German Longhair: Cat Food and a Description of the Breed
The German Longhair is a medium to large sized cat from Germany. It is considered an adaptable domestic cat, which maintains a close relationship with its owner and gets along very well with other animals in the household.
History
Longhair cats have been known in Europe for a long time and were very popular with the nobility in former times. Especially in France and England the longhaired animals were bred towards the end of the 19th century with an increasingly stocky build and an increasingly shorter head, which resulted in the Persian cat known today.
To save the originally widespread type of the longhaired cat, the zoologist and biologist Friedrich Schwangart established the first breed standard for the German Longhair in 1929. In the following years he could celebrate first successes with his breeding.
Due to the Second World War the breeding of the German Longhair was forgotten for a long time. Only around the year 2005 first attempts were made to revive the cat breed.
Until 2017 about 900 animals were registered in the stud book. Since 2012 the WCW recognizes the German Longhair cat as an independent breed. The Interessengemeinschaft Deutsch Langhaarkatzen as a sub-club of the Deutsche Edelkatze e.V. is responsible for the care of the still young and actually already very old breed.
Appearance
The German Longhair is a medium to large cat breed. Males weigh about four to six kilos, while females weigh about 3.5 to 5 kilos.
The build of the Deutsch Langhair is strong without appearing overly stocky. Their legs are slightly longer than those of the Persian cat. It has a broad head with high set cheekbones and a broad muzzle.
Her medium sized ears are set wide apart and have a rounded tip. The eyes of the German Longhair are large and oval. They are set at a slight slant and are also wide apart. They shall be uniformly coloured and may appear in all colours.
The coat
The German Longhair belongs to the semi-longhair cats. It has a long coat with undercoat, which forms a distinct ruff and knickerbockers on the legs. The shiny coat has a silky structure and may have all colours according to the breed standard. The tail of the German Longhair is profusely coated and the coat on the back should ideally form a parting.
Character
The German Longhair is a very people oriented cat. She has a friendly nature and an uncomplicated character. She is considered to be sociable and feels especially comfortable in the company of her two- and four-legged roommates.
The German Longhair has a moderate temperament. It is a comparatively calm cat with not too much urge to move. She gets along with children as well as with other animals that live together with her. Towards strangers the German Longhair is normally open-minded and trusting.
Looking after the cat
Concerning its attitude the German Longhair proves to be extremely frugal. Their upbringing usually succeeds without any problems, so that the cat quickly adapts to its new environment after moving in.
Provided that the Deutsch Longhair receives sufficient attention, it will feel very comfortable in a pure living environment. Freedom of movement is not absolutely necessary for her well-being. However, she is happy if she has the possibility to go on a discovery tour in a cat-safe garden.
Despite its length, the coat of the German Longhair does not require excessive grooming. Normally weekly brushing outside the cat's coat change is completely sufficient to remove loose hairs and to avoid the formation of knots.
Diseases
So far the German Longhair is considered a robust cat, which generally enjoys good health. Certain hereditary diseases, which can occur with her, are not known. One of the reasons for this might be that the breed has so far been spared from extremes in breeding.
Nevertheless, the German Longhair can of course get sick and suffer from various known cat diseases. Besides an infection with cat cold, the long-haired cats can get sick with advancing age, for example with diabetes or chronic kidney insufficiency.
Comprehensive health care should include regular check-ups by a vet and all recommended vaccinations for cats. In this way, diseases of the German Longhair can either be avoided from the beginning or at least detected early.
The life expectancy
Under good living conditions the German Longhair usually reaches an age of 12 to 15 years. In individual cases the robust cats can even grow older, whereby diseases and bad keeping conditions can of course also shorten the life expectancy of the German Longhair considerably.
The right nutrition
The German Longhair is relatively undemanding in terms of nutrition. However, to ensure that your cat receives the food it needs, you should not only pay attention to the right amount of food for your cat, but also to the quality of the cat food.
With high quality cat food such as the products from I love my cat you can feed your Deutsch Langhaar in a way that is appropriate for the species without any problems. Our wet and dry food for cats contains neither cereals nor other inferior ingredients.
Instead, the tasty cat food of your Deutsch Langhaar provides just the right amount of animal proteins from meat or fish. For nutritionally sensitive and allergic cats you will also find hypoallergenic cat food in our range, for which we rely on easily digestible insect protein with a particularly high biological value.
In addition to a good cat food the following food supplements can be useful for your Deutsch Langhaar:
- Dental powder reliably removes plaque from your cat's teeth.
- Shiimun Skin provides valuable nutrients for a dense, shiny coat.
- Shiimun Immune can help to strengthen the immune system of your Deutsch Longhair.
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