The British Chinchilla is a cat with a luxurious “fur coat”. It is distinguished by its medium size, muscular body, and many color options – from silver to gold.
Brief information
Representatives of the breed are perfect for staying in an apartment: they are calm, sedentary, and do not need physical exercise. They are quite satisfied with a comfortable place to rest – quiet and secluded. These cats shed insignificantly, quickly get used to the rules, and do not cause their owners almost any trouble.
However, the pet needs attention: chinchillas are very attached to people and need interaction with them. They absolutely cannot stand loneliness and are ready to reward attention with the most tender affection and love. Their aggression is low: if the pet does not like something, it will rather go away and hide than show its claws.
History of the breed’s origin
There are two main versions of their origin. Some researchers believe that chinchillas are an ancient breed and were brought to Great Britain from Ancient Rome. Others believe that these cats were the result of breeders crossing Persian cats with British cats. The result was fluffy beauties with a stable psyche and docile character.
Perhaps new variations of color were introduced by such an ‘accident’ as the mating of a blue Persian male cat with a female mongrel which produced a smoky-coloured kitten in 1882. The owner of the baby liked the color of his fur a lot to the extent that she wanted to breed a new breed. The first experiment failed: the offspring of the adult smoky cat and the tabby cat were ordinary. However, in the following generations, the desired color appeared again.
The smoky beauties first appeared at exhibitions in 1894. Then, the Americans joined the work of British breeders. As a result of joint experiments, the palette of fur shades was expanded to include golden or apricot colors.
Breed characteristics: size, weight, appearance
Representatives of the breed have characteristic rounded body shapes and thick, soft fur with a dense undercoat. Females of the chinchilla breeds are usually noticeably smaller than males. The height of an adult animal reaches 35 cm, weighing – 4-7 kg.
Head
Round with characteristic plump cheeks and a prominent jaw.
Eyes
Large, oval, set wide apart. The color of the iris is most often green-blue.
Nose
Large, snub-nosed, wide and short. The earlobe is pink with a dark edge.
Ears
Small, rounded at the ends. Set wide apart and slightly drooping.
Body
With a straight back and a broad chest. The legs are slightly shortened, looking plump due to the thick fur.
Wool
Can be short or semi-long. Regardless of the color of the fur, the color of cats of this breed is complex, formed by the iridescence of the main shade.
- Silver chinchillas are distinguished by the white color of their “fur coat”; only the tips of the hairs have dark pigment, creating a spraying effect. The chest remains snow-white; the standard does not allow any spots or patterns on the entire body.
- A variation of the silver color is considered to be a veil, in which the dark shade of the coat creates an organza effect. The color is inherited by the offspring only if both parents were its carriers.
- Another type of silver color is shaded. In this case, the guard hairs are one-third dark. The back, tail, ears, paws, and tail are usually the most saturated. On the limbs, some hairs can be completely dark. Most often, the shade of shaded chinchillas is blue, lilac, chocolate, black, or cinnamon. In any case, this type of coloring involves black paw pads and black “eyeliner” around the eyes, shaded with white hairs.
- Golden representatives of the breed have a “fur coat” in shades of apricot. They can also be a veil: the golden color, in this case, appears on the back, ears, head, and tail – at the very tips of the hair. With a shaded color, the hairs are darkened by a third, as with silver ones. The area around the neck should remain completely white.
Photo of a British Chinchilla
Character
Unlike other “Britons”, chinchillas do not mind being stroked and hugged, are not capricious, and are not aggressive. They prefer to be with others but do not make a mess in the apartment and do not spoil things in the absence of the owners. They like to spend time near a person but do not bother him with their attention. They are distinguished by a calm, reserved disposition, and value personal space. Such a pet needs a bed located in a secluded place where he can be alone with himself.
Chinchillas do not require serious physical exercise and long games; it is quite enough for them to spend their free time in an apartment. Buy your pet a special house for rest and climbing so that she can fulfill her need for exercise. Do not refuse joint games: laces with feathers, a ball, or a laser pointer will certainly appeal to your pet. Interactive and logical games will not be superfluous either: they can be purchased in pet stores.
Not all representatives of the breed are ready to go outside. If you want to walk your cat on a harness, and it is afraid and resists, it is better to abandon this idea.
British Chinchillas are very smart and easy to train. As soon as the kitten has looked around the new place a little, start training it to use the litter box. Most likely, it will not take much time: babies of this breed often figure out how to use this device themselves.
Even if you don’t plan to travel with your pet, get used to being in a carrier and traveling in transport. It should be prepared for periodic trips to the vet for checkups so as not to experience additional stress.
Do not forget that the character of the pet depends on you: be patient in training, do not shout at the cat, and do not hit it under any circumstances. Speak calmly and confidently. If you want to remark, use strict intonations without changing the volume of your voice. It is not always easy to understand the reasons for the kitten’s misbehavior on your own. If you have any questions, consult with the breeder.
