Change of Appearance of Website

This is a quick note just to say that I have change the appearance of this website to try and match it up to the main website. There are a number of sub domains for PoC serving various purposes which were set up many years ago because at that time building a website was highly complicated and I was able to create subdomains which made writing content far easier. This site then closely matches the main website to try and create a seamless appearance. Here is a very nