napoleonnews

To all of you interested in breeding any of the Dwarf breeds, please do yourself a favor and check at least three generations of pedigree prior to purchasing a
breeder for your program. And talk to your vet for their opinion. I am far from an expert in the Experimental Breeds, such as Skooks, Kilts, Kinks, etc. Nor am I
an expert in Munchkins, because I do not Show them and do not have an interest in Showing them. And the Experimental breeds are nowhere near the point
of being Showable so this is much less important to them. The Munchkin and the Napoleon are another matter because both have advanced past the
Experimental Status. These cats stay in Experimental Status until a determination is made regarding the viability of the Hybrid and whether or not it will
produce healthy kittens. As an example, I was intrigued with the Scottish Kilt (Munchkin/Scottish Fold Hybrid). My vet bred Folds and had them running
around her office. I fell in love with their mischievous and adventurous nature and thought what a great personality mix they would make with the kittenish
and playful nature of the Munchkin. I looked for breeders and found one and began dialogue with her. I then determined to discuss it with my vet prior to
making any purchase. She explained to me that the Folds are predisposed to degenerative spine disease and the thought of mixing that with dwarf legs made
her envision a breed of cat that more often than not would be dragging its back legs from paralysis. It made perfect sense to me thinking about short little legs
attempting to stabilize a degenerative spine. I never thought of the Kilt as a viable breed since. That is only my opinion and years of study may prove me
wrong. But, that is what the Experimental Status is for. To find these things out. Also, the degenerative spine disease is not specific to the Standard Fold
(folded ears), it is just as prevalent in the Non-Standard (regular ears). And, you do not have to be a genius in genetics to know that breeding outside of the
accepted Breeding Program will not benefit the breed you are attempting to advance.

Because the Munchkin Breed Group and Persian Breed Group make up the hybrid breed of Napoleon, I have done just enough research to ensure that I am
getting what I want for my Napoleon program when purchasing a new cat for breeding. Please educate yourself on TICA rules and regulations. It is great to
be up to date on rules and regs of many of the different registries, but it is TICA we are petitioning for advancement of the Napoleons and it is their rules we
must abide by.

I have heard so many new breeders say that they were told, if it looks like a Napoleon, you can register it as a Napoleon. That is simply not true. And whoever
is telling them that is doing a terrible disservice, not only to the breeder purchasing from them, but to the breed as a whole.

There are very specific rules regarding breeding to Unknowns and breeding to Unacceptable Outcrosses. So, first, what is the acceptable breeding program
for a Napoleon? Very simple - breeding any member of the Munchkin Breed Group (Munchkin Short Hair and Munchkin Long Hair) with any member of the
Persian Breed Group (Persian/Himalayan/Exotic Short Hair) or with any member of the Napoleon Breed Group (Napoleon Short Hair and Napoleon Long Hair).
That is it. No other breed is acceptable to create a Napoleon. So, if you are about to purchase a "Napoleon" for your program and you find ANY OTHER
BREED within three generations of that cat, you may not have a Napoleon at all, or you might have a Napoleon without Showable numbers. And that is what
we are working towards - Showing our Napoleons. It takes three generations to breed out an Unknown or Unacceptable Outcross. Do not be fooled by what
the cat looks like. Worry about what that cat's kittens will look like and if you can show them or not, and for that matter if you can sell them or not.
Experienced breeders are going to check the pedigrees.

