| When it comes to something new, it can be hard to get straight answers about who discovered what, who developed what, and what constitutes the "real thing". Below is some information that was provided by Kristen Leedom, one of the founders of the Elf Cat. There is a lot of good information about how the breed was developed and what the goals are. Take the time to read it and learn more. If you're interested in these amazing new cats, it's more than worth your time. |
Vanyar Elf Cats
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623-872-1884
| Welcome to the world of Elf Cats |
| Email Vanyar Elf Cats AngelaO@cox.net |
What You Need To Know
Elf History
The Elf cat was founded by three women working together for a common goal. These three women were
very fundamental in the beginning of the Elf program. Kristen Leedom and Patti Soule are two of these
women. Without them the Elf would not be where it is today.
The third woman, for legal reasons her names as been altered and is just referred to as "K. N." decided
that she had a different goal in her breeding program and has started her own group breeding what they
call “Elf Cats.” The only true Elf Cats are bred using only Sphynx, American Curl, and Domestic
ancestry. This newly formed group of breeders is using a breed called a Highlander as well as Highland
Lynx in their foundation for the Elf Cats. We have felt the need to add something here about this
unacceptable cross of cats because we do not want people who are unsuspecting to be taken advantage
of. The original Elf standard was based on two breeds alone and was written to reflect that. The two
breeds were Sphynx and American Curl. The goal was to produce a hairless cat with a curled ear, of
medium to large size, with an impeccable personality. This goal has been achieved with the efforts of
many supporting members of our group. We chose the American Curl for our curled ear cat for very
specific reasons. The first reason is that they are a very hearty, healthy, breed of cat and there are no
abnormalities associated with their curled ear mutation. The second reason is because we only wanted to
use the curled ear mutation along with the hairless mutation as adding more than that could later on
cause issues with the health of the breed.
The Highlander and Highland Lynx cats that some people are using in their breeding programs have more
genetic mutations including a bobtail which could come from either the bobtail gene or the Manx gene
but no one is quite sure which one or if it is both as both mutations were used in the creation of the
Highland Lynx. Many also have polydactyl feet which is the addition of extra toes. We do not support
the use of these cats in any breeding program because they do not meet the ideal of the standard that
was created for the Elf Cats. The Highlander and Highland Lynx are very different cats structurally to the
American Curl as well and they will not produce the desired type that we are trying to achieve. We are
just placing this warning to all those interested in the breed for pets or even breeding purposes that the
only true elf cats have only ancestry relating back to Sphynx, Domestics (an unrecognized breed
registered or otherwise), and American Curls. Please do your research before purchasing a cat that may
not be what it was intended. Sure these cats will be hairless and they will have curled ears but, they are
not true Elf Cats.
Why use American curls
In the creation of the Elf cat many people ask why should I use an American Curl instead of another
curled ear breed of cat like the Highlander? This question can be answered in many different ways. The
biggest reason that the American Curl was chosen is because of the health of this breed. American Curls
have no debilitating conditions associated with the curled ear mutation and they are not plagued by the
many diseases that most purebred cats are because the curl breeders have included domestic shorthairs
and domestic longhairs in their breeding programs.
Sphynx can be subjected to health problems such as HCM and because they are not an extremely hearty
breed by nature the decision was made to use a cat that was hearty and healthy to improve the health of
the kittens that we produce. The American Curl has only one genetic mutation and that is the curled ear
not several like many of the other curled ear breeds.
Through the last few years of breeding Sphynx to American Curl there have been no adverse genetic
anomalies reported by combining these two mutations.
There are breeders out there like K. N. who have chosen to use Highlanders and register then as domestic
short hairs rather then American curls because they have been unable to obtain them. Be careful who
you buy from. This unethical practice is called "paper hanging" and is nothing short of deceitful. A
Highlander is a cat that has a bob tail and polydactyl feet. It has been proven that K. N. and her group
have been using Highlander cats and falsifying their usage of these cats to the public.
Breeders
Choosing just the right breeder for your new Elf kitten is a very important task and can be very
confusing. There is a lot of information out there on a lot of different sites and it is important to be able
to take all of this into consideration. The most important thing to do when searching for a breeder is to
ask a lot of questions. All reputable Elf breeders will be more than happy to answer any and all questions
about their cats and the care of their cats. Also, references from not only fellow-breeders, but from
buyers too.
