The American Wirehair is a medium- size cat with regular features and sweet expression. This cat’s wiry coat, right down to the whiskers, is thick, hard and springy. His unusual coat comes in almost any color or pattern.
The American Wirehair is well socialized from a kitten, always happy to interact with people and gets along with cat-friendly dogs in the neighborhood. This 6-11 pounds can be a great choice for families with adult, so as to properly cater for this cat, though families with younger children or toddlers can adopt it, but serious supervision is advised so they don’t mistreat him.
HISTORY AND ORIGIN
The spontaneous natural mutation that gave rise to the American Wirehair is not unusual in the world of cats. In upstate New York, the first wirehaired cat was discovered in the middle of the 1960s. Joan O’Shea, a cat breeder, because interested in this peculiarity of nature. She bred him to a neighboring cat who might have also had the wiry hair gene, and named him council Rock Farm Adam of Hi-Fi. A litter of kittens with wiry coats was the outcome. The wire coat gene was found to be dominant after a second breeding, and after the cat’s hair samples were studied by British cat geneticists, it was concluded that the cats had nothing in common with the Bevon Rex or Cornish Rex breeds. A breed emerged.
The American Shorthair breed, from which the American Wirehair was derived, was the most comparable to the sort of cats in question. The only physical or behavioral difference between the two breeds is the type of coat they have. The American Wirehair has a thick, dense, spring coat with twisted down, awn, and guard hairs, whereas the American Shorthair has a hard coat. The tips of the awn hairs are hooked.
BREED OVERVIEW
Weight: up to 8 pounds
Length: up to 15 inches
Coat Length: Medium hair
Coat Colors: White, black, blue, red, cream, silver.
Eye Color: Gold or blue
Lifespan: they live up to 20 years
Hypoallergenic: No
Origin: United States
CHARACTERISTICS
Everything about the American Wirehair cat is commensurable. Their head fits perfectly with their round bodies, their shoulders and hips are the same width. They are strong cats, but they don’t necessarily show that off.
They have bright eyes that stands out on their small faces. Some, the color of their eyes will be stark against their coat color. Their tails are rounded at the end and commensurate to the rest of their bodies.
An American Wirehair’s legs are actively firm and muscular, combine to their compact frames.
A WIRY COAT
American Wirehair’s are not commonly use to wiry coat. In fact, there aren’t many animals that have this rough and wiry coat. It is most times compared to sheep’s wool due to its roughness, but they can vary from cat to cat.
This coat is visibly rougher than other coats, making it easy to spot. They’ve a very unique and somehow comforting coats. It’s not rough enough to want to avoid petting, but you can feel irritated when they rub their coat aver your face or body.
Caring for an American Wirehair cat
Caring for them is not difficult, regardless of the roughness of their wiry coat. American Wirehairs are generally healthy –especially with proper nutrition, diet and exercise.
Ensure their litter box area is clean and up to their standards. By introducing a self-cleaning litter box, you don’t have to worry about scooping and washing every day. Your cat can comfortably use the bathroom with the reassurance that it will be clean each time.
Grooming
You will need to remove any loose hairs from an American Wirehair’s coat once a week or more. This will keep any shedding down to a minimum. Don’t brush too roughly, as this might be uncomfortable for your cat. Rough brushing could break their hairs.
If you notice your American Wirehair’s skin is becoming irritating, introduce regular bathing into his/her routine. This will remove dead hooked hairs that might be causing skin sensitivities.
This cat’s ears can require wax buildup more frequently than other breeds due to the coarse hair growing inside of them. Cleaning their ears from time to time can limit the risk of infection.
You should also keep up on monthly nail trimmings and dental cleanings to prevent periodontal disease.
Exercise
The American Wirehair is a very intelligent breed that likes to stay active. If you are the type that is not always available, this might not be the cat for you. They like when their humans interact with them and get involved in playtime, and other fun activities.
American Wirehairs can also entertain themselves with toys left around the house, scratching posts and climbing trees. They like to play with their humans, their independent stripe will sometimes arise when they go off to find their own activities.
Health-related issues
American Wirehairs are known as one of the healthier cat breeds. They are not prone to any breed-specific genetic diseases. With proper care they can live long and happy lives throughout their years.
Just like other cats, they might develop medical conditions if they become overweight or obese.
