Nibelung - breed description and cat character

Nibelungs are pets of amazing beauty. They are extremely attractive due to their unique, softer silk, blue wool, similar to the silver morning fog. Probably, it was for her that they were nicknamed the Nibelungs. These charming animals have not only an unusual coat, but also eyes of a bottomless emerald color.

How did the Nibelungs come about?

Nibelung cats appeared not so long ago. They were bred in the 80s in the United States, crossing well-known Russian blue cats with a long-haired breed. This happened by chance, when between the short-haired kittens of the Russian blue, there appeared babies with long hair that did not meet the standards. This was noticed by the breeders, and they took advantage of it when they took these cubs and made them the founders of the Nibelung breed.

In fact, the Nibelungs are also Russian blue cats, only long-haired. The fur coat of these cats has a difference not only in length, but also in structure. It is particularly soft and silky, and creates a spectacular hairline in the animal. Gray matte color of wool is also called blue or smoky. In bright light it has a silver tint.

The breed bred by the breeders immediately got breed standards and was registered with TICA. It happened in the late 80s. In 1995, the Nibelungs recognized TCA, WCF, CFF. Until this time, cats of this breed were quite rare. Buying Nibelung kittens is not so easy, as they are not found in every country. Mostly bought only at special exhibitions.

To get an animal of this breed, you will need to be patient and be prepared to travel outside your own city. If it is not difficult to find nurseries with Scots and Maine Coons in any big city, then a nursery with Nibelungs can be one in several big cities.

It is worth noting that Russian blue cats are used by breeders to breed Nibelungs. As a result of this, kittens with short hair may be in the litter. They have no value, because they do not meet the breed standards of each individual breed of their parents. But these kittens are great as pets and are much cheaper.

Breed Standards of the Nibelungs

1. Body type. Strong muscular body. The sizes are average.
2. Paws Different in length and rounded at the end.
3. Wool. Blue, or light gray (smoky), with a silver sheen. The presence of undercoat. The hair itself has an average length, is particularly soft and silky.
4. Tail. With a rounded tip. Long in relation to the body.
5. Eyes. Large, oval, widely set. Amber or emerald color.
6. Neck and head. Refined neck. Wedge-shaped head. Expressive chin.
7. The ears. Large size. Wide at the base, with pointed tips, and a slight bend towards the nose.

Character

Like the Russian blue, the Nibelungs are endowed with good intellectual abilities and good disposition. Traditionally they have their favorite among the members of the family in which they live. To their pet, they like to kneel down and in every possible way show him their feelings of love and devotion. However, the Nibelungs are not obsessive with their host, no matter how much they love him. They just need his presence in sight.

Cats of this breed are not aggressive towards other animals in the house. They can get along well with them and even make friends. What the Nibelung does not like is loneliness.If the owner often goes on business trips or on vacation, then it is better to entrust these cats to someone for the time of absence or to have another representative of the feline family.

