Genetta Breed Standard

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HEAD...................................35 pts Shape.....................................6 Ears........................................5 Eyes........................................5 Chin........................................5 Muzzle....................................4 Nose.......................................2 Profile.....................................4 Neck........................................4

BODY....................................35 pts Torso.....................................10 Legs.......................................10 Feet.........................................2 Tail..........................................5 Boning.....................................3 Musculature............................5

COAT/COLOR/PATTERN..30 pts Texture....................................5 Pattern...................................15 Color......................................10

CATEGORIES: All. DIVISION: Tabby, Silver/Smoke COLORS:Brown Tabby, Black Silver Tabby, Blue Silver Tabby, Seal Sepia, Seal Mink. Spotted or Marbled Patterns ONLY. PERMISSIBLE OUTCROSSES:Munchkin, Bengal, Oriental Shorthair, Ocicat, Savannah, Domestic Shorthair (not a member of a recognized breed).

HEAD:
Shape: Narrow wedge that is longer than it is wide. The skull should curve past the ears into the neck to help elongate the look of the neck.
Ears: Set to continue the lines of the wedge with forward stance, large, rounded, tip of ear should be only slightly smaller than base of ear.
Eyes: Large, set with a slight slant toward the nose such that a line from inner corner through outer corner is in line with center of base of ear. No less than the width of an eye between the eyes. More of a "U" shape to the bottom of the eye with a lesser arch to the top portion of the eye. Color should be dark brown, deep amber, or brilliant green.
Chin: Weak chin. Tip of nose slightly protruding over the tip of chin to give a pointed appearance to muzzle.
Muzzle: Weasel like muzzle created by straight lines extending from the nose to the tips of the ears forming a sharply tipped triangle.
Nose: Large and wide. Leather should be puffy and black (preferably) or dark rose in color.
Profile: Long straight line from forehead to nose. Forehead is flat with a steep slope at 45 degree angle.
Neck: Long and slender.

 

BODY:
Torso: Long and tubular with equal width at shoulders and hips and of medium size overall.
Legs: Short, with front legs even with back legs (hind legs slightly higher than front legs allowed but not preferred); Leg length under 8 inches is preferred.
Feet: Small and oval. Paw pads should be black or a very dark rose color. Pads should all be same color.
Tail: Very long, longer than body length is preferred. Tail should be thick with a puffed look to the hair.
Boning: Medium boned, proportioned to carry the body length and weight.
Musculature: Very firm, long lean muscles, not bulky.
Miscellaneous: Allow for proportionately larger size in males.

 

COAT/COLOR/PATTERN:
Texture: Very short and tight, thick but soft with a pelt like quality, glossy or glittered is preferred.

Pattern: Spotted or Marbled coat. Ideal facial markings include a dark band draped over the muzzle as if exaggerated tear drops with light colored patches under the eyes and in between the dark band. Eyes should be highlighted with white color around the edges almost in entirety. Chin should be white.
Spotted: Rosettes or solid spots aligned at random or horizontally (preferred). Ticking in the coat should be to a minimum. Tail should have distinct black rings. Belly must be spotted.
Marbled: Marbling is acceptable as long as it does not form a bulls-eye pattern as in classic tabbies. Tail can be ringed or solid in color. Belly must be spotted.

Color:
Brown Tabby: All shades of brown are acceptable. Markings should be brown or black and very distinct against the background color. Ticking should be minimal.
Silver Tabby: All shades of grey, blue, or black are acceptable. Very light white background color preferred with minimal tarnish (yellow tinge). Markings can be various shades of grey to black but should be distinct against background color.
Seal Sepia/Mink Tabby:
Marbled Tabby: Coat should be dark in color for black/brown marbles with light cream and/or rust colors swirled randomly. Silver marbles should have light grayish background color with dark grey/black markings swirled randomly. All marbled tabbies should have distinct dorsal stripes.

 

ALLOWANCES:Larger size is permissible for Genettas with high percentage of serval content from Savannah lineage as long as body is proportionate. White belly, chest, and inner legs is permissible but belly must be spotted.

PENALIZE: Spots on body that run together vertically forming a mackerel tabby pattern on spotted cats; circular bulls-eye pattern on marbled cats; cats of non-permissible color, cats with long hair. Distinct patches of white color on the neck, face, feet, or torso. Cow-hocking or excessive bowing in the legs, protruding sternum, or small ears.

DISQUALIFY (DQ): Sway back.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: The ideal cat of this breed group resembles the African Genet. The cat should be short- legged, of medium size, with a very long body that has a weasel like appearance. The tail should be exaggerated, preferably longer than the body length, and very thick/plush. The coat should be pelt like and exotic looking, with dramatic spots/rosettes or marbled pattern, to mimic the look of a genet. The cat should be quick moving, uninhibited by its short stature, playful but not overly active, and alert. Genetta cats should be very friendly to people, seeking human attention often.