A black tabby cat is a bit of a visual trick. At first glance it looks like a solid black cat, sleek and shadowy. Then the light shifts, and faint stripes, swirls, or spots appear against the dark coat, like a pattern drawn in ink on black paper. Add the telltale “M” on the forehead…
Few crossbreeds capture hearts as quickly as the Mini Bernedoodle. Take the gentle, tri-colored charm of a Bernese Mountain Dog, blend it with the intelligence and curly coat of a Miniature Poodle, and you get a fluffy, affectionate dog in a more manageable size. Mini Bernedoodles often look like teddy bears, with soft wavy coats,…
Few cat colors are as delicate and unusual as lilac. It is a soft, warm gray with a pinkish or lavender cast, like dove feathers dusted with pale rose. Lilac cats look hushed and elegant, and many owners describe their coats as impossible to photograph accurately because the color seems to shift with the light….
There is something irresistible about a tiny cat. The delicate paws, the big ears, the kitten-like proportions that last well into adulthood: small cats seem to be designed to make people melt. Search for “tiny cat” and you will find a mix of real petite breeds, naturally small individuals, dwarf cats with unusual proportions, and…
There is something undeniably dramatic about a black dog. The glossy coat shimmers in sunlight, the expressive eyes stand out against dark fur, and the silhouette has an elegance that few other colors can match. From the cheerful Labrador Retriever to the stately Doberman Pinscher to the shaggy Newfoundland, black dogs span almost every size,…
Few animals provoke an “aww” as reliably as a cat with a squished face. The round head, the button nose tucked between enormous eyes, and the permanent pout look like something drawn by an illustrator who wanted to design the cutest cat imaginable. People search for these cats under many names: squished face, smushed face,…
Few domestic cats look as wild as the Chausie. Tall, lean, and long-legged, with large ears, a ticked coat that glints like a wild animal’s, and an athletic stride, the Chausie looks like a small cougar that wandered into the living room. That look is no accident. The breed descends from crosses between domestic cats…
“How many breeds of cats are there?” sounds like a question with a simple answer. It isn’t. Ask a cat show judge, a geneticist, and a shelter worker, and you will get three different responses. The judge will name the breeds her registry accepts. The geneticist will talk about how blurry the line between breed…
Search for a “green tabby cat” and you will find a mix of results: tabbies with dazzling emerald eyes, edited photos of cats with green fur, cartoon characters, and a few unusual stories about cats that really have appeared green. The first thing to know is that there is no natural green tabby coat color….
Few cats inspire as much instant affection as a flat-faced one. The round head, tiny nose, enormous eyes, and sweet, pouty expression look like a living teddy bear. Flat-faced cats such as Persians and Exotic Shorthairs have been favorites for well over a century, and their calm, gentle personalities make them wonderful companions for the…