Welcome to the second installment of our Halloween Double Feature (if you missed part one, click here)! The Transylvanian!
One of the newest cat breeds to be recognized, the Transylvanian has fascinating color genetics. Kittens are born solid white, slowly transitioning into their adult colors over the course of approximately 12 months. By adulthood, they have a darker body (usually black or bluish grey) with lighter extremities. The dark portions of the coat are often mottled with white or grey fur peeking out from beneath it. They have come to be nicknamed "werecats" in some parts of Europe, owing to their unique and odd appearance. In addition to the age-related color change, believed to be triggered by hormone changes, they are also thermal - coats become darker in winter weather, and lighter in summer heat!
This breed has a rare distinction of being considered a true wild feline, descending from felines in Romania and surrounding regions. They once predominantly lived in small scattered forests around the Carpathian Mountains near small villages and monasteries.
Their numbers remain low, only becoming more widely known after bursting on to the feline scene in 2014.
The Transylvanian is a robust, muscular, medium-sized shorthair cat with a semi-foreign body, yellow to deep orange eyes (although green is accepted) and greyish-white ear furnishings. The reverse point color starts to develop around the age of 2 months, staring with the ears, toes and tail-tip. Because of this delayed color development, kittens have popped up occasionally that were thought to be Domestic Shorthairs that were, in fact, Transylvanians.
The Governing Council of the Cat Fancy is currently the only registry to officially recognize the breed, but this is expected to change very soon as it is already being processed by the World Cat Federation.
The foundation breeders led by Beverly Elian are based in Romania, Hungary, Switzerland, and with Stuart & Amanda Brass in the UK. Extensive testing has occurred on all generations supported by Leslie Lyons and it appears the breed is robust with no genetic or hereditary issues whatsoever in any of the litters.
While you are unlikely to see any of these fascinating felines for sale here in the states anytime soon, rest assured that they're likely to make their way here eventually! When they do you can likely expect a purchase price of around $4,000.
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