The Curious Compendium 2023 Tour Finale: Abyssinian, Exotic, and British shorthair cats!

Lovely Ferrets and Guinea pigs

The ferret on the left looks very funny, it looks like a "Lucha Libre", a mexican wrestling fighter.
What brand is he?

I really like the fur texture from the Guinea Pig above the "Lucha Libre" ferret.

Great Guinea pigs. I especially like the long-haired one at the left bottom. I am surprised how old many of our domestic animals are. Interestingly, Guinea pigs aren't from Guinea at all!

Nice ferrets and guinea pigs!! I'm patiently waiting for Safari to make a black-footed ferret

Very nice pets pic What is the most "wild fashion" in your Guinea pigs ?

rogerpgvg wrote:

Interestingly, Guinea pigs aren't from Guinea at all!

Incredible and silly! That's why in France we don't call them Guinea pigs but India pigs... Just as unbelievable and silly!

Thanks everyone! [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], that is the K&M pets tube ferret and the Papo long haired guinea pig.

Saint Bernards!
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These big animals come from the Swiss Alps and were bred to help travelers navigate the Great Saint Bernard Pass circa the late 1600s. They were the original search and rescue dogs- their expert sense of smell, large body size to push snow, and thick coats (albeit shorter haired than now due to the collection of ice cicles) of hair to insulate from ice and snow helped to locate travelers in distress if the worst happened. They also gaurded hospice facilities in the region, and were well known for their ability to predict snow storms. They are indeed big; anywhere between 110 and 200 lbs! They only need a moderate amount of excercise but may need to be persuaded to do so. They do drool more than other dogs, but make up for it with their gentle and sweet nature, tolerance and obedience.

Saarlooswolfhound wrote:

Thanks everyone! [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], that is the K&M pets tube ferret and the Papo long haired guinea pig.

Saint Bernards!
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

These big animals come from the Swiss Alps and were bred to help travelers navigate the Great Saint Bernard Pass circa the late 1600s. They were the original search and rescue dogs- their expert sense of smell, large body size to push snow, and thick coats (albeit shorter haired than now due to the collection of ice cicles) of hair to insulate from ice and snow helped to locate travelers in distress if the worst happened.  They also gaurded hospice facilities in the region, and were well known for their ability to predict snow storms. They are indeed big; anywhere between 110 and 200 lbs! They only need a moderate amount of excercise but may need to be persuaded to do so. They do drool more than other dogs, but make up for it with their gentle and sweet nature, tolerance and obedience.

Thank you for confirmation :)

Nce collection of Saint Bernards

Great collection of ferrets and Guinea pigs!
I have had guinea pigs all my life and at one time I used to breed various breeds/colours.At present I have a little group of 9.No one is really sure how they got their name and people who show them prefer to call them Cavies.As most people know they were bred for food and also to be used in folk rituals in the Andes.Because they are an easy animal to keep and rear in the Andean region there is now a large breed of guinea pig called a Cuy which is bred mainly for meat.They are short coated and mainly red and white.They are kept like livestock so are not handled a lot.There was a fad at one point in trying to keep these animals mainly in the USA,as there are many people from Peru and surrounding living there,but it was realised that do not make good pets due to their breeding!
The history of Ferrets is interesting as well.I'm at present reading a book about ferrets and their history.It has some interesting points to make.The older references eg Egyptian may in fact refer to the Egyptian Mongoose as the Common Polecat is not known in this region.Certainly the Romans and Greeks knew of them and used them.It is likely that they were domesticated in the Iberia as this is also the original home of the European Rabbit.Another factor that also points to domestication in the Mediterranean region is that that ferret is very similar to the subspecies of Common Polecat in this region and that ferrets are less tolerant of cold than Northern Common Polecats.
Wonderful group of St Bernards!
The big difference between the St Bernards in the USA and the UK/Ireland is that the long coated version is the popular one here.I have never seen a smooth coated St Bernard except in films like Beethoven!!The long coat apparently was introduced when a Newfoundland was used when the breed was nearly wiped out when distemper struck!Sadly this wasn't great as the coat,especially between the paws,collected snow/ice but by this time they were becoming popular as pets so the monastery kept the smooth coated dogs.It would be interesting to see why the smooth are popular in the USA and the longhaired in the UK/Ireland.Maybe our colleagues in Europe can help with seeing which is more common in their country.

