Features of standards and descriptions of cats

Standards for cat breeds, in comparison, for example, with standards for dog breeds, pay much more attention to the external impression made by the animal and less to the system of morphological measurements. Naturally, due to this ratio, the number of purely descriptive techniques used in the compilation of standards increases. Terms such as "open expression" (open expression), "smiling face" (smiling face), elegant addition" convey exactly the impression that develops when looking at a cat of a particular breed. However, standards cannot be limited solely to such characteristics that favor subjectivity in evaluation. Most of the Russian-language standards for cat breeds, of course, are translational. A number of foreign terms that do not have an exact analogue in the Russian language are transmitted differently by different translators. This methodological guide is recommended as a basis for compiling the most complete and possibly the same type of standards and exhibition descriptions of pedigreed cats in Russian.

When describing an animal to determine the breed or breed standard, the characteristics of many signs are given in relation to their average indicators for a domestic cat as a species.

the observed feature with the requirements of the standard: "not convex enough", "too long", "ears are too small", etc. With full compliance of one or another feature with the standard of the breed to which the described animal belongs, the expert can limit himself to evaluating, for example, "excellent forehead", "excellent chin". When describing pedigreed animals, he often uses formulations expressing the ratio

Head

Size: large, small, medium size. It is estimated relative to the size of the body. Sometimes in addition to (or instead of) this characteristic gives an estimate of the size of the head in relation not to the size, but to the musculoskeletal mass of the body: massive (heavy) or light. The average values of this characteristic, as a rule, are not indicated.

Width: wide, narrow, the average value of the attribute is assumed by default. It is indicated, as a rule, the width of the head in the frontal part and / or at the level of the cheekbones, in relation to its length.

The length of the head is estimated as the distance from the crown (the point between the ears) to the tip of the nose, indicated only for cats with a wedge-shaped head: a long wedge, a short wedge, a wedge of medium length.

Shape: round, rounded (slightly tapering to the muzzle), trapezoidal (in the form of an inverted trapezoid with almost equal width in the zygomatic and frontal parts), triangular (in the form of an equilateral triangle), wedge-shaped.

With a wedge-shaped head, the length of the wedge must be indicated. It is extremely rare to distinguish a heart-shaped and diamond-shaped (with a maximum width in the cheekbones with a flat skull) head shape.

Correlation: the shape of the head is estimated not in planar, but in volumetric terms. The round and rounded shape of the head suggests the presence of a convex or slightly convex skull and forehead, trapezoidal - the presence of a flat skull, triangular - the presence of a flat skull and forehead, wedge-shaped - slightly convex forehead and / or skull. In cases where it is difficult to determine the shape of the head, the features of the organization of the skull, forehead, cheekbones, cheeks, the outline of the head, its length relative to the width in the cheekbones and frontal part are described in detail.

Skull (cranial vault)

Shape: flat, slightly convex, convex.

Forehead

Shape: flat, slightly convex, convex.

Special marks: for such breeds that should have a convex skull and forehead (Persian, exotic), additional characteristics are used to describe specific shortcomings in these structures:

1) flat - a flat platform over the forehead,
2) furrow - a longitudinal depression starting at the level of the forehead,
3) parietal "bump" - a bulge in the middle of the crown, formed during the fusion of the parietal suture,
4) violation of the symmetry of the structure relative to the longitudinal axis.

Cheekbones

Height: high, low. The average value of the attribute is not specified.

Jowls

Development: complete, expressed, marked (intended), not expressed.

Profile

The description of the profile line is usually limited to only two types of its organization: straight and with a break at eye level. The description of other variants of the profile organization consists of a combination of descriptions of the shape of the skull, the forehead and the transition from the forehead to the nose. In the exhibition descriptions, when all these characteristics meet the standard, they often do not list them, but use a general definition, for example, "good" or "excellent profile".

The term "straight profile" is a literal translation of the English "straight profile". However, when applied to animals, this term has rather the meaning of "smooth", i.e., in relation to the cat's profile, it does not mean a completely straight line, but rather a smooth slightly convex curve running from the top of the crown to the tip of the nose.

Transition from forehead to nose

Severity: not marked, with a slight depression, with a table. When evaluating cats of Persian and exotic breeds, the actual stop is subject to description: deep, well expressed, weakly expressed (outlined), absent.

