Domestic cat breeds with big ears
There are many cats with big ears. These are mainly breeds of African and Asian origin, as well as exotic hybrids and individuals with an original appearance, the result of complex selection.
Siamese cats
A small cat with a graceful physique, neat outlines of the head , the gaze of large blue eyes and short, smooth hair looks touching, but has a complex character. Despite its intelligence and amenability to training, the Siamese cat is capricious, willful, and jealous, so the kitten must be raised from the first day it appears in the house.
Features of appearance - light main color with dark blurry pigmentation of the limbs, ears and tail, a muzzle decorated with a “mask” and large, widely spaced ears with sharp tips.
Balinese or Balinese cat
The Balineese is a semi-long-haired relative of the Siamese . The Balinese cat, like the Siamese, is harmoniously built, has a color-point color and large, widely spaced ears. It differs from its relative in having longer hair, obedience and docileness, and an elongated head. Like the Siamese, the Balinese cat often suffers from strabismus, but breeders are trying to rid the breed of this eye defect.
Balinese cat
Another relative of the Siamese cat is the Havana Brown . The breed with a unique rich brown color, reminiscent of the color of Cuban cigars, appeared by crossing a “Siamese” with a shorthaired European cat.
Havana brown cat
Abyssinian cat
The graceful, smooth-haired "Abyssinian" comes from Ethiopia . The breed is ancient, distinguished by a harmonious physique of a lean oriental type. The cat is not large, weighs up to 4 kg. The muzzle is elongated, neat, the ears are large, of a standard triangular shape.
Peculiarities. A notable feature of appearance is the short, monochromatic coat with a ticking effect - tonal transitions, due to the division of each hair transversely into a light and dark tone.
The Abyssinian cat is playful, inquisitive, friendly, and has a developed hunting instinct . Gets along with dogs and willingly interacts with children.
Abyssinian cat
Somalia
The Somali longhair cat is a relative of the Abyssinian shorthair cat . Apart from coat length, there are no differences in appearance. The large ears of the Somali pet are often decorated with tassels, and the tail is bushy, like that of a fox.
Somali longhair cat
Orientals
An oriental cat with a large nose and ears is a peculiar breed that not everyone likes . Some consider a pet with an elongated lean body, thin bony paws and huge ears ugly and ridiculous, others say that it is cute and funny. The breed was created in the 1960s as a result of crossing Siamese and shorthair cats. The ears are so large that the lines from their tips to the chin form an equilateral triangle.
The Oriental is popular for its affectionate, sociable, non-aggressive nature , and its ability to get along with children and animals. The lop-eared pet is loving, needs the constant presence of the owner, and cannot stand loneliness.
Cornish Rex and Devon Rex
Both English breeds are distinguished by their grace and aristocratic disposition .
The Devon Rex, bred in the 1960s, is distinguished by a slender, toned physique , a fairly strong skeleton and developed muscle mass. Wide-open almond-shaped eyes and large triangular ears give the impression that the cat is alert and curious. The body is covered with curly, unusually delicate hair.
Devon Rex
The Cornish Rex is an elegant, fine-boned, long-eared cat, the breed is distinguished by its soft, wavy coat , which lacks guard hairs. The tail is thin, the limbs are dry, the bridge of the nose is straight, the large ears are slightly rounded at the tips.
Cornish Rex
Sphinxes
Many people believe that the sphinx is scary, unpleasant, and its naked body is slippery and sticky. In fact, there are several varieties of the breed according to the length of their coat : there are velor cats, and there are cats covered with fluff on the head and paws. But even a naked sphinx’s skin is pleasant to the touch and hot.
Reference. There are three breeds of Sphynx, created by fixing a random mutation: Canadian, Don and Peterbald.
The bare skin of the Sphynx must be carefully looked after, otherwise abundant sebaceous secretions will provoke dermatological diseases. The pet is sociable, loving, and has a hard time withstanding loneliness . Preventive examinations by a veterinarian are mandatory, since due to the mutational origin of the cat there is a high probability of developing hereditary pathologies.
Sphinx
Elf
When the Canadian Sphynx was crossed with the American Curl, the result was an elf - a hairless breed with large, backward-turned ears . The pet, which you would call a fairy-tale creature, is affectionate, playful, gets along with dogs, and willingly participates in children's games. The cat cannot stand loneliness and lack of attention, and is not suitable for a business person who rarely appears at home.
Elf
Ukrainian Levkoy
Another hairless breed with large curved ears appeared in Ukraine in 2004 . Ears with drooping tips are shaped like the petals of a gillyflower, and that is how the breed came to be called. The body is elongated, muscles are developed. Bare, wrinkled skin requires careful care.
Levkoy is good-natured, non-aggressive, non-offensive, and obedient . He loves his owner immensely and needs constant contact with a person.
Ukrainian Levkoy
Maine Coon
The native American breed appears stern and imposing . In fact, despite its enormous weight, reaching 12 kg, the cat is good-natured, affectionate, and playful. The Maine Coon's body is covered with smooth semi-long hair, its build is massive, its movements are graceful, the tips of its large ears are decorated with noticeable tassels. Despite its size, this balanced and calm pet is suitable for apartment living.
