The Seychellois cat:
a big little prankster,
a chatterbox, a playmate
and a tiny little fibber!
Why would anyone suspect the Seychellois of fibbing, and what kind of breed is it, if it’s a breed at all?
History of the Breed
Let’s start with the fact that the Seychellois has nothing to do with the island nation off East Africa! These elegant cats come from Great Britain. That’s also where most of them live, since outside the UK not everyone accepts the Seychellois as a breed (in the US, you’ll hardly ever meet one).
In the 1970s and 1980s, British breeders set out to create a new breed by crossing Siamese and Persian cats. The result was the Seychellois, along with a legend that they supposedly came from one of the 115 Seychelles islands.
The legend remains a pretty fairy tale. In reality, most experts don’t recognize these cats as a separate breed because of their suspicious resemblance to the Oriental, the Balinese and the Siamese. But that doesn’t stop the Seychellois from feeling completely special! Must be the national character!
Breed Description
This cat is English, and that says it all! It has aristocratic looks, good manners and high expectations. The breed standard gives a more detailed description, with long legs and a willful personality as separate points.
- The Seychellois has a medium-sized, wedge-shaped head; the lines of the face form a triangle:
- the chin is narrow, small and in proportion;
- the nose is long and straight, with a smooth transition to the forehead;
- the eyes are always blue, slightly slanted, not bulging and almond-shaped;
- the ears are magnificent! They’re large, wide at the base, rounded at the tips and set wide apart.
- Like all Oriental-type breeds, these cats look exaggeratedly delicate. In fact, they’re quite strong and muscular.
The legs are long and slender. The hind legs are longer than the front ones, which gives the cat a special “Marilyn Monroe walk.” The paws are small and oval. The belly and flank are tucked up.
The tail is extraordinarily flexible. When a Seychellois kitten shows its emotions with its tail, it looks like a sailor with signal flags: the flexible tail sends signals everyone can understand.
Seychellois cats don’t grow large. They’re medium-sized and light, weighing about 4.5–9 lb.
- Coat
The coat has no undercoat and varies in length across the body. On the torso it’s medium-length, while the tail and shoulders are decorated with longer fur.
- Color
“There’s the difference!” fans of the breed exclaim whenever someone points out how much the Seychellois resembles so many other breeds. The color! It’s completely unique! A colored mask, ears, legs and tail are a must for the Seychellois.
IMPORTANT! The mask should not color the entire head.
Experts distinguish three color types:
- Neuvième: mostly white, with a colored tail and small spots on the head (spots can be black, red or gray);
- Huitième: white base, with small patches on the head and legs and a colored tail;
- Septième: white base, with large patches on the head and legs and a colored tail.
Personality
When you pay good money for a Seychellois, you aren’t just bringing home a pet; you’re handing your home over to royalty. These cats have a cheerful personality. Even when their ears go gray, they’ll still chase a sunbeam or an untied shoelace.
But they’ll never put up with disrespect. Heaven forbid you yell at the family’s favorite! Revenge will come swiftly! And raising a hand to a Seychellois, even jokingly, is out of the question.
TIP! Some owners keep a spray bottle of water handy as a gentle deterrent, though redirecting your cat with a toy usually works better and keeps the peace.
If you’ve never met this breed, know that their voice isn’t exactly polished or easy on the ears, and they love to talk. They also love to rule. This cat will dominate other pets and try to prove to you that it’s the leader of the pack.
Overall, though, reviews of the Seychellois are positive. They’re sociable and adore children.
Health
“Healthy as a Seychellois!” That saying could easily catch on among cat experts. Still, nobody’s perfect, and the breed does have some predispositions.
First, vets note the Seychellois’s tendency toward heart and blood vessel problems. Also, as a descendant of the Siamese, the Seychellois is prone to dental disease: gingivitis, tartar and so on.
How can you tell it’s time to take your cat to the vet for dental care? Watch for refusing food and excessive drooling; these can be early signs of trouble. A timely vet visit nips these problems in the bud.
The Seychellois lives about 15 years on average.
Care and Living Conditions
Brush a Seychellois a couple of times a week, mostly so it can see you’re paying attention to it. In reality, its coat doesn’t mat and doesn’t need much care. Also wipe this English lady’s eyes from time to time and clean her ears with a cotton pad. As you can see, the Seychellois doesn’t need any special care.
Feeding
It doesn’t need a special diet either. If you feed commercial food, choose a premium or super-premium brand. That will save you a lot of time and help your pet live longer.
If you prefer homemade meals, favor lean meats, poultry and fermented dairy (if your cat tolerates it). Grains and vegetables are fine too, but in smaller amounts. About 80% of the diet should be “carnivore” food.
Photos
If a cattery offers you a kitten that’s white as snow, don’t immediately suspect a scam. It’s most likely a genuine Seychellois: all kittens of this breed are born snow-white, and the familiar markings appear only with time.
Where to Buy
Although not everyone accepts the breed, its distinctive features have won many fans even without official recognition. In the US, however, the Seychellois is extremely rare: the CFA and TICA don’t recognize it, and we couldn’t find an active US cattery.
Where can you buy a Seychellois? Since the breed is so rare, only a specialized cattery can guarantee a kitten’s pedigree, so skip classified ads. Good catteries send kittens home vaccinated at 12–14 weeks.
There’s no established US price for the breed. You’ll most likely need to import a kitten from a cattery in the UK or Europe, which adds shipping, a vet health certificate and a rabies vaccination to the cost.
Catteries
The Seychellois is recognized by the World Cat Federation (WCF), so WCF member clubs are the best place to start your search for a breeder.
The Seychellois: it looks like everyone else and like no one at all!