British chinchillas are timid and shy: before you start training, give the baby time to adapt. To prevent his curiosity from leading to trouble, at first, it is necessary to remove indoor plants, heavy unstable objects, household chemicals, and cosmetics from the access zone. It is necessary to install a special net on the windows: A normal mosquito net will in no way deter the cat from toppling over the window.
Feeding
In case you decide to feed your pet natural foods, there should be no preservatives or flavor to the foods that are provided. All of this is intended for people and is not always safe for your pet. The basis of the diet should be lean meat, offal, fish fillet, and low-fat dairy products. It is also important to add fruits and vegetables to the menu, excluding potatoes and legumes. All of this will have to be prepared daily: the food must be fresh. For your cat, supplements of vitamins and minerals they need should be recommended by a vet. Choosing supplements based on the information posted on the web is more likely to be more dangerous than helpful.
Most nurseries prefer industrial feeds. Find out what your baby has been eating before you take it to a new home. If you are going to change your diet, do it gradually to avoid whims and food disorders. Ready-made feeds simplify the task of creating a balanced menu. The optimal amount of nutrients and useful substances in them is calculated in advance by specialists. It means that you just have to take the feed and choose the right type of it, taking into consideration the age and the health condition of the animal, and just follow the instructions depicted on the package. In addition, dry food granules help clean teeth when gnawing. With any type of diet, you cannot give your pet canned food, salty, spicy, smoked foods, herbs and spices, sweets, bakery products, or raw milk.
Vegetables and fruits, as well as quail eggs (no more than twice a week), can be offered as a treat. Please note that some products can cause a change in the color of the fur – milk, butter, egg yolk, and red and yellow fruits. You should treat your cat with them with caution, especially if it participates in exhibitions.
Representatives of the breed are prone to obesity, so it is necessary to monitor the portion size. Also, the activity and age of the animal should be considered in order to adjust the amount of food in time and avoid excess weight.
Care and hygiene
Before moving the kitten into your home, take care of a comfortable area for it. Buy a soft bed or a cat house, a litter tray, bowls for food and water, and toys for your pet in advance.
The chinchilla’s luxurious “fur coat” requires care: it does not shed as much as it might seem due to its thick undercoat. However, to maintain a neat appearance and remove dead hair, it needs to be combed periodically, especially during the shedding period. Frequent washing is not necessary for the pet: it is enough to do this as it gets dirty; the rest of the time, it will cope with cleaning the fur itself.
It is important to regularly inspect the eyes and remove dirt with a clean, soft cloth dampened with water. Representatives of the breed are distinguished by increased secretion of tear fluid. It must be wiped off to avoid unsightly marks on the fur. Inspect the ears once a week, and remove dirt with a cotton swab dampened with a special lotion, it is easy to find in a pet store. If you notice redness or irritation, consult a veterinarian. Teeth also require attention: they need to be cleaned weekly with a special fingertip and paste for animals. For the cat to get rid of the keratinized tissue of the claw, it will need a special scratching post.
Health: Common Diseases and Problems
Overall, genetic diseases are nonexistent in British chinchillas, but they can easily get infections. To ensure you safeguard your pet, make sure you take your pet through the required vaccinations.
Because of the features of ontogenesis, the nasal septum of this breed is somewhat S-shaped. Because of this feature, they suffer from runny noses more severely than other cats, and they also catch colds more often. The last recommendation for housing for pets is that the place where the pet sleeps should not be exposed to drafts. It also insisted that after the animal was bathed, the skin must be well-drained, and the animal should be placed in a warm room as a way of avoiding getting cold and even falling sick.
You will also have to watch your diet because you tend to obesity. Weight gain can lead to liver problems and the development of diabetes.
Choosing a Kitten: Tips and Cost
To get a healthy little chinchilla, and not a kitten of an unknown breed, contact a trusted nursery or breeder. Do not hesitate to ask questions, ask to see the mother of your future pet. All this will help to avoid surprises in the future.
The color of small kittens often changes saturation with age. If this is important, take an animal at the age of one year. The maturation of babies of this breed occurs unevenly, so teenage kittens may seem unsightly. Do not worry: with age, they will turn into fluffy beauties.
Pay attention to the cleanliness of the eyes and ears, as well as the coat: it should be shiny, without bald spots.
The cost of a kitten varies. The more chances the baby has to become a prize winner at shows, the more you will have to pay for it.
Main advantages and disadvantages
To make sure that you need a pet of this particular breed, evaluate its advantages and disadvantages.
+ Chinchillas have an unusual, attractive appearance and beautiful coloring;
+ These cats are smart, easy to train and train;
+ They have a balanced character, are affectionate, and become very attached to people;
+ Not aggressive, get along well with children and animals;
+ Have good health;
+ Do not require complex care; shed little;
– Proud and independent;
– They choose one family member and become more attached to him or her than to others;
– Prone to obesity and increased lacrimation.
