Rosemary,
I’ve sent a lot of photos since I couldn’t really
find ones that showed exactly what I wanted.
If you don’t have space, you can delete some. I would definitely use
#1 & #2 since these show Boy Toy over a few weeks
time interval.
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DRAFT
Kitten Development
Ten to twenty weeks
The “gangly awfuls”
This is a time when kittens seem to change day to
day. Yesterday (s)he was the most gorgeous
and perfect ASH kitten that has ever been born. Today (s)he is long-bodied, fine-boned, spiky-coated and has ears
that would make a donkey proud. My
suggestion is to take out all the pictures you have been taking in the previous
weeks and remind yourself that this is
just a stage In addition, referring to
pictures of kittens from previous generations/litters will also provide
reassurance about this developmental stage.
Because this time period is important for the owner’s
decision process (1. pet for sale, 2. breeder-show for sale or, 3. candidate
for addition to your breeding program), take your time in deciding what you
want to do. Especially for categories 1 & 2. This is especially critical if you believe in early altering
prior to placement. With a kitten you
are thinking of keeping for your breeding program, you can watch development to
be sure the kitten has the features you need.
If you are unsure of how the kitten is developing, apply some “tincture
of time” and see what happens as the kitten matures.
A good friend-accomplished breeder-judge and friend
told me very early in my cat-breeding career
“when in doubt, don’t (keep)”.
You rarely (if ever) are in doubt about the truly great kitten. That rare kitten is so spectacular from the
time of it’s first breath you will have no doubts about quality and
disposition. Good but lesser quality
kittens often have stages where you have doubts. To advance the breed, only the very best should be used for
breeding. Enough preaching...
The shape of
the head should continue to be “slightly longer than wide”, but during this
middle kitten period any narrowness of the muzzle will begin to become
apparent. Remembering to line-up the
outer edge of the muzzle with the outer corner of the eye will provide a guide
to this important feature. You should feel
for the underlying bone structure, since it is easy to mistake full whisker
pads for a broad muzzle. In addition,
look for a somewhat short and broad muzzle, at least as wide or wider than long
so that your final proportion fits the “matchbox” description commonly
used. The muzzle begins to be clearly
defined as separate from the curve of the skull. Some bloodlines have a sharp angle between the line of the skull
and the muzzle, where other bloodlines have a more gentle smooth juncture. Either are correct.
The skull
will be rounded at this stage as this is a period of rapid growth. Although you don’t want a tall or
high-rounded tophead or “dome-shaped”,
a gently rounded broad skull ( “moderately convex continuous curve”) is a very
desirable feature. The gentle curve of
the profile is more clearly defined with the passing of weeks, with the gentle
“silver fork” curve easily seen. It
should not be necessary for the judge to manually “test” the gentle curve. I personally prefer a less prominent
brow-ridge (bony prominence above the eye) and believe that a very prominent
brow-ridge gives a “scowley look” and detracts from the sweet expression of the
American.
The ears
should be wide set (“twice the distance between the eyes”) and positioned at
the outer corner of the skull and tilted slightly outward. Ears that don’t have this tilt will often be
narrow and upright as an older kitten.
This is especially important in males, since the jowling that will come
with maturation will make the ears appear to be higher and more closely placed.
The muzzle and jaw when viewed from the side should
be sufficiently deep for good function as a hunter. The chin should be
clearly defined and at a right angle to the line of the jaw as well as “a
perpendicular line with the upper lip”.
I like to see the lower face/head nearly as deep from nose to chinline
as from nose to tophead.
The eyes
should dominate the face when viewed from the front, and be set well apart with
good size and an almost squarish shape.
The upper-outer edge should be tilted slightly. Although very large, when viewed from the
side the eyes should not be sunken in the orbits or protrude significantly
beyond the orbital rim. You are looking
for an open look, not a Persian-ey look.
At this time, the shape and proportion of the body will start to become apparent as a
predictor of the adult body shape. You
are looking for a sturdy, broad chest and mid-piece but not a cobby body. The body
of an ASH is designed for strength but with flexibility and speed to be able to
catch it’s prey. The standard calls for
the front, mid and rear sections to each be approximately 1/3 body length. During this phase of development, these
proportions begins to be apparent. The
body is well muscled and ample good nutrition should be apparent.
The coat
begins to lose it’s baby fuzz and fluff and the pattern, if any begins to be sharp and clearly defined. In patterned cats, the ground color is
becoming clearly defined between the swirls and lines of the pattern and the
intensity and clarity of the color becomes reliable. These changes continue through the next phase, adolescence
(future installment).
Each part individually can/should be evaluated as a measure
of your success in breeding, but more importantly, the way various parts fit together in harmony to produce the
“balanced” cat.
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Legends for
Installment #3
ASH Development.10 to
20 weeks
When looking through my photos I found that I have
relatively few “good” photos of kittens at this age. Perhaps it is because this is the age of “the gangly
awfuls”. However, #4 & #5 are
examples of kittens that don’t meet the standard are therefore may be good
teaching tools.
Photo #1
Boy Toy--Age 10 weeks
Demonstrates gently rounded top head (skull) with
ears set at the corners. The brow-ridge
is rounded and smooth and the gentle curve flows smoothly from the nose over
the skull. The eyes are a full
eye-aperture apart, accentuating a sweet, open look.
In this photo and at this stage, the ears are a bit
more upright than I like.
This feature should be watched carefully during the
next few weeks. As the head matures and
jowling develops, ears set high and upright will detract from the balance of
the features of the face.
The muzzle is broad and the whisker-pads extend
nearly to the outer corner of the eye aperture.
At this early age, the body is slender but well
muscled/padded.
Photo #2
Boy Toy--Age 5 months
Boy Toy has developed further and the face has begun
to fill out. The eyes are wide set
adding to the open expression. The ears
are now better proportioned to the size of the head and set well on the outer
corner of the skull.
The muzzle and whisker pads are broad and extend to
the outer corner of the eye.
The body has filled out and is more fully muscled,
appropriate for this age.
Photo #3
Red Tabby Male Kitten--14 Weeks Old
The head is considerably longer than wide, especially
through the area of the nose and under the eyes. I consider this to be a “plain” look.
The ears that are upright and a bit wide at the
base.
The eyes are widely set (slightly more than an eyes
aperture) but are small for the size of the head and more rounded than ideal.
The body is proportioned OK--the kitten is curved
inward (look at the bulls-eye). There
is nice boning and very nice color.
Most importantly and not shown by the photo, the kitten had a wonderful
personality which was very helpful in finding him a great home where he is a
cherished pet
Photo #4
Red Tabby & White--5 months
The head is somewhat longer than ideal. The length to width might be OK after
jowling, however, any broadening of the head will only accentuate the smallness
of the eyes. The body is clearly
elongated in the mid-piece producing a “rangey look”. Even if he filled out a lot as an adult, the mid-piece would
continue to be long for the size of the shoulders and pelvis.
Photo #5
Silver Tabby & White Male--4 months
The head may be somewhat short for the width, but the
size, shape and seperation of the eyes is excellent. The muzzle and whisker-pads are very broad and extendas far out
as the outer eye aperature. The ears
are well positioned at the outer corner of the skull and proportional to the
size of the head.
.