Neva Masquerade - Everything you need to know about the cat breed
Brief info on your cat's breed Neva Masquerade
Weight: 4.5 - 9 kg
Wither height: 20 - 25 cm
Energy level: Energetic
Lifespan: 12 - 15 years
Social need: Medium
Colours: Has a masked colour, i.e. light colour at the base and darker ears, face, legs and tail tip. Some common colours of the breed are white, brown, black, creme, blue and fawn.
Health problems: Generally healthy but can suffer from hereditary diseases such as Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), kidney diseases such as Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) and also eye problems.
Personality of a Neva Masquerade
The Neva Masquerade is a cuddly, curious and lively cat breed. It is the masked variant of a Siberian Cat and thus they share character and appearance to a large extent. Neva Masquerade thrives in the company of its cat parents and often gets along well with children and other animals. This breed of cat works both as an indoor and outdoor cat, at the same time it is in its nature to want to play, hunt and move around a lot. Therefore, you need to think about activating a Neva Masquerade - for example through climbing trees and cat toys. This is also an intelligent cat breed, which means that you can teach it different tricks if you want.
Looks and fur care of a Neva Masquerade
A Neva Masquerade is medium-sized, muscular and looks a bit like a wild cat. Just like a Siberian cat, it develops late and is fully grown only at about 3 years of age. The biggest difference between the breeds is the colour of the fur and the colour of the eyes - the Neva Masquerade has a light fur and big, blue eyes. It has a woolly tail, tufts on the ears and thick, long fur with a collar. The fur should be brushed thoroughly a couple of times a week to avoid tangles and at the same time catch some of the fur it sheds. Like the Siberian cat, a Neva Masquerade is known to rarely cause allergic reactions.
Health problems in a Neva Masquerade
The Neva Masquerade is a generally healthy cat breed without many health problems. But like other cat breeds, it can suffer from hereditary diseases, such as the heart disease Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Kidney diseases such as Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) also occur in the breed. A balanced diet can help promote kidney health. The colour of the eyes of a Neva Masquerade also makes it more prone to eye problems, so be sure to keep them clean.
Oral health
Did you know you need to brush your cat's teeth? Brushing your cat's teeth daily is the best thing you can do to prevent your cat from getting periodontitis, learn more about it here. The dental disease FORL is common among cats and often occurs in connection with periodontitis. Brushing the cat's teeth can be a challenge, but with treats and a lot of patience, the cat will eventually get used to it. Learn more about how to brush your cat's teeth here. Learn more about cat dental care here.
Poisoning
There are a lot of things that are poisonous to cats that you may not have thought of before. An example of this is plants, learn more about which plants are poisonous to your cat here. Further examples of what is poisonous to cats are chocolate and mouse and rat poison. It's important to store things that are dangerous to cats in a place they can't get to.
