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American
Keuda Cat
The American Keuda cat (pronounced KEW-da)
is a type of cat. The American Keuda cat type is currently under development to become a
standardized breed.
The roots of the breed are from a 1980s study called the
"Kitten Evaluation Under Direct Assessment" which was meant to determine the characteristics which led to superior barn cats in the
Southwestern United States.
Barn cats gathered from the study area
(Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas) were bred with each other to develop the
American Keuda cat breed.
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American
Keuda Cat |
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The American Keuda cat has some pronounced
similarities with the Egyptian
Mau breed.
It is an open and controversial question whether this
reflects an Egyptian Mau contribution to their gene pool or whether cats
with Mau-like traits are superior barn cats.
In the latter case, these
traits would be reinforced over time and would not necessarily require a Mau
contribution to the gene pool.
Since the Egyptian Mau itself was re-domesticated
from feral Egyptian cat populations in the mid-1950s, it may represent a
superior feral cat type, closely reproduced in the deserts of the American
Southwest in the American Keuda cat, but with no direct genetic connection to that breed.
American Keuda cats share many physical
similarities with the Mau, including body type and a belly flap, not seen in
other breeds.
Since the belly flap adaptation allows
extra extension when running, and thus more speed, this would be a successful
adaptation for any cat that needed speed, like a barn cat. American Keuda
cats also share a high level of
intelligence and athleticism with the Mau, as well as speed and a love for
warm conditions.
One marked difference between the American Keuda
cat and
the Mau is the wide diversity of appearance the Keuda displays. While some
American Keudas look strikingly like Maus, they may also look like a Siamese,
Havana
Brown, cats of
other breeds or mixed breed cats. American Keuda cats display a much wider variety of
coat colors and patterns than do Maus.
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