Elf kittens are very people oriented cats and desire a lot of human attention. Which ever breeder you
choose should spend a lot of time socializing their kittens and interacting with them in order to nurture
this trait and help them become stable cats. Elf kittens have acquired the very affectionate personality of
the Sphynx and the very playful, inquisitive nature of the American Curl. They want to help you with
everything and it is important to give them plenty of toys to play with.
Reputable Elf breeders sell their kittens with strict contracts regarding their care. We are very protective
of this new breed and we will not allow just anyone to have one of our Elf babies. Any Elf kittens/cats
being placed in a pet home should be spayed/neutered or sold on a spay/neuter contract. Reputable Elf
breeders will not sell cats intact to people who are not truly committed to protecting this amazing breed.
Most importantly whomever you choose in a breeder should be someone you can easily work with and
trust. Remember this relationship is one you will have for 15-20 years or as long as your little Elf kitten is
still on this Earth. You definitely want that relationship to be a positive one.
Beware of Highlanders
A few Elf breeders such as K. N. and her fictitious group that falsely claim to be the original founder of
the Elf Cat use Highlanders for their curl gene in their breeding programs. They falsify TICA paperwork
calling the Highlanders "domestic shorthairs" when they truly are not.
Highlanders are a cross between a Hemingway Curl (polydactyl) and a Highland Lynx (bobcat hybrid that
has bobtail). The ideal highlander has curled ears, polydactyl toes, and has a bobtail.
I am very disappointed to hear that these cats (which themselves are not accepted as a breed) are being
used as a foundation to the Elf breed which specifies in its standard that they are created by crossing an
AMERICAN CURL and a SPHYNX. These should be the ONLY cats being used for this breeding program.
Some issues to consider:
1. Sphynx are hairless - lending the unique lack of coat. (which we want)
2. American Curls have curled ears - lending the unique curled ears. (which we want)
3. Highlanders can be polydactyl or carry the gene. (which we do NOT want)
4. Highland Lynx can have bobtails (which we do NOT want - which can lead to weak rectal control)
Using cats that have bobtails can lead to spinal issues, which can cause weak rectal control and cause cats
to have uncontrollable bowel movements. This is one reason that Highlanders and Highland Lynx are
strictly forbidden from reputable breeders.
Take your time to find a breeder that sticks with the original standards that were approved of through
the TICA genetics council. K. N. and her group have been found to be using cats that can cause serious
health issues that can diminish the quality of life in the cats they are producing.
The Elf cat was founded by three women working together for a common goal. These three women were
very fundamental in the beginning of the Elf program. Kristen Leedom and Patti Soule are two of these
women. Without them the Elf would not be where it is today.
The third woman, for legal reasons her names as been altered and is just referred to as "K. N." decided
that she had a different goal in her breeding program and has started her own group breeding what they
call “Elf Cats.” The only true Elf Cats are bred using only Sphynx, American Curl, and Domestic
ancestry. This newly formed group of breeders is using a breed called a Highlander as well as Highland
Lynx in their foundation for the Elf Cats. We have felt the need to add something here about this
unacceptable cross of cats because we do not want people who are unsuspecting to be taken advantage
of. The original Elf standard was based on two breeds alone and was written to reflect that. The two
breeds were Sphynx and American Curl. The goal was to produce a hairless cat with a curled ear, of
medium to large size, with an impeccable personality. This goal has been achieved with the efforts of
many supporting members of our group. We chose the American Curl for our curled ear cat for very
specific reasons. The first reason is that they are a very hearty, healthy, breed of cat and there are no
abnormalities associated with their curled ear mutation. The second reason is because we only wanted to
use the curled ear mutation along with the hairless mutation as adding more than that could later on
cause issues with the health of the breed.
The Highlander and Highland Lynx cats that some people are using in their breeding programs have more
genetic mutations including a bobtail which could come from either the bobtail gene or the Manx gene
but no one is quite sure which one or if it is both as both mutations were used in the creation of the
Highland Lynx. Many also have polydactyl feet which is the addition of extra toes. We do not support
the use of these cats in any breeding program because they do not meet the ideal of the standard that
was created for the Elf Cats. The Highlander and Highland Lynx are very different cats structurally to the
American Curl as well and they will not produce the desired type that we are trying to achieve. We are
just placing this warning to all those interested in the breed for pets or even breeding purposes that the
only true elf cats have only ancestry relating back to Sphynx, Domestics (an unrecognized breed
registered or otherwise), and American Curls. Please do your research before purchasing a cat that may
not be what it was intended. Sure these cats will be hairless and they will have curled ears but, they are
not true Elf Cats.
