Being short-legged, almost like the Dachshund in appearance, is but one of the Munchkins unique
characteristics.  Munchkins are  full of  adventure with loads of   personality and confidence and with
amazement and enjoyment you'll watch these cuddly little cuties accelerate taking corners like little
sports cars.  They are sociable and  friendly, enjoy company and   get along well with other animals,
retaining their kitten-like personalities throughout their lives.  Once you have owned a Munchkin, you
will never want to be without one again.

Munchkins are not characterized by colour and come in all colours and hair lengths. The longhair
Munchkin has the distinction of sporting a beautiful plumed tail.  They cannot always jump as high
as other cats but  can leap heights such as counter tops,  although many prefer to  intelligently find
an easier way up. They also run extremely fast, despite their short legs.

The Munchkin is a natural occurring domestic breed with much shorter legs than that of the ordinary
cat.  A spontaneous change in  the genetic heritage of the cat has introduced a gene similar  to that
seen in  the Basset Hound, Corgi and Dachshund.  However, these   cats have been proven free  of
the spinal problems sometimes found in  the Dachshund.  They are a product of  nature rather  than
a man made breed.  Because of the autosomal dominant  inheritance pattern, a cat  with the Munch-
kin gene will produce kittens with  the same short legs.  There is no evidence that the gene for short
legs hampers survival or quality of life.
                
Munchkins were sighted long before World War  II in Stalingrad, Germany and in Great Britain, but
were only recently discovered by  the cat fancy.  Seeming to have disappeared  from Europe, the
Munchkin was rediscovered in  Rayville, Louisiana by Sandra Hochenedel   in the 1980's.  Sandra
was in pursuit of a pet cat for her three children. She found Blackberry, a pregnant female living be-
neath a truck in a rural area. Back at home, she was astonished at the unique cat, almost ferret-like
with dwarf  legs.  Blackberry presented Sandra  with several   litters - each litter including short and
long-legged kittens. Then Blackberry disappeared and Sandra feared the trait  was lost again but
the gene pool was retrieved from Blackberry's kittens that had been given to Kaye La France.