ABOUT THE AUSTRALIAN MIST BREED
The Australian Mist Cat is a wholly Australian breed developed by Dr Truda Straeda from Burmese, Abyssinians and Domestic shorthaired cats. Development of the breed started in 1977 and took 9 years for the breed to go from the Experimental Register to being accepted onto the Full Register. Originally only the spotted tabby coat pattern was accepted and the breed was known at ‘The Spotted Mist’, but in 1998 the Marbled (classic tabby pattern) also gained acceptance and the name changed to ‘The Australian Mist’. The Burmese provided the greatest input 50% of the original genes then the Abyssinians and Domestics 25% each. The Burmese gave the delicate coat colours, and between the Abyssinians and Domestics they provided the coat patterns, the Abyssinians also brought in the cinnamon coat colour which is known as Gold and Peach being diluted form of cinnamon. The domestics provided a healthy dose of random bred genes.
The temperament of the Australian Mist Cat is delightful, the mix of the 3 breeds gives the Mists a laid back people loving purrsonality. They are great with children fit into families well and are wonderful companions to both young and old, they integrate well with other pets. They are tolerant cats and love being handled. They do have a desire for food which comes down the Abyssinian route and seem to enjoy any food! However it is important to ensure they have a balanced diet and do not over-eat as they do have a tendency to become overweight. They are perfect lap cats and are happy to remain indoors but do need the companionship of humans or other cats.
In early 2007 two breeders imported the first Australian Mists into the UK, it has taken time but the breed is now recognised by the GCCF and is working towards gaining Championship status. The Australian Mist can now be registered with the GCCF and is competing at shows. The Australian Mist fan base is growing here in the UK as people are starting to realise what a fabulous breed the ‘Mists’ are!
They are an inherently healthy breed, to gain GCCF recognition a selection of cats were extensively DNA tested and the breed came back with one carrier cat of Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency. As a result of this the GCCF Registration Policy insists that all breeding cats MUST be DNA tested for this condition, this means that GCCF breeders can eliminate this gene, to date all GCCF cats that have been tested have come back with Normal status.
Owners of UK GCCF registered Australian Mist cats can be re-assured that breeders are working to ensure that the cats they breed are healthy and DNA test wherever they can. It is also written into the GCCF Registration Policy that the breed can be outcrossed and this will ensure that the breed has a viable gene-pool for the future and does not become inbred.
Visually they are a beautiful there is nothing extreme about them they are a medium to large sized shorthaired cat. They have a beautiful facial expression which is gentle and open, with eye colours of delicate shades of green. They come in 6 coat colours Brown, Blue, Chocolate, Lilac, Gold and Peach. And of course the beautiful tabby coat patterns - Spotted and Marbled which have the appearance of being misted, as though you were looking at the cat through a net curtain.
To view the GCCF Australian Mist Registration Policy and Standard of Points please follow the links below
http://www.gccfcats.org/Portals/0/AustralianMist.RegPol.pdf
http://www.gccfcats.org/Portals/0/AustralianMist.SOP.pdf