Content Features

1. Despite the long undercoat, special complex care is not necessary for Nibelungs. However, it needs to be combed a couple of times a week. This should be done first with a scallop with small teeth, and then with a soft-tooth brush or silicone. After combing, the shedding hairs remaining on the surface of the cat can be removed by drawing a wet palm over the fur coat.
2. Cats should be bathed at most once every 5 months, and only if absolutely necessary. Kittens up to six months of age are not recommended.
3. To keep the teeth of the animal in a healthy condition, they should be brushed 1-2 times a week with a special soft brush and paste designed for animals. This should be done with very light movements, holding the cat with his hand. So that the pet does not feel discomfort, it is necessary to accustom it to brushing your teeth from an early age.
4. To feed a cat of the Nibelung breed you need high-quality food or a balanced diet of self-cooking. For feeding, you need to choose lean meats: beef, turkey, chicken. It is worth noting that a cat just needs to include fiber and even vegetables for good digestion. In the wild, cats receive a sufficient amount of vegetables and fiber along with caught prey: a bird, a mouse and other rodents. The amount of vegetables in the diet should be about 30% of the total diet. To prepare a balanced pet food, you need to take cereal, oatmeal, wheat or pearl barley and boil it in a meat broth with pieces of meat, add boiled vegetables grated on a fine grater and mix thoroughly. Such food can be prepared for 2-3 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator. Fish can only be given to a pet well-cooked so that the bones are soft and cannot harm the cat's health. In addition to a balanced diet, the cat just needs clean water for drinking. It needs a separate bowl, the water supply should be replenished as necessary and changed daily.
5. So that the cat does not get bored in the absence of the owner, you need to make for her special toys designed for cats.
6. When a Nibelung cat lives in an apartment, it must be led outside, preferably on a special leash for safety reasons. This should be done at least 1-2 times a week. If the cat has the good fortune of living in a private house, with free access, then the yard should be reliably protected from other animals.
7. In the house for the cat, a special corner with the presence of a claw point and a place for privacy of the pet should be reserved. It is necessary to accustom to a scratching post when a kitten appears in the house.
8. The ears of the cat, which happens on the street, require regular inspection by the owner and appropriate hygiene procedures. It is necessary to clean the ears of the pet with a cotton pad moistened with diluted hydrogen peroxide.

Nibelungen Health

If a tick is found in the ears or there are symptoms of inflammation, then you should not hesitate to visit a veterinarian, as this can lead to hearing loss. To protect the pet from fleas, ticks and internal parasitic worms - you can use a special collar.

The eyes of the Nibelungs are one of their distinctive features of this breed. Special care for them is not necessary. Cats are fairly clean and neat animals themselves monitor their own hygiene. An exception is when the cat's eyes turn sour. This can be a sign of respiratory disease and infection of the pet with parasites. Therefore, it is best to consult a veterinarian.

Also, a loving Nibelung owner should know a number of symptoms that require professional advice:

• Lack of appetite and thirst.
• Decreased normal activity, lethargy.
• Stiffness of movements.
• Hardening and enlargement of the abdomen.
• Color change of auricles, redness.
• Loss of shine, dullness.
• Violation of the integrity of the skin.
• Excessive secretion of saliva or tears.
• The presence of discharge from the ears, eyes, nose.
• Increased urination.
• Add blood in the stool.
• Digestive disorders.
• Nausea accompanied by vomiting.

Typically, cats require periodic deworming. This will help maintain the health of the animal and protect family members from being infected by parasites. An anthelmintic animal should be maximally every six months with special complex preparations in compliance with the required dosage specified in the instructions. Also, this procedure should be performed approximately 10-14 days before vaccination.

Nibelungs are ready for procreation by the age of 10 months. Domestic cats, having access to free range, already have kittens by the age of 12 months. Experts do not recommend knitting thoroughbred cats up to a year and a half due to the fact that, despite the presence of a cat in estrus, its reproductive system is not yet sufficiently formed. This is fraught with consequences for the female’s health and the birth of weak offspring.

The cat is ready to mate upon reaching her mature reproductive age the next, after the first estrus. And one after the kittens were excommunicated.

Cats, reaching puberty, are always ready for mating. The owner of the cat must make sure that the cat does not knit homeless and not purebred cats without proper care. After all, animals can also suffer from sexually transmitted diseases. Therefore, the opinion that a purebred cat, unlike a cat, can mate with anybody, since the mistress does not have to bother with the extension of the kittens is wrong.

Cat mating is carried out on the territory of the cat's mistress. At the same time, feeding and caring for the cat, for the period of its stay in the place for breeding, is taken under the responsibility of the owners of the male. The calculation for binding is agreed in advance by the owners in writing or orally on contractual terms.

Where could I buy?

In no case should you buy a pet remotely from a random seller. Also, this should not be done if the kitten is still too small, it should be older than 3 months, and preferably from six months. It is at this age that you can accurately determine the pedigree data in cats.

The price of a cat of this breed is, as a rule, from four hundred to 2 thousand dollars. The price of a well-groomed, healthy, fit for breeding kitten can not be low. When buying an animal for breeding - you need to consider this.

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