Comments on: Where the long-headed kitties at?

Question: Where the long-headed kitties at?

Greg Nog — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 12:14:17 -0800

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?

By: Rubber Soul

Rubber Soul — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 12:21:58 -0800

Oriental Shorthair cats have pretty long heads...

By: muddgirl

muddgirl — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 12:25:09 -0800

Like Chausies? So-called "wildcat-lookalikes" tend to have rather elongated snouts, although I don't know exactly how long you're looking for.

By: Violet Hour

Violet Hour — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 12:25:17 -0800

We are Siamese if you please. So-called "Modern" Siamese cats have been bred for long heads/snouts compared to traditional, "applehead" Siamese.

By: Steven C. Den Beste

Steven C. Den Beste — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 12:39:25 -0800

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.

By: sourwookie

sourwookie — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 12:45:37 -0800

That, and cultures haven't been compelled to breed cats for certain jobs (herding, burrowing, sniffing, attacking, keeping the blind from underneath buses, etc).

By: Addlepated

Addlepated — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 12:56:21 -0800

I have a Siamese and an Oriental Shorthair. Both, indeed, have very long, wedge-shaped heads. And gigantic ears.

By: nevercalm

nevercalm — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 13:49:15 -0800

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.

By: otherwordlyglow

otherwordlyglow — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 14:02:05 -0800

My mom has a Cornish Rex, which besides being almost (but not quite) hairless, also has a very long face/head.

By: junkbox

junkbox — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 18:17:49 -0800

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.

By: Goofyy

Goofyy — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 07:40:43 -0800

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).