About the Breed
The Australian Mist Cat is a wholly Australian breed
developed by Dr Truda Straeda from Burmese, Abyssinians
and Domestic shorthaired cats. Development of the breed
started in 1977 and took 9 years for the breed to go from the
Experimental Register to being accepted onto the Full
Register. Originally only the spotted tabby coat pattern was
accepted and the breed was known at ‘The Spotted Mist’, but
in 1998 the Marbled (classic tabby pattern) also gained
acceptance and the name changed to ‘The Australian Mist’.
The Burmese provided the greatest input 50% of the original
genes then the Abyssinians and Domestics 25% each. The
Burmese gave the delicate coat colours, and between the
Abyssinians and Domestics they provided the coat patterns,
the Abyssinians also brought in the cinnamon coat colour
which is known as Gold and Peach being diluted form of
cinnamon. The domestics provided a healthy dose of random
bred genes.
The temperament of the Australian Mist Cat is delightful, the
mix of the 3 breeds gives the Mists a laid back people loving
purrsonality. They are great with children fit into families
well and are wonderful companions to both young and old,
they integrate well with other pets. They are tolerant cats and
love being handled. They do have a desire for food which
comes down the Abyssinian route and seem to enjoy any
food! However it is important to ensure they have a balanced
diet and do not over-eat as they do have a tendency to become
overweight. They are perfect lap cats and are happy to remain
indoors but do need the companionship of humans or other
cats.
In early 2007 two breeders imported the first Australian
Mists into the UK, it has taken time but the breed is now
recognised by the GCCF and is working towards gaining
Championship status. The Australian Mist can now be
registered with the GCCF and is competing at shows. The
Australian Mist fan base is growing here in the UK as people
are starting to realise what a fabulous breed the ‘Mists’ are!
They are an inherently healthy breed, to gain GCCF
recognition a selection of cats were extensively DNA tested
and the breed came back with one carrier cat of Pyruvate
Kinase Deficiency. As a result of this the GCCF Registration
Policy insists that all breeding cats MUST be DNA tested for
this condition, this means that GCCF breeders can eliminate
this gene, to date all GCCF cats that have been tested have
come back with Normal status.
Owners of UK GCCF registered Australian Mist cats can be re-
assured that breeders are working to ensure that the cats they
breed are healthy and DNA test wherever they can. It is also
written into the GCCF Registration Policy that the breed can
be outcrossed and this will ensure that the breed has a viable
gene-pool for the future and does not become inbred.
Visually they are a beautiful there is nothing extreme about
them they are a medium to large sized shorthaired cat. They
have a beautiful facial expression which is gentle and open,
with eye colours of delicate shades of green. They come in 6
coat colours Brown, Blue, Chocolate, Lilac, Gold and Peach.
And of course the beautiful tabby coat patterns - Spotted and
Marbled which have the appearance of being misted, as
though you were looking at the cat through a net curtain.
To view the GCCF Australian Mist Registration Policy and
Standard of Points please follow the links below
http://www.gccfcats.org/Portals/0/AustralianMist.RegPol.pd
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http://www.gccfcats.org/Portals/0/AustralianMist.SOP.pdf