Hoc

Length: short, medium length, long. When describing a mongrel animal, the length of the nose is estimated relative to the average for a domestic cat as a species; when evaluating a thoroughbred animal, relative to the requirements of the standard (so, a long nose for a Persian cat will actually turn out to be a nose of average length for a mongrel individual).

Width: wide, narrow, medium width. It is estimated relative to the length of the nose and the width of the head in the cheekbones. Additionally, it can be

the uniformity of the nose width was evaluated: equally wide along the entire length, tapering to the lobe.

The shape (line) of the back of the nose: straight, upturned, humped, "Roman" (i.e. with the tip lowered).

Muzzle

Length: long, short, medium length.

Width: wide, narrow; the average value is usually not indicated.

Outline: rounded, angular, pointed.

In the area of transition from cheekbones to muzzle: delimited, marked, straight lines. To denote a sharp narrowing under the zygomatic area, the term "pinch" is used.

Vibriss pads

Severity: speakers. No other options are specified.

Shape: angular, rounded. It is indicated only for breeds with protruding pads of vibrissae and/or with a delimited or marked muzzle. Protruding angular pads of vibrissae in those breeds for which they are not characteristic can be designated by the term "false pinch".

Chin

Degree of development: protruding (overdeveloped), strong, sloping, weak, shortened.

Width: wide, narrow, medium width. The last value is not specified.

Bite

It is divided into straight, scissor-shaped, overshot, undershot and undershot with fangs "in the lock". Only the last three variants are noted - deviations from the normal (physiological) bite.

Special marks: there are cases of symmetry violations in the arrangement of the dentition and jaws relative to the longitudinal axis - the so-called twist, as well as individual teeth. Note the absence of teeth.

Ears

Postage height: high set, low set. The average values of the attribute (medium-high delivery) are often not indicated in the description. The height of the postage is determined in relation to the width of the head and the width of the postage of the ears. An approximate reference point can be the ratio of the levels of the outer corner of the eye and the outer edge

the auricle. If the latter is below a straight line drawn from the outer corner of the eye parallel to the chin line, the delivery is considered low, if significantly higher - high.

Postage width: widely spaced, closely spaced. The average values of the attribute are usually not indicated. A wide postage is considered, in which the distance between the ears noticeably exceeds the width of the ear at the base, close - when this distance is less than the width of the ear.

Direction: straight set, slightly apart, apart to the sides.

A straight line passing from the middle of the base of the ear to its tip is taken as the axis of direction

Tilt: set vertically, slightly tilted forward. This characteristic is rarely indicated, it is only needed to describe hotel breeds (for example: Russian blue).

Size: large, small, medium size. The size of the ears is determined in relation to the size of the head.

Width at the base: wide at the base, narrow at the base, the average value of the attribute is not specified. Ears are considered wide at the base if their width in this area is not less than the height of the segment from the middle of the base to the tip, narrow - if the width of the base does not exceed 2/3 of the height.

Special marks: used when describing individual breeds. For the Scottish fold, indicate the degree of fit of the ears to the head (tightly fitting, semi-fitting, bent at the tips). For the curl breed, the degree of bending of the auricle and the presence / absence of contact of the tip of the ear with its shell or the surface of the head are indicated. For many breeds (Abyssinian, Somali, Siberian, etc.), the presence of ear brushes (hairs on the tip of the ear) and brushes (hairs inside the auricle) is indicated.

Eyes

Colour

The actual color: indicates the color and shade of the eye color.

Tone (intensity): light (pale), intense (deep).

Uniformity of coloring: evenly colored, uneven shade, with inclusions of another (specify which) color, with ghost ring inclusions of another color

Size, shape and delivery

Size: large, small, medium size. The size of the eyes is determined in relation to the size of the head.

Shape: round, rounded, oval, almond-shaped. The shape of the eyes takes into account the degrees of curvature of the upper and lower eyelids and the ratio of the length of the eye (the distance from the outer to the inner corner) to its height (the distance between the highest and lowest points of the upper and lower eyelids). In round and oval eyes, the curvature of the upper and lower eyelids are approximately equal, in rounded ones, the curvature of one eyelid (usually the upper one) is greater than that of the other. The height and length of round eyes are approximately the same, in rounded and oval - the height is from 3/4 to 2/3 of the length, in almond-shaped - from 2/3 of the length or less. The shape of the eyes correlates with their position and the height of the cheekbones.

A source: https://www.oldbluzcoon.com