The Munchkin Cat was first bread in 1983. In Louisiana, USA, two cats with very short legs for found in the street. One of them was pregnant and gave birth to four kittens. Two of them displayed very short legs. Breeders picked up on this and developed the Munchkin through crosses with domestic cats. The gene that carries the trait for short legs is a dominant gene, so they can be bread with selected domestic cats to get the munchkin characteristics. The Munchkin cat became an official breed in 1995. They are currently bread in the United States and France where some of them were taken. The munchkins can play and climb trees like any other cat, but they have trouble jumping, therefore jumping on a table is a little difficult for them. They can display all eye colors and coat colors and are a very friendly cat.  Info taken from Encyclopaedia of Cats by Esther J. J. Vernhoff - Verhallen  © 1998