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(C) Leawood Plaza Animal Hospital
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 Raining cats and dogs... Welcome to the "Breed of the Month" section! Each month, we will feature a new "breed of the month" -- a new cat and a new dog, for you to learn about. Complete with pictures, this section will be a fun and informative area to learn about the animals we love! This Month's Breeds
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Himalayans are the result of efforts in the 1930s to cross Siamese to Persians in order to understand the inheritance of the Siamese color point gene. Offspring were bred back to Persians to keep the Persian look while maintaining the color points. The name comes from the color pattern found on rabbits and goats originating in the Himalayan Mountains of Asia. The ideal Himalayan cat is identical to all other Persian cats in type, the standard being the same except for the color. The Himalayan cat's eyes are as deep blue as possible. Recognized point colors in the Himalayan cat include seal (dark bitter chocolate), chocolate (milk chocolate), blue, lilac, red (or flame), cream, tortie, blue-cream, seal lynx (tabby) and blue lynx. Some registering associations regard the Himalayan cat as a separate breed. The largest group, the Cat Fanciers Association, decided some years ago to register Himalayan cats as Persian-Himalayans, a division of the Persian breed.
With its big eyes, big ears, and bigger-than-life attitude, the Chihuahua is the epitome of cocky canine in a petite package. A sudden spurt of popularity as the Taco Bell dog has brought notoriety, and demand for the tough and intelligent dogs has increased. In an era when many breed registrations are declining, the number of Chihuahuas registered annually has increased. The Chihuahua has moved from 16th in popularity to 12th.