General Chat

Hi Christine The completely bald cats are now called Sphinx. Cornish & Devons have very short fur. One of the problems with devons in particular is that they are prone to bald patches, but they ARE supposed to be covered. In some cats it looks & feels more like suede, especially on the tummy. They always have furry faces though. Both these breeds started as naturally-occuring mutations in respectively Cornwall & Devon (hence the names) & were developed into separate breeds using carefully planned breeding programmes. Won't go into details but these are 2 separate genes (one for each breed), and both are recessive. Since then a couple of other spontaneous mutations have occurred in other parts of the world, some have been proved to be caused by the same genes, but there are at least 2 others: one is recognised in the UK (LaPerms, which look frizzier) this is a dominant gene.

OMG Steve I have just looked at that website Some of the names are hilarious love the pix, some are just SOOOOOOOO cute. But why are they mucking about? Some of the combinations just seem pointless to me. Its surely not all because poodles don't moult? Is this just a fancy American way of legitimising what started off as an accidental mis-mating? I better come clean & admit I breed & judge cats, when our cats have accidental mismatings we usually just sell them off cheaply for pets, we don't (as a rule) try to create a new breed. But then there is far less variety in size & shape of cats than in dogs, so its pointless trying all the different combinations. I currently have a Cornish Rex, she's wavy & supposedly non-allergenic. I suppose the nearest we get to poodles (the fur is very short though, not curly) She does moult though - but its very fine soft downy fur, not guard hairs like other cats.

you think labradoodles are strange see what the americans are doing http://www.dogbreedinfo*com/poodlemix.htm and the names they use Steve

My friend use to have a Shih Tzu, Bull dog cross - she would say it was a Bullsh*t (could never think of a nicer way to phrase it) LT

Ooh they are lovely. A blind friend had one for a seeing eye dog. Basically it looked like a lab in build and size, but with finer facial features and lovely long curly hair. And it didn't have a poodles yappy personality. Very laid back, just like labs generally are.

Heard one unseemly mutt described as a cross between a Labrador and a lavatory door! :-) Keith

They are breeding then as help dogs primarily because poodles dont moult. Bobbin didnt make crufts this year, she didnt really want to go anyway, far happier chewing socks...

They are beautiful!

yep thats right they have been breeding them for years, they are trying to get the kc to reconise them as a new breed steve

There's a cockapoo as well which is a cross between a cocker spaniel and a poodle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

could be worse, could have been a poodrador

Couldn't believe I heard it right! cross between a poodle & a labrador