Maine Coon
Turkish Angora
In the 1970s, based on cats exported from Turkey, European and American breeders created a luxurious long-haired breed. The result was a snow-white, graceful cat with big ears . The breed is rare today, but extremely beautiful. The pet has large expressive eyes, a neat muzzle, and a lush feather-like tail.
The Turkish cat has an affectionate, playful character and a developed hunting instinct , making it an excellent mousetrap. The snow-white coat must be washed and combed regularly, otherwise the care is standard - a clean cat takes care of itself independently.
Kanaani or Canaani
In 2000, Israeli breeders created a breed of cats with large ears and an elongated muzzle. When creating the Canaan breed, they used a wild Libyan cat, as well as Bengal, Abyssinian and Oriental breeds. From their wild ancestor, the Canaani received a complex, independent, freedom-loving character. The coat color is leopard, the ears are large, set high, and mobile.
Kanaani (Canaani)
Serengeti
Cats resembling African servals are the result of crossing representatives of the Oriental and Bengal breeds . They have expressive green or golden-yellow eyes and large, upright ears with rounded tips. Serengeti are energetic, inquisitive, and sociable. The breed is rare, its price reaches 150 thousand rubles.
Serengeti
Poodlecat
Poodle kot - curly eared cats . The breed was created in Bavaria, and received its name because the cat's coat resembles that of a poodle dog. The breed is rare, its appearance is the result of complex selection. Scottish fold cats were involved in the crossing, so a purebred kitten can have straight or bent ears.
Poodle cat
Toyger
Short-haired cats with long ears and a muzzle resemble a small tiger , the breed was created by American breeders in 1993. The elongated, muscular body is decorated with dark stripes and spots; the weight of an adult cat reaches 8-10 kg. The toyger is friendly, balanced, affectionate, and suitable for apartment living.
Toyger
Three types of colors
Black Spitz: Pomeranian black and tan or black and white dog
There are three types of black and white colors that are most often found in pets:
- Wang. In such animals, most of the undercoat is white. Dark fur predominates in the tail area, behind the ears and sometimes above the eyes. Blackish spots can also be seen on the sides or paws. Cats with this coloration look very beautiful and therefore they often take part in exhibitions.
- Bicolor. A characteristic feature of such wool is the predominance of dark color. This type of coloring includes black cats with a white chest. Sometimes areas of light fur are located on the chin or paws. Light spots can be different and differ in size.
- Harlequin. This type of color resembles bicolor, since it also has a predominant light shade. Dark spots are randomly located throughout the cats’ bodies. The spots may differ from each other in shape. Sometimes they resemble certain symbols or figures.
Bicolor is the most common color of two-color pets.
Hybrid cats with big ears
There are domestic breeds bred on the basis of wild relatives . Representatives of these breeds are predominantly large-eared:
- Savannah is a large cat, resulting from crossing an “Abyssinian” with a serval, outwardly almost no different from the wild progenitor. The breed is capricious in maintenance, dear. Initially, the price tag reached 25 thousand dollars, today a kitten can be bought for 7-13 thousand.
- Chausie is a cat that looks like a caracal. His ancestor is the Egyptian jungle cat; Abyssinians were used to develop the modern breed.
- Caracat is a beautiful result of crossing a caracal with an Abyssinian. The large cat, as can be seen in the photo, is similar to a lynx, but its character is absolutely domestic, affectionate and non-aggressive.
Chausie
She took her in her arms and didn't want to let go
About a day passed, perhaps less, and we learned that that evening-night my grandmother’s friend, with whom we had previously left Marquise, died. I still remember this story, and I believe that it was no coincidence that these events coincided on the same evening. A lot of questions are spinning in my head. How? For what? For what? Since then, this has not happened again, but this story remains in my memory forever. The first time I decided to publish this in text form. I still wonder what could have happened when we left her with this friend, whether she offended her. What would have happened if mom wasn’t at home at that moment? Scary to imagine.
Now Marquise is no longer alive, she lived for more than 12 years, and I miss her very much. At some point, metastases were discovered in her body. She lived for several months with this disease. The veterinarian recommended she be euthanized, but no one in the family was able to agree to this. Who would agree to euthanize a family member?
At some point, I came to my city to at least have time to say goodbye to her. When I arrived, she was very thin, ate little, and had difficulty moving.
A magical cat named Marquise
Why does a cat have big ears?
All cats have large ears relative to their body, when compared with the size of human ears and torso . In cats, the ear is not just a hearing organ, but a real locator that helps a predator hear the slightest rustle in a mouse hole. There are 32 muscles in the cat's ear, which allow the organ to quickly change position and tune in to the source of sound.
Interesting fact. Thanks to the special structure of the auricle, a cat detects a wide range of sounds, although the hearing aid is best suited to perceive high-pitched sounds of 50-65 kHz.
The second function of large cat ears is thermoregulation . In hot weather, a person sweats, thereby lowering body temperature. In cats, most of the thermoreceptors are hidden under the fur; free ones remain only on the ears, tongue and soles of the paws. In the heat, body temperature rises, blood flow through the vessels accelerates.
The ears, densely permeated with capillaries, turn red, become hot, and heat exchange occurs through them. The larger the ears, the more intense the heat exchange. Therefore, all cats descended from African ancestors have large ears.
Caraquet cat
