Neva Masquerade

Other names: Nevak

The Neva Masquerade Cat is a beautiful and noble animal, famous for its luxurious coat. She is distinguished by cheerfulness, intelligence, curiosity, very affectionate and friendly.

Characteristics of Neva Masquerade

Basic moments

• The Neva Masquerade cat combined in its appearance the typical features of Siberian cats and representatives of the genus of cats with a color-point color.
• In the color of the animal, various colors of wool are allowed, the unquestioning requirement is the color-point pattern.
• Representatives of this breed are strong, massive, muscular, stand out for their impressive size. True, cats are much smaller and more graceful than cats.
• Animals reach their full flowering by the age of five.
• Males are distinguished by independence, impressiveness and seriousness, females are softer and more friendly, but both do not like strangers, they are wary of them. They do not tolerate familiar attitudes towards themselves.
• Despite their large size, the Neva Masquerade is extremely dexterous, agile, and demonstrate excellent jumping ability.
• They have excellent hunting qualities, being a thunderstorm of rodents and birds. Other animals are friendly, but under certain circumstances they can stand up for themselves.
• Neva masquerade cats are devoted animals that adore their owners and need their love.
• Cats treat children’s pranks with understanding, behave with kids carefully, even patronizingly.
• Pets require systematic care for their fur, especially during the molt, which occurs twice a year. Spayed animals shed less.

The Neva Masquerade Cat captivates with its aristocratic beauty and good manners, and its devoted and gentle attitude towards its owners is incredibly touching. The character of this cute animal combines playfulness and restraint, sociability and the absence of any importunity, curiosity and delicacy, kindness and readiness to fight back in case of danger. The cat retains its mobility, curiosity, agility and incredible grace even in old age.

The history of the Neva Masquerade cat breed

Neva Masquerade is a breed of cats that domestic breeders began to breed in the 80s of the last century. It is known for certain that the leading role in the formation of the breed belongs to Siberian cats . About which of the feline representatives is “responsible” for their color-point color, disputes are still ongoing. According to one version, the color went to the Neva Masquerade from Persian point cats , according to another version, the new breed is the result of an arbitrary crossing of Siberian heroes with their Siamese relatives.

Breeders from the Leningrad club “Kotofey” became the initiator of breeding a new breed. The work was carried out under the guidance of the famous felinologist, international expert Olga Mironova. In 1988, the Neva Masquerade was presented at a cat show in Leningrad. It owes its name to the river on which the Northern capital of Russia stands, and to the delightful color of its muzzle, reminiscent of a playful masquerade mask. Today, this cat is often called abbreviated – Nevak, another name for it is carnival.

Work on breeding the Neva Masquerade cat was continued by felinologists from Moscow. They preferred to engage in breeding independently of their fellow innovators from the city on the Neva, which led to a greater variety of colors of the Neva.

In the late 80s, Russian felinologists-enthusiasts began to bring Siberian cats to the international arena and gradually achieved the fact that this breed was recognized by the leading felinological organizations. The name “Neva Masquerade” was registered as the standard for one of the original colors of the Siberian cat breed . In 1992, the WCF recognized the Neva Masquerade cat as an independent breed. Later, this status was granted to her by several more authoritative felinological organizations, but most associations still recognize her only as a separate color of Siberians. However, this fact does not affect the popularity of these cute creatures among Russians, and breeders continue to work hard to improve the breed.

Video: Neva Masquerade

The appearance of the Neva Masquerade cat

Neva Masquerade is a large and strong cat, whose elegant appearance delights. Nevaki cats have a very representative and self-confident appearance, which is not surprising, because their weight is sometimes 10 kg. Kittens, whose weight, as a rule, does not exceed 6 kg, look elegant and are distinguished by pronounced noble manners.

Frame

The Neva Masquerade cat is proportionately built. Her body is of medium length, not elongated. The backbone is strong, massive, the neck is powerful, shortish, the chest is voluminous, the muscles are well developed.

Neva Masquerade Head

The head is proportional to the body, massive, its shape is similar to a wedge, it has smoothly rounded outlines. The wide, low forehead is rounded. The nose is wide, its length is medium. With a smooth transition from the frontal part to the nose in profile, a slight depression is noticeable, there is no stop. The cheekbones are set low, the cheeks are plump, the jaws are sufficiently developed. The chin is wide, powerful, but not extended.

Ears

The ears of the Neva masquerade cat are medium in size, wide at the base, slightly inclined forward, their tips are slightly rounded. The distance between them is slightly more than the width of one ear at the base. The outer line of the ear is almost vertical, its base on the outer side is located slightly above eye level.