Why use American curls
In the creation of the Elf cat many people ask why should I use an American Curl instead of another
curled ear breed of cat like the Highlander? This question can be answered in many different ways. The
biggest reason that the American Curl was chosen is because of the health of this breed. American Curls
have no debilitating conditions associated with the curled ear mutation and they are not plagued by the
many diseases that most purebred cats are because the curl breeders have included domestic shorthairs
and domestic longhairs in their breeding programs.
Sphynx can be subjected to health problems such as HCM and because they are not an extremely hearty
breed by nature the decision was made to use a cat that was hearty and healthy to improve the health of
the kittens that we produce. The American Curl has only one genetic mutation and that is the curled ear
not several like many of the other curled ear breeds.
Through the last few years of breeding Sphynx to American Curl there have been no adverse genetic
anomalies reported by combining these two mutations.
There are breeders out there like K. N. who have chosen to use Highlanders and register then as domestic
short hairs rather then American curls because they have been unable to obtain them. Be careful who
you buy from. This unethical practice is called "paper hanging" and is nothing short of deceitful. A
Highlander is a cat that has a bob tail and polydactyl feet. It has been proven that K. N. and her group
have been using Highlander cats and falsifying their usage of these cats to the public.
Breeders
Choosing just the right breeder for your new Elf kitten is a very important task and can be very
confusing. There is a lot of information out there on a lot of different sites and it is important to be able
to take all of this into consideration. The most important thing to do when searching for a breeder is to
ask a lot of questions. All reputable Elf breeders will be more than happy to answer any and all questions
about their cats and the care of their cats. Also, references from not only fellow-breeders, but from
buyers too.
Elf kittens are very people oriented cats and desire a lot of human attention. Which ever breeder you
choose should spend a lot of time socializing their kittens and interacting with them in order to nurture
this trait and help them become stable cats. Elf kittens have acquired the very affectionate personality of
the Sphynx and the very playful, inquisitive nature of the American Curl. They want to help you with
everything and it is important to give them plenty of toys to play with.
Reputable Elf breeders sell their kittens with strict contracts regarding their care. We are very protective
of this new breed and we will not allow just anyone to have one of our Elf babies. Any Elf kittens/cats
being placed in a pet home should be spayed/neutered or sold on a spay/neuter contract. Reputable Elf
breeders will not sell cats intact to people who are not truly committed to protecting this amazing breed.
Most importantly whomever you choose in a breeder should be someone you can easily work with and
trust. Remember this relationship is one you will have for 15-20 years or as long as your little Elf kitten is
still on this Earth. You definitely want that relationship to be a positive one.
Beware of Highlanders
A few Elf breeders such as K. N. and her fictitious group that falsely claim to be the original founder of
the Elf Cat use Highlanders for their curl gene in their breeding programs. They falsify TICA paperwork
calling the Highlanders "domestic shorthairs" when they truly are not.
Highlanders are a cross between a Hemingway Curl (polydactyl) and a Highland Lynx (bobcat hybrid that
has bobtail). The ideal highlander has curled ears, polydactyl toes, and has a bobtail.
I am very disappointed to hear that these cats (which themselves are not accepted as a breed) are being
used as a foundation to the Elf breed which specifies in its standard that they are created by crossing an
AMERICAN CURL and a SPHYNX. These should be the ONLY cats being used for this breeding program.
Some issues to consider:
1. Sphynx are hairless - lending the unique lack of coat. (which we want)
2. American Curls have curled ears - lending the unique curled ears. (which we want)
3. Highlanders can be polydactyl or carry the gene. (which we do NOT want)
4. Highland Lynx can have bobtails (which we do NOT want - which can lead to weak rectal control)
Using cats that have bobtails can lead to spinal issues, which can cause weak rectal control and cause cats
to have uncontrollable bowel movements. This is one reason that Highlanders and Highland Lynx are
strictly forbidden from reputable breeders.
Take your time to find a breeder that sticks with the original standards that were approved of through
the TICA genetics council. K. N. and her group have been found to be using cats that can cause serious
health issues that can diminish the quality of life in the cats they are producing.
Copyright of Vanyar Elf Cats. 2010. Content not to be copied without express permission of Vanyar Elf Cats.