Paige-with regard to the names,you are correct about confusion!
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel-sometimes they are incorrectly called King Charles Spaniels.
They come in 4 colours
King Charles-black/tan/white.
Blenheim-red/white and apparently named after the palace where the colour was bred.
Ruby-red all over.
Black and Tan.
The King Charles Spaniel called The English Toy Spaniel in the USA.They are very rare here in the UK where the Cavalier is much more popular.
They come in the same range of colours
They have a brachycephalic face like a Pug.
They are smaller then the Cavalier.
They also in the past used to have the bottom one third of their tail docked but don't think that is as common now.
Hope this may have helped!

Springer spaniels!
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This breed is one part of two that was split off from the original breed called a "field spaniel". The breed was split up by breeding smaller pups to other smaller sized pups (creating the cocker spaniel to be discussed later), and the larger pups to the larger pups= springer spaniel. The Kennel Club of Great Britain recognized this split in 1892. Their name comes from how the dogs flush game birds; they "spring" into tall grass to scare the birds into taking to the sky. The dogs are social and bond tightly to their owners and family- they often make good gaurd/alert dogs for their suspicion of strangers. This breed does require grooming to maintain their lucious coat and it comes in several colors such as liver and white, black, lemon, tan, etc.- they've won the third most best in show awards at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show.

@ Taylor, thank you for sharing all that! I enjoy your added information especially since you have read a bit more/deeper into a lot of these domestics.

Just one comment on the ferrets- I wonder if some of these might have been traded "exotic" animals for ancient peoples like the Egyptians? We know they feares nearly nothing and kept all sorts of animals on farms as pets, for zoo like entities, and eventually for mummification. I would not be surprised if someone smuggled a polecat south out of its original range to profit off of it as an exotic intrigue. But if they have mummified examples then this could be figured out factually... I am gonna do some reading!

Thanks for the distinction in "pigs" vs. cavies vs. cuy(s?) too. I found information a bit difficult to find on these animals and their domestication.

And thank you for the dog info too! I have seen long haired St. Bernards here but short haired is indeed more common. I didn't realize that came from newfoundlands- I would have guessed one of the other local stocks like Pyrenees or Bernese mt. dogs. And of course the spaniel info too; how confusing! I vote for an official name change as in nearly 30 years of my life I never truly understood/recognized the difference. But now I know I prefer the longer nosed Cavalier rather than the brachycephalic American version.

No problem Paige,glad you like the extra info!
Lovely selection of Springer spaniels-do you know the makers of the large black/white one on the left and the tan/white on the right?

The black and white one has no stamp but its big; the tan figure is from a set by Stargo off of Amazon.

Abyssinian, Exotic, British shorthair cats!
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The origin of the Abyssinian is unknowm but DNA studies indicate an Asian origin and were later crossed to European breeds. This breed is loving, intelligent, athletic, and considered an easy breed to keep in a first time cat owning home. Kittens are often born dark in color but their coat lightens color with age. They are well known to enjoy a high perch and watch the goings on below them.

The exotic shorthair was developed in the 1950s by crossing American shorthairs with Russian blues, Burmese, and Persian cats. A very playful and loyal cat, they tend to be nervous around strangers and need time to warm up. Being brachycephalic, this leads to tooth misalignment, tear duct issues, possible heart conditions, and breathing issues. Unlike Persians though, they are easy to groom given their short coat.

British shorthairs are believed to be descendents of cats brought to England during the Roman invasion in the first century A.D. They were first recognized at a cat show held in the Crystal Palace in 1871. Originally used for their vermin population control skills, this is also a cat believed to have inspired the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland. The cat itself is popular for its round features and dense, plush coat. The breed is relatively healthu but can be prone to obesity, an autoimmune disorder, a heart condition, and a kidney disease.