Ceylon
Breed Profile
Origin: Sri Lanka
Colour: The traditional colouring is a sandy-golden background with black markings. This is known as the Manila. There are also blue, red, cream and tortoiseshell variations.
A cat developed by the Cat Club of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), which looks like an early form of the Abyssinian. Also known as the 'Ceylonese Cat' or 'Celonese Cat'.
Owner's Guide
Domestic Breed: A cat developed by the Cat Club of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), which looks like an early form of the Abyssinian. Also known as the 'Ceylonese Cat' or 'Celonese Cat'.
Appearance: It has the typical ticked coat of the modern Abyssinian, but with the addition of the barred leg-markings that were common in that breed at the turn of the century. It is very similar to the so-called 'Wild Abyssinian' developed in the 1980s from feral stock found in Singapore.
History: In recent years it has found favour among Italian breeders. In January 1984, Dr. Paolo Pellegatta, a Milanese veterinary surgeon, was exploring some of the smaller villages in Sri Lanka, when he came across an unusual and delightful form of local cat. Although feral, the animals in question were remarkably friendly and Dr Pellegata decided to take a small group of them back to Italy. There were two males, Tisa and Serendib, and two females, Taranga and Aralyia. They were later to be joined by a few more, and together formed the European nucleus of the breed. they made their first public appearance in the West a few months later, in May 1984, at the Como Cat Show in Italy, and were an immediate success. There followed four years of carefully planned breeding and then in May 1988, the Ceylon Cat was submitted to FIFe, and started on the first phase of its official recognition as a new form of pedigree cat.
Colour Forms: The traditional colouring is a sandy-golden background with black markings. This is known as the Manila. There are also blue, red, cream and tortoiseshell variations.
Bibliography:
1992. Capra, F. The Cat from the Shining Isle. In: Cat World, September 1992.p.18- 20.
Breed Club:
There is a breed club, formed by Dr Pellegatta: Club Amatori Gatto di Ceylon (The Ceylon Cat Lovers Club) at Verigate Corgeno, near Milan.
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