Ceylon Cat

     The Ceylon Cat is a domestic breed, developed by the Cat Club of Sri Lanka (former Ceylon). In 1980s its representatives were brought to Italy, where in 1984 at the Como Cat Show, they were introduced to the western public and were an immediate success. After 4 years of planned breeding (humans sincerely believed they improved the breed!), in May 1988, the Ceylon Cat was registered as a new form of pedigree cat.
      Ceylon cat has the typical ticked coat of the modern Abyssinian, but with the addition of the barred leg-markings common in that breed at the turn of the century. It is very similar to the so-called Wild Abyssinian developed in the 1980s from the local cats discovered in Singapore.
 

     Color forms: the traditional coloring of a sandy-golden background with black markings got a name of Manilla. Ticking and markings can also be blue, red, cream or the appropriate tortoiseshell.
     Body: small to medium size, fine bone structure; rather short and deep body with well-rounded abdomen; fairly broad chest. Compact and well-muscled. Strong, short, muscular neck.
     Legs: fine boned, not too long; well-muscled; hind legs slightly longer than front legs.
     Feet: small and rounded. Paw pads in keeping with the basic color.

      Head: well-proportioned with round cheeks and prominent cheek bones. Rather short nose with a slight break at eye level. Forehead and top of head slightly flattened. Chin well developed but not too pronounced. Nose leather pink, rim in keeping with basic color. Ears large, open at the base, set high with rounded tips. Eyes rather large, top line almond shaped, lower line rounded; set well apart; color lustrous yellow to green; with a characteristic dreamy expression.
     Tail: fairly short, broad at the base, tapering to a rounded tip.
     Coat: short, fine and silky, close-lying; only slight undercoat. Body and sides showing a uniform, pronounced ticking; undeparts gradually shading off to a palet tone with clearly marked spots on belly. One to three broken or unbroken necklaces. Two or three lines on the cheeks and a "cobra" pattern well outlined on the forehead. Clearly defined stripes on the legs. Tail ringed, the tip being solid.
    Faults (how arrogant humans are to describe cats with the adjective "faulty", when they themselves are much farther from perfection that cats): long slender body;  wide set ears; dominant, round eyes; tendency to spotting on the back and flanks; absence of spots on belly; white patches, except on the chin and extending to throat; lack of stripes on legs and/or rings on tail. (All these "faults" are for human breeders and showers only. For us, cats, it doesn't matter).

All this information was kindly presented by the Club of the Ceylon Cats Lovers:
Club Amatori Del Gatto Di Ceylon
Via Lombardia, 48
21029 Corgeno Vergiate (VA)

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