Unknowns are simple to define. You are telling TICA that you do not know one of the parents or their pedigree. You see this a lot in Munchkin pedigrees
because many breeders take their Munchkins to whatever they want. They do this to breed in a certain look and define that parent as Unknown. What this
means is that the breeder has to breed down three generations of kittens to get a Munchkin with Showable numbers. What this also means is if they breed
one of these kittens to a Persian Breed Group and produce Napoleons and sell it to you to use in your breeding program, you are still two generations away
from having a Napoleon with Showable numbers. That makes your kittens extremely difficult (pretty much impossible at this point) to sale to any breeder that
is interested in Showing their Napoleons and/or are breeding high-end, quality Napoleons. And as the breed becomes more popular it will effect pet sales
also. Who wants to pay these prices for a pet that is not even Showable. I wouldn't. The same is true for Unacceptable Outcrosses. This is also simple to
define. You are telling TICA that you bred to a recognized breed outside of your accepted breeding program as outlined above. So, if you use a Siamese or
British Short Hair or Maine Coon bred to your Napoleon it is an Unacceptable Outcross and it will take you three generations of breeding inside of the
acceptable breeds to get Showable numbers.

If you are unsure about whether or not the cat you are interested in purchasing will provide you with kittens that have Showable numbers, please call a
Napoleon Breed Group Committee Member, which as of now consists of Margie Gardner, Chair; Peggy Chenault, and Dawn Lott. Our only mission is to
advance the Napoleons and to do that we need responsible breeders out there breeding towards the Breed Standard and breeding inside the acceptable
Breeding Program.

Please do not let someone sell you a round faced kitten as a Napoleon to find out later that it is not even a Showable Munchkin. TICA is very specific in the
Munchkin and Napoleon rules that breeding to any recognized breed other than those within the Breeding Program is an Unacceptable Outcross and it is
easy to understand that breeding to an Unknown will not net you Showable kittens. Also, make certain to see pictures of the Dam and the Sire. Of course, if
the breeder you are purchasing from is unscrupulous, they can and will show you pictures of whatever cat they think will make you happy. Again, a warning
to only do business with reputable breeders. In the past eight months, since I have been involved with this project I have heard of breeders falsifying
registration documentation, which is last thing we want to see in our Napoleon programs. The scariest part of this is that many breeders do not see anything
wrong with this. There are things you can do to assure you got what you paid for. Say, you purchase a Munchkin and you are given a three generation
pedigree showing nothing but Munchkins and a litter is delivered and right in the middle sits a Kink kitten. Obviously, there is a Curl somewhere in the kitten's
background. So you have been taken and someone falsified a registration certificate. You can also pay for DNA testing for parentage on a kitten you are
concerned about. These are time consuming and expensive tasks, to what end? Never ending battles with the breeder you purchased from? My advice
would be to alter the cat in question and sell it and all of it's kittens as pets and move on. Then never do business with that breeder again and let them know
how unhappy you are with them and warn any other breeders you know about what happened. It is the only way to shut these people down. If you ask a
breeder for photos of the Dam and Sire and a three generation pedigree and they cannot or will not give it to you for any reason at all, then move on to find
another breeder. You know all you need to know about that one.

I was asked to add this to clarify the above information. Mutated genes do not jump generations. Either the cat carries it or it does not. In other words, you
cannot breed two Non-Standard Napoleons and get a Standard Napoleon or two non-standard Folds (regular ears) and get a standard Fold (folded ears).
However, there are many times (especially with new breeders) that the gene is not instantly recognizable. I have seen a Fold with one ear flopping and the
other ear straight. Neither ear was folded properly. Someone not familiar with this breed would see that ear and think it was an injury or birth defect or
whatever. However, this cat does indeed carry the gene. He was bred to a NS Fold and half of the litter was born with perfectly folded ears. I have seen a
Kink-a-Low with only a very slight curl that to someone unfamiliar with a Munchkin might be mistaken for another Munchkin feature, rather than a second
mutated gene that will indeed throw curled eared kittens. Most breeders call this, "It must show it, in order to throw it." Well, it may indeed be showing it in
such minor detail, the inexperienced might not recognize it. I hope this clarifies any misunderstanding above.

If you are only interested in breeding for pet quality kittens and do not care about the Showable numbers, that is great and there is a huge market out there.
Just be up front and honest with your customers that this is a pet quality kitten, not breeder or show quality and price your kittens accordingly. And, of
course, those breeders who breed the new Experimental Breeds are doing us all a favor, because that is how you get a cat like the Napoleon. Just make sure
they are reputable breeders that are putting the cat's best interest first.

