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Sam is a Domestic Medium Hair!
The gene for long hair is recessive in cats. This means that there must be one copy passed to the kitten from each parent. The mutation that created long-haired cats occurred centuries ago in Central Asia, probably as a survival mechanism to protect the cats from the cold climate. They were brought to Europe in the 1500s and were initially referred to as "Persians". Another variation of the long-haired cat occured in America, known as the "Maine Coon". It isn't clear whether it was an independent mutation that occured in America or whether the recessive gene came from European cats that were brought to America.
Genetic variations in a characteristic are called dominant if one copy is needed to show an effect and recessive if two copies – one on each chromosome - are needed. Original traits tend to be dominant and new mutations tend to be recessive. As an example, the original trait for hair length was for short coats, so it's a dominant trait. The mutation for long coats occurred a long time ago, but it’s still a recessive trait and needs two copies of the gene.
The medium coat is caused by the cat having fewer secondary "down" hairs than the long-haired breeds and by the cat having a shorter growth and "shedding" cycle. Simply put, the coat has length without being as thick.
A cat's hair grows out during a 60 to 90 day cycle, rests during a 40 to 60 day cycle, and then falls out. This is mainly influenced by the length of day. During the longer days of spring, more hair falls out. As the days shorten, less falls out and the coat appears to thicken. Indoor cats are less affected and shed on a year round cycle. The hair of a long-haired cat does not grow faster; the growth stage is just more extended than for the short-haired cats.
The Domestic Medium Hair cat combines qualities of both the long hair and the short hair cat. They are more playful than the long hair and, are usually calmer than the short hair. Their body type can be either broad and stocky or slender.
We are pleased to welcome Sam to our practice!
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