Neva Masquerade is a lovely cat with soft fur and characteristic mask.
It is an affectionate and beautiful little friend with its long, soft fur, muscular body and bushy tail.
Background
Neva Masquerade is a masked variant of Siberian cat, which means that it has a darker color on the face and on the legs and tail while the rest of the body color is light. Like the Siberian cat, the Neva Masquerade originates from Russia and the breed got its name from the river Neva in St. Petersburg, where it was first noticed in the late 1970s.
The Siberian cat has a much longer history – it has been known since the year 1000. It is Russia’s national cat, which has been developed for survival in the cold forests of Siberia. It was mainly Russian farmers and traders who stayed with Siberian cats because they helped keep rodents away from grain and other products.
You may be wondering why you did not hear about the Neva Masquerade breed until recent years? This is because it was not approved as an official breed by the FIFe (Fédération Internationale Féline) until 2009. Since 2010, the Neva Masquerade has started to appear in more and more countries and it is becoming increasingly popular, although many still consider it a variant of it. Siberian cat.
Personality
Neva Masquerade and Siberian cats are similar breeds in terms of both appearance and character. They are intelligent, curious, affectionate and cuddly cats with a mild temperament. They are perfect as companion cats and thrive in families with children and with other pets. Expect a warm welcome when you get home!
This little furry friend is lively and agile and has lots of energy. With a little patience, you can easily learn the various tricks such as retrieving. It is a smart and funny cat that is happy to come to you to be petted and caressed. Neva Masquerade cats are also well known for being “talkative” with different variants of spinning and chirping sounds – but all talk takes place with pleasant volume.
Appearance, size and weight
This is a powerful, medium to large cat breed. Males weigh between 4.5 and 9 kg while females are significantly smaller and weigh about 4-6 kg. Like most larger cat breeds, they develop slowly and it can take several years before they are fully grown.
These beautiful cats have clear blue eyes, a long, thick coat with a crown and tassels, a muscular body and a bushy tail.
The head is softly rounded and well proportioned to the body.
Color
Neva Masquerade’s masking is perhaps the most unique thing about this breed.
The color of the body is light while the face, ears, paws and tail have a darker color, often black, gray or brown.
In the cat world, this is called “colorpoint”.
Fur care
Neva Masquerade is a long-haired breed whose fur has three layers: long coat hair, a medium coat and a soft undercoat. Therefore, you should expect the cat to shed a lot. The coat is dense and very soft, especially on the sides of the body. It is long on the chest and shorter around the neck and front. The coat is not usually felted, but regular fur care is required to keep the shedding under control. Brush the coat often – at least once or twice a week – to prevent the coat from tangling and to get rid of loose hair.
Special characteristics of the breed
Like Siberian cats, Neva Masquerade is considered a hypoallergenic cat breed. Hypoallergenic simply means that the cat rarely causes allergic reactions. Note, however, that this does NOT mean that the cat is completely free of allergens (“allergy friendly”), but only that the risk of allergic reactions is lower than for many other cats.
This is because Neva Masquerade cats produce less of a protein that is known to cause allergic reactions.
Hereditary diseases
Neva Masquerade cats are generally healthy. They can suffer from hip dysplasia, which worsens if the cat also suffers from obesity. In the long run, this can cause osteoarthritis which often causes stiffness and pain in the cat.
Like many other cats, a Neva Masquerade can suffer from the heart disease HCM, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. This is the most common heart disease in cats and is characterized by thickening of the heart muscle (hypertrophy). In many cats, the disease sooner or later leads to heart failure.
Lining
Like other felines, domestic cats are carnivores. Therefore, they need foods that are rich in protein and nutrients, and some form of meat should be first in the list of ingredients. Proper nutrition is A and O if you want to give your cat as long and healthy a life as possible, so be careful when choosing food for your fur coat.
5 fun facts about the Neva Masquerade
- Neva Masquerade is a masked variant of Siberian cat, which means that it has colored areas on the face as well as on the paws and tail.
- They are intelligent, curious, happy and affectionate cats with a mild temperament. They thrive very well with children and with other pets.
- Neva Masquerade cats are welcome for its “splendor” with various spinning and chirping sounds. However, they are not very loud.
- Neva Masquerade is considered a hypoallergenic cat breed, which means that the risk of allergic reactions is relatively small. However, there is no guarantee that a person who is allergic to cats can tolerate this breed!
- As with many other larger cat breeds, it can take several years for Neva Masquerade cats to reach adulthood.