Information is your best weapon against purchasing an unsuitable cat for breeding Napoleons. Ask a lot of questions and check references. And always
remember that your Committee Members are here for you. You can find their names and email addresses on the Home Page.

And remember - do not believe everything you read or that a breeder tells you. Ask for client references prior to purchasing a cat. And then check with other
breeders. Please help us maintain the integrity of this beautiful new breed of Napoleon. Stay away from breeders who want to keep us (Napoleons) in the
experimental phase of breeding.

NAPOLEON NEWS

HELPFUL TIP
TO ALL BREEDERS OF DWARF BREEDS
CHECK PEDIGREES!!!!

NAPOLEON BREEDERS PREPARE TO PETITION THE
TICA BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR ADVANCEMENT
TO PRELIMINARY NEW BREED STATUS.

In September 2009, a group of Napoleon Breeders attended the Annual TICA Board Meeting in
Orlando, Florida after working for five months on an application to advance the breed to
Preliminary New Breed Status, which would allow Napoleons to compete in the Show Ring. The
motion for advancement was denied by the Board of Directors (BOD).

With much new information and gaining new advocates, the group is gearing up for petitioning
the BOD again at the May 2010 Board Meeting. Our calendar for deadlines is completed, and our
all of our deadlines are being met. An advertisement has been submitted to the TICA Trend
magazine indicating our intent to petition the BOD again.

Our application has been mailed to TICA to request to be heard at the BOD Meeting in May 2010.
We have completed a Standard to send with the application and made minor revisions, such as
removing the Committee Members who have decided to no longer participate. The information
has now been sent electronically to both the Rules and Genetics Committees for their review
and then we can make any recommended changes prior to sending the final packet to TICA for
the BOD.

Because this meeting will be held as a Teleconference, we are trying to determine if there is a
need to be available at the Teleconference site with a presentation and cats. At this time our plan
is to send a Power Point presentation electronically.

We were contacted by TICA and it was recommended we put off our petition for advancement
until we can go to a meeting and make a presentation. So, we have decided to wait for the winter
meeting being held in Texas to petition. The Annual BOD meeting is in September in CA, but
more breeders can make it to the Texas in January 2011 meeting with our new cats that come
close to or do meet the Standard and are all of the same "type" showing consistency in our
breeding programs.

All Napoleon breeders are encouraged to attend local shows and exhibit your Napoleons to
keep our names and our cats in the public and TICA's eye. TICA recommended that we NOT
show our Napoleons in Household Pets. But, did encourage exhibiting them at shows.