Eyes

The eyes of the Nevaks are almost round, set a little obliquely, their color is blue, but up to a year it may have a greenish tint. In animals of red point color, against the background of bright red hair on the face, the color of the eyes seems to be rich blue.

limbs

The limbs of the Neva Masquerade cats are of medium length, strong. The paws are large, round, fur grows between the fingers in bunches.

Tail

The tail is of medium length, it is richly pubescent and resembles a fox. The tip of the tail is rounded.

Neva Masquerade Wool

The luxurious semi-long hair of the Neva Masquerade cats, inherited from Siberians, is shiny and water-repellent. It lengthens from the shoulder blades to the croup, falling to the sides and the base of the tail. Decorating wool forms a mane around the neck and elegant “panties”. During the period of seasonal molting, little remains of the decorating wool. The undercoat of a cat in winter becomes long, thick, dense, and in summer it becomes insignificant, shortish.

Color

The hair of the Neva Masquerade on the body is colored in light colors, on the tips of the ears, paws, and tail the hair is dark. The mask itself on the cat’s face also has a dark color. Depending on the color of the dark fragments, the colors of the Nevaks are divided into main categories:

• seal point and seal tabby point (most common);
• blue point;
• red point;
• tortoise point (found only in females).

Not so long ago, a lot of colors with silvery shades were bred. Today, all color variations are recognized, with the exception of those that belong to the chocolate-lilac range.

The contrast between the dark areas and the base color of the coat should be markedly pronounced. Dark fragments on each part of the body of the Nevaka should have the same color intensity.

Flaws

• Excessive diminutiveness and elegance: weak bones, small paws, fragile elongated neck, long and thin limbs.
• A narrow muzzle with a straight profile and undeveloped cheekbones.
• Too big or too small ears, as well as their excessive drooping.
• Small, deep-set eyes.
• Short, sparsely pubescent tail, its pointedness.
• Lack of undercoat and luster of coat, as well as too long undercoat.

The nature of the Neva Masquerade cat

The Neva Masquerade Cat is a noble creature. She is distinguished by a pronounced sense of self-worth, which makes you think: is it worth it to be familiar with her? If this aristocrat can allow some familiarity towards herself to her owners and kids, to whom she treats very carefully, then it is better for strangers not to show increased interest in her, to pick her up, and, moreover, provoke her.

In a homely atmosphere, Nevaks behave calmly and balanced, they are attached to all family members. These cats like to be given attention, but they never show obsession. They love to “talk”, and they themselves know how to listen carefully and understandingly, they are always ready to calm down agitated or upset owners, humming a song to them or gently cooing.

Neva masquerade cats are very active, love outdoor games that imitate hunting. They are very curious: if the owners are doing housework, they will always come running to find out what’s going on and demonstrate a desire to participate and help. They will not bypass any new item in the house with their attention.

In nature, Neva masquerade cats, accustomed to living conditions in an apartment, quickly adapt, their readiness to stand up for themselves is expressed immediately, although they are not the first to show aggression towards other animals. Living in country houses, these cats easily find a “common language” with neighbors’ pets that are friendly. However, their peacefulness does not extend to all animals: they are excellent hunters, they mercilessly deal with mice, ambush moles, and they do not spare innocent birds.

Care and maintenance Neva Masquerade

First of all, the Neva Masquerade cat needs to take care of its luxurious coat, which is renewed almost all year round. Especially carefully look after her “outfit” should be during periods of seasonal molting: September-November and February-April (the intensity and duration of molting is different for each animal). To help the Nevaku get rid of the old wool as soon as possible, during these months it needs to be bathed once a week.

Bathing a Neva Masquerade cat will require you to be diligent and thorough. For the procedure to be effective, the cat needs to be soaped three times and “rinsed” the same number of times. This can be done in the bathroom and basin. The level of collected water should be about 10 cm, temperature – 38-40 ° C. It is better to put the cat on a rubber mat or towel, so it will be more comfortable for her. Wool needs to be washed from shampoo very scrupulously. After the last “rinse”, fill a basin or bucket with warm water, squeeze the juice of one lemon into it and rinse the coat again. At the end of the procedure, the cat’s “fur coat” should creak when sorting through the villi with your fingers. After bathing, the animal must be thoroughly dried. You can use a hairdryer or buy baby diapers for this purpose at the pharmacy – they perfectly absorb moisture.

For bathing the Neva Masquerade, use special shampoos for long-haired cats. Some of them differ in that after their application, the cat practically does not need to be combed out. Another means for bathing an animal is baby soap.

To accustom the Neva Masquerade cat to water procedures should be from childhood. A kitten can be bathed no more than once every two months. This is allowed only if the baby is completely healthy. You can not bathe the animal in the two-week period after vaccination. Kittens are bathed in a basin, into which water must be poured from the shower, so that the noise from falling water does not frighten them. During the procedure, the baby needs to be held by the front paws and in a gentle voice comment on his every action.

