Likoy: Description Of The Breed, Features Of Character And Care, Photo And Price, Reviews Of The Owners, Choice Of A Kitten

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-17 22:26

Likoy: a werewolf in cat's clothing

Lykoi (Lykoi) in translation from Greek means wolf, or werewolf. This is the name of a young cat breed that became popular due to its shocking appearance and immediately found constant fans. In terms of habits, werewolf cats are no different from other representatives of the cat family, except for hyperactivity, a strongly pronounced hunting instinct and canine loyalty to the owner.

Content

• 1 History of origin

• 2 Description and standard of the face

  • 2.1 Table: description of the standard
  • 2.2 Photo gallery: features of the breed face

• 3 Character and behavior

  3.1 Video: Likoi kittens

• 4 Maintenance and care

  • 4.1 Nutrition

    • 4.1.1 Table: dry food suitable for a nutritious diet of licoes
    • 4.1.2 Photo Gallery: Dry Food for Likoi
  • 4.2 Health and disease prevention
  • 4.3 Organization of toilet space
  • 4.4 Video: amazing breed of face
• Table 5: pros and cons of the breed
• 6 Buying a kitten

• 7 Breeding features

  • 7.1 Choosing a partner
  • 7.2 Mating and childbirth
  • 7.3 Castration and sterilization
• 8 Breed reviews

Origin story

The birth of the breed is considered to be 2010, when a mongrel cat lambed on the Patty Thomas farm (USA, Virginia). She has two strange semi-bald kittens. Considering that they are similar to the Canadian Sphynxes, Patty contacted the famous breeders of this breed, the Gobbles.

John Gobble was interested in unusual kids. After studying a large amount of information, Gobbl came to the conclusion that kittens are the result of natural mutation. And already consciously received a second brood for future research.

The kittens were examined and did not reveal any genetic abnormalities or skin pathologies. And the almost complete absence of hair and abundant shedding is the result of a lack of hair follicles.

The Gobbles, making sure that the babies carry the genes of natural mutation, prepared the breeding system. In the fall of 2011, the first representative of a new breed appeared, which was first named the opossum cat because of the similarity of wool with the fur of this animal. A little later, another name appeared - a face, or a werewolf cat, due to its non-standard appearance and similarity with mystical creatures from horror films.

Werewolves of these cats are called because of their unusual appearance.

The breed was officially registered in the United States in 2012 and recognized by the International Cat Association (TICA). The official breeding of licoes, the issuance of documents and admission to exhibitions are not carried out by all clubs, but only by those that support the TICA charter.

Description and standard of the face

Likoy is a partially hairless cat with a roan color (alternating black and white guard hairs). Life expectancy due to the novelty of the breed is not precisely determined, as well as growth, but males are much larger than females.

Table: description of the standard

Options	Standard
Head	Wedge-shaped, with rounded lines from cheeks to nose
Muzzle	Medium length, ending with a pronounced rounded chin, vertically aligned with the nose
Nose	Wide, rounded at the end, pointing down
Eyes	Large, directed obliquely upwards. Gray, blue, green or gold.
Ears	Set on high, straight, triangular. On the outside, covered with sparse hair.
Neck	Muscular, medium length
Housing	Compact, slightly elongated, lean physique, medium bone. The back is curved in an arc.
Limbs	Medium length, may be hairless or sparsely coated
Paws	Medium, oval with long toes
Tail	Not long, tapering towards the tip
Leather	Pink, folded, sensitive to high temperatures. It turns black from exposure to sunlight and heat. After a few days, without direct exposure to heat and sun, it acquires a natural color.
Wool	Soft, without undercoat, from short to medium length, grows in tufts. The guard hair is long. Some individuals lack hair on the chest, abdomen and legs.
Color	Grayish black or roan. White hair is evenly distributed on a black background all over the body. The ideal ratio is 50 to 50%.
Weight	adult cat - 3.5-4.5 kg; adult cat - 2.0–3.5 kg.

The reason for disqualification is:

• the absence of hairless glasses and a mask on the face;
• all colors of wool except black;
• lack of white hair;
• body completely covered with hair;
• the presence of aggression or cowardice;
• strabismus;
• tail defects;
• congenital mutation of the fingers;
• blindness;
• cryptorchidism (undescended testicles) in adult cats.

