Highly playful Highlander
Patti Struck
If you have ever met a Highlander you will understand why this breed is wonderful, loving and playful. Highlander is considered as rare breed and her popularity grew over the last few years. Let’s know more about this playful cat.
Distinct characteristics of Highlander, such as fun-loving and playful, make her a wonderful breed, an ideally suitable pet for families with small children. Highlander loves to play as well as sleeps in a warm lap for hours on end. She has distinctive features that make her unique among other breeds. The features include her loosely curled ears and naturally short tail.
Faulty extra toe
Some pet parents may find Highlander with polydactyl (extra toes) feet. This feature comes from the cat’s ancestor, Highland Lynx, who was development in 1993 as a crossbreed of the experimental Desert Lynx breed and the Jungle Curl, to add the latter’s curled ears to the former. But in the world of Highlanders, this extra toe is a disqualification, so you can consider it as a fault in this breed.
In all colours
When we consider patterns and colours in Highlander, she comes in all colours and patterns, except bicolour, which means any colour and white. She can have short hair or long hair. Other than the ears, her grooming needs are minimum, even the long-haired breeds of Highlander do not need excessive brushing or grooming.
Ear care
Because of the curl in her ear, the cartilage is more crowded inside than any other breed with normal straight ears. Because of such unique ears of Highlander, she is more likely to get a buildup of debris inside them, so she should be cleaned on regular basis. Cleaning once a month will do, but as per requirement, some may clean every two weeks. Cleaning can be fairly simple by using a commercial ear cleaning solution to squirt in their ears, then swabbing away any loosened debris with a cotton ball.
Show-stopper
Nowadays, Highlanders are popular in cat shows hosted by The International Cat Association (TICA) in the New Breed Rings. The breed is currently an Advanced New Breed, which is one step before becoming a championship breed. Several important goals must be met in order for the Highlander to be granted championship status, such as showing a certain number of cats, registering a certain number of cats, registering a certain number of litters, along with several other requirements. Many of these goals have already been met, and breeders are actively working on completing the remaining goals.
Whether a champion in the ring or a non-standard pet, the Highlander is a unique, fun loving, playful, and devoted cat who will give you years of love and entertainment.
(Patti Struck has been breeding Highlanders and Savannahs for years. In addition, she is also a member of TICA Rules Committee, TICA Mentors Program and Savannah Committee.)