Nevaka should be combed at least twice a week. Do this with an ordinary metal comb with blunt teeth. The direction is from head to tail. The tail itself cannot be combed out: the hairs on it are very weak and fall out easily, and new ones grow for a long time. The Neva masquerade cat does an excellent job of caring for her chic tail.

Despite the fact that the wool of representatives of this breed practically does not fall off, in cases where the owner is too lazy to care for it, tangles can still form. If this happens, you need to take a small comb and gently, slowly, thread the teeth between the skin and the tangle. Then carefully remove the tangle with nail scissors. Koltunorez in this case – a thing not suitable. And cutting a cat is not recommended, as the growing hair will have a darker color.

The ears, eyes and teeth of the Neva Masquerade cat also need systematic care. Ears should be cleaned once a month. It is convenient to do this with a stick with a cotton swab, which must be dipped in vaseline, olive or ordinary vegetable oil. Before the procedure, the tampon must be squeezed out.

Wipe your eyes with a damp cotton swab dipped in warm water or strong tea. The main thing is to wipe the tear ducts – “paths” near the base of the nose.

Brush your teeth with a small toothbrush using a special pet toothpaste.

Neva masquerade cats demonstrate excellent appetite, but are distinguished by aristocratic pickiness in food. To understand what exactly your beauty likes, buy her several types of premium ready-made food and see which one she prefers.

Among natural products for Nevaks, beef, rabbit meat, and chicken are useful. It is possible in a small amount and not often to treat these cats with liver, sea fish. From fermented milk products, low-fat cottage cheese, yogurt, kefir will be useful for pets.

An adult cat should be fed 2 times a day. Feeding a kitten begins with five meals a day, as he grows up, the number of meals per day is gradually reduced.

Health and disease of the Neva Masquerade cat

Neva masquerade cats are distinguished by strong immunity and excellent health. Among them are many centenarians, some of whom live up to 20 years.

Basically, the danger for this breed is such a dangerous hereditary disease as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, in which blood stagnates in the pulmonary vessels. In the early stages, this ailment does not manifest itself in any way, and it is possible to determine that the animal is unhealthy only when the Neva Masquerade cat begins to experience shortness of breath and chronic fatigue is observed. If it is still possible to identify the disease at the very beginning of its occurrence, the cat can be saved with the help of maintenance therapy.

Another serious problem for the Nevak can be its coat: the hairs that have fallen out often get into the stomach with food. They are not digested, but form bezoars – fur balls that cause an upset in the digestive system. The animal can get rid of them on its own, thanks to the vomiting reaction, but you can help the cat induce vomiting. To do this, an adult cat needs to be given one tablespoon of vegetable oil (not castor!), One teaspoon will be enough for a kitten.

How to choose a kitten of Neva Masquerade

Buy a Neva Masquerade kitten after he is 3 months old. Until this age, it is better for him to stay with his cat mom and siblings. If the seller offers you a baby who is not yet 2.5 months old, this should alert you.

Neva Masquerade kittens are born snow-white, without any spots and marks. Already at a very early age, they look much larger than babies of other breeds.

To be sure of the purebredness and health of a newcomer kitten, contact the cattery. Here he will be accompanied by a veterinary passport, metric or pedigree. The veterinary passport must indicate that the animal has undergone deworming, that is, he was given an antihelminthic drug. The passport must also contain documentary evidence that the baby has received all the necessary vaccinations at this age.

When visiting the cattery, make sure that the atmosphere there is calm, that the kittens are not shy, do not shy away from you, do not get nervous because of extraneous sounds and your sudden movements. These observations will confirm that they do not grow in a cage, but in comfortable conditions.

Having chosen one of the kids, start a game with him, during which his character traits may appear. Get to know the mother of your chosen one better: look at the cat and observe its behavior, because character traits, both good and not so good, are inherited.

How much does a Neva Masquerade cat cost?

There are catteries where you can buy kittens of the Neva Masquerade cat in most large cities of Russia. Most of them are located in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Kittens can also be bought from a private trader or in a cat club. Please note: the difference in the cost of purebred babies cannot be significant.

Prices, depending on the region and the class of the animal, range from 12,000 to 30,000 rubles – this is the cost of pet-class and breed-class kittens. The former, according to the breeder, are not of interest for breeding work, and the latter have good reproductive characteristics.

The cost of a show-class kitten, a breed standard with an exhibition perspective, can reach up to 35,000 rubles. No less is the baby of a rare color – tortoiseshell.

And one more nuance: cats are often more expensive than cats.