Photo gallery: features of the face breed

Lycoe's business card - hairless mask and glasses

Lycoe eyes can be of any color, but honey-gold is preferred

Likoy is the only cat breed in the world that has a roan color ("salt and pepper"), or roan

Kittens are born pure black, white hair appears later, after the first molt

Lykoy's fur looks like opossum fur

Character and behavior

The frightening appearance of the Licos masks their strong affection for their owners. They like to be in the spotlight. And due to their high intelligence, animals easily remember the rules of behavior in the apartment.

They treat strangers with distrust and are rarely allowed to approach themselves, but after finding out that the guest does not pose a threat to the hosts, they make contact. At a hint of danger, they rush at the offender no worse than a dog, and they are not embarrassed by the large size of the enemy.

Werewolves, especially kittens, are hyperactive, so older people and families with small children should refrain from acquiring such a pet. The attitude towards dogs and other cats is neutral, but lykoi are born hunters, so in the apartment you will have to cover the aquarium from them and hide cages with small rodents and birds.

Video: Likoi kittens

Maintenance and care

Likoi are adapted to life in an apartment, they are neat and tidy. An important point in the maintenance is wool care. Bare areas of the skin often sweat, therefore, when a plaque forms from sweat secretions, they are immediately wiped with a damp cloth or the animal is completely washed. The kitten is taught to the procedure of washing immediately after purchase, since the lykoi are afraid of water.

Lycoes shed constantly, regardless of the season, and during the year they can completely lose their hair and grow again several times.

Animals of this breed are prone to hypothermia, so the beds are placed away from drafts. When the temperature drops, the pet is put on warm cat clothes.

General recommendations for caring for faces are the same as for cats of other breeds:

• As they acidify, the eyes are wiped with a cosmetic cotton pad soaked in boiled or filtered water. You cannot use tea leaves for the procedure.
• The ears are washed once a week with a special lotion purchased from a veterinary pharmacy. Then gently dry with a cotton pad. Cotton swabs are not used because of the special structure of the cat's auricle.
• The claws (only the tips so as not to damage the pulp) are sheared with a claw cutter as they grow back.
• Comb once every 3 days, during the period of active molting, every day.

Food

For a balanced nutrition, feeds are selected of high quality in accordance with the age of the animal. The final choice of feed is carried out taking into account the recommendations of veterinarians and individual tolerance.

Table: dry food suitable for a nutritious diet of licoes

Feed	Class	Manufacturer	Purpose	pros	Minuses
Orijen Cat & Kitten	Holistic	Canada	For adults and kittens, food with a high protein (42%) and fat (20%)	Suitable for all ages, can be fed to lactating cats	High cost (about 400 rubles for a package weighing 340 g)
Acana Grasslands for Cats	Holistic	Canada	Grain-free, biologically appropriate food for all ages	Prevents Obesity and Maintains Blood Sugar Levels	High cost (from 360 rubles per package 340 g)
Purina Pro Plan Delicate	Super premium	France	For adult animals with sensitive digestion	Normalizes Digestion and Stool	May cause an allergic reaction
Royal canin	Premium	USA-France	For animals over 12 months old	Supports healthy skin, normalizes the cardiovascular system	Contains cheap fillers (wheat, corn) with low nutritional value
Hill's Science Plan Lamb	Premium	USA	Suitable for allergy-prone adult and lactating cats	Reduces the risk of urinary tract disease	Contains corn flour

Photo gallery: dry food for Likoi

Hill's Food Formulated for Cats with Health Disabilities

The food of the Acana brand is as close as possible in composition to the natural diet of cats

Pro Plan Delicate dry food is a complete diet for adult cats with sensitive digestion or special preferences

Distinctive features of the Orijen brand are the production of biologically appropriate food for domestic cats, which are physiologically indistinguishable from their wild relatives, inhabitants of forests, savannas and prairies

Royal Canin creates personalized nutrition so you can easily find the right food for your animal.

The number of kittens fed per day depends on age:

• 3-4 months - 6 times;
• 4-5 months - Five times;
• 5-9 months - 4 times;
• 9-12 months - 3 times.

