats are friendly towards me. (I suspect they're afraid for a good reason down here).
posted by Goofyy at 7:40 AM on February 27, 2007