CHALLENGES IN WRITING A
HYBRID BREED STANDARD

BREEDING TO TYPE

The Napoleon (Nap) is a true hybrid breed. What that means is that it is
not supposed to look like either parent breed, but should hint at
features of both. Persians have large round eyes. This is a feature we
try to promote in the Nap, but because the Munchkins have more of a
walnut shaped eye, we do get Naps that have more almond shaped
eyes, rather than round. But, when writing our Standard we are
describing the "perfect" Show Napoleon. Once the majority of the Nap
breeders begin to breed toward the Breed Standard the features will
settle in and hopefully we will not have to make changes to the
Standard again. It is like we are starting all over again from where Mr.
Smith left off. The difference is, he was trying to go through this
process virtually alone. Our advantage is that the Nap has become so
popular that there are many breeders out there to help refine the
"type" and describe it in a Breed Standard. Another example of a
difference between the Nap and the parent breeds is the legs. The Nap
gets the short legs from the Munchkin, but because the Persian has
naturally shorter, stockier legs than most other breeds, the Nap has
shorter, more well developed legs than the Munchkin and has a more
pronounced outer upper thigh or shoulder if you will. This might give
the impression of bowed legs, but they are not bowed. You can tell
this by running your hand along the inner bone of the leg, which should
be straight. Bowed legs are penalized and Show breeders are
encouraged to breed this trait out of their lines when they come across
it. The way to do that is when you have a kitten with bowed legs, you
sell that kitten as a pet only. It is not a particular health hazard to the
kitten, and, in fact, is sought after by many who like that look. It gives
the cat the "cowboy" look and makes it a bit shorter. Other examples
are the torso, which is "cobby" on the Persian, which basically means
compact and the Munchkin is "not compact". The Nap is right in the
middle of the two, with a "semi-cobby" torso, which means medium.
Because of the shorter legs, the Nap appears to be a bit longer than it
really is. This is an optical illusion brought about due to the very short
legs. Then there is the head shape, which is round and broad with
great breadth (large) on the Persian, but a modified wedge shape on
the Munchkin. The Nap has a rounded medium sized head, with softer
features than either parent breed. The Munchkin ears look large and
are set high on their heads and are pointed. The Persian's ears are
very small and rounded and offset. The Nap has medium rounded
tipped ears that are offset, but fit nicely into the contour of the head.
The biggest difference from either parent breed would have to be the
nose. A Show quality Persian has it's nose placed so short and high
that it actually fits between the eyes. The Munchkin's nose is medium
in length and sits low on the face and many times has a bump in it. The
Nap has a sweet button nose, that has a concave curve between the
eyes, but the nose is not snub as it does not point up, and when placed
correctly it is centered on the face. This one particular feature should
immediately identify the difference between a Show Quality Persian,
Show Quality Munchkin, and Show Quality Napoleon. And our
challenge is to describe these features in our Breed Standard so that a
Judge can picture the cat from reading it.

To breed to type or not to breed to type... That is the
question!

One of the most common differences you will find in
breeders, regardless of which breed, is what "type"
they breed to. It can be the source of much
contention between breeders. Most want their
preferred type to be described in the Breed
Standard. The things that have swayed breeders to
vote for one type over another are things such as
health issues, maintenance issues, meeting the
definition of the cat's Category (in the Nap's case
that would be Domestic Hybrid), and marketability
(the cuteness factor).

Let's use the Siamese for example to describe
different types. There are currently three different
types being bred, Show Quality, Applehead, and Old
Fashioned. The Show Quality and Applehead are
very similar. The Applehead is slinky and light in
coat color like the Show Quality, but has a rounder
head than the Show Quality Siamese. The Show
Quality sports an extreme wedge head. The Old
Fashioned is a much heavier, larger, and darker cat.
So, when looking to purchase a purebred Siamese,
you first need to know which type you are looking
for, then look for breeders that have that particular
type. Many breeders will have both Show Quality
and Appleheads to offer, with fewer breeders having
the larger, darker Old Fashioned cat.

Then there is the fact that types evolve over the
years. The Persian Breed Group is a good example
of this. Many years ago a Show Quality Persian had
a sweet, baby doll face, unlike the extreme high
nose of the cats in the Show Halls today. So, their
type changed.

The Napoleon is currently seen in three types, also.
There are the cats that you would be hard pressed
to tell the difference between a Nap and a Munchkin.
There are also the cats that you would have a hard
time telling the difference between a Nap and a
Persian Breed Group cat. They are both Napoleons,
but neither looks like it's own cat. Both of these
types too closely resemble one of the parent breeds
to meet the definition of a hybrid. The third type is
the true hybrid type that we are trying to describe in
our Standard. You should be able to look ONLY at
the head and face of the cat and immediately be
able to identify it as a Nap.

Breeding to the other two types is no more wrong
for Nap breeders than it is for Siamese breeders to
breed Appleheads and Old Fashioneds. However,
just like any other breed, it is very important to find
enough breeders interested in Showing their cats,
which means breeding to the Breed Standard.
Without that commitment from breeders it makes
our petition for advancement more difficult to
achieve. So, you will see many breeders who breed
both toward the Standard and away from it. This
allows them to be supportive of the advancement to
Show status, AND allows them the freedom to breed
to their preferred type.