Adult cats are fed 2 times: morning and evening. Feeding kittens and adult animals differs in the size of the portion and the size of the food pieces.

With natural nutrition, the following foods are included in the diet:

• lean beef;
• bird;
• fish;
• boiled eggs;
• vegetables and fruits;
• fresh milk (after 6 months it is given with caution, since it can cause diarrhea);
• fermented milk products.

Due to the increased heat transfer, the portions for the licoes are slightly larger than those for other breeds. But you should not overfeed them. It is forbidden to give:

• chicken, beef and fish bones;
• pork;
• legumes;
• mushrooms;
• nuts;
• spice.

Health and disease prevention

Lycoe have high vitality. As a result of the analyzes carried out, it turned out that the breed is not susceptible to skin, somatic and infectious diseases, the representatives did not have problems with the cardiovascular system. There is no information on the presence of genetic diseases.

The pet must be vaccinated. The kitten receives the first vaccination at the age of 2–3 months. Deworming is carried out 10 days before the procedure. Revaccination (repeated vaccination with the same drug) is done after 21 days.

Routine deworming is carried out once every 3 months. Treatment for ectoparasites - every six months.

Organization of a place for a toilet

The pet is taught to walk in the tray from early childhood. For this, a secluded place is chosen where the baby can calmly do his business. A kitten tray is purchased with low sides, since the baby is simply not able to overcome a high obstacle.

Subsequently, the toilet is selected according to the growth, size and weight of the animal. The filler is used with wood, mineral or silica gel for short-haired cats.

Video: amazing breed face

youtube.com/watch?v=ZY-rD9dSm-c

Table: pros and cons of the breed

pros	Minuses
Unique appearance	Special care for wool
Having intelligence	Strong hunting instinct
Ease of content	Hyperactivity
Loyalty to the owners	High price
Friendliness	Complexity of acquisition
Independence	Intense shedding

Buying a kitten

It is almost impossible to buy a Likoi kitten, since due to its small number, the breed is bred only in three registered catteries. Two of them are in the USA (Oklahoma and Michigan) and one in Russia (Murmulet cattery of elite cats, Moscow). The future owner chooses the sex of the kitten to his taste.

Kittens are offered for sale from the age of three months. Prior to that, the breeder conducts the primary vaccination for the baby and registers with TICA, where he receives a metric that guarantees the purity of the breed. Subsequently, the owner exchanges it for a pedigree. The cost of a roan-colored kitten starts from 160,000 rubles, non-standard bicolor and blue kittens are not so spectacular, therefore they are cheaper - from 95,000 rubles.

Breeding features

The owner should first purchase a couple of Licos, then join a special breeder club. In the case of this particular breed, it will only be possible to join TICA. A mandatory rule is participation in exhibitions, since without this the female will not be officially allowed to breed.

Partner selection

If the future breeder has only a female, she should find a suitable mate. The selection criteria are the same for all cat breeds:

• pedigree;
• health;
• the possibility of concluding an agreement with the owner of the cat, which will stipulate all the points on the rights of future kittens.

Mating and childbirth

A cat is allowed to knit at the age of 1 year, when puberty has come, a cat - from 14 months. For the birth of high-quality offspring, it is recommended to skip the first heat.

Likoi females tolerate pregnancy well and can give birth up to 5 times a year, but the cat itself suffers from this (its body works only for pregnancy and feeding) and its future offspring.

Therefore, it is recommended to knit 1-2 times a year to allow the female to fully recover after giving birth. At the first lambing, a veterinarian should be present to provide the necessary assistance to the mother-cat, if necessary.

Castration and sterilization

The owner of such a rare pet as a face should not rush to neuter or castrate it, since the number of representatives of the breed is too small. The owner is advised to continue breeding. The case of a purebred animal is allowed only with a partner of the same breed.

Females of any breed are sterilized at the age of 7 to 12 months, males - up to 1.5–2 years. Young animals tolerate the procedure more easily. In any case, a veterinarian consultation is required before the operation.

Reviews of the breed

Exotic appearance, ease of maintenance and docile nature make Likoi a desirable pet. But due to the high cost, paucity and lack of study of the breed, it is better to think about it and not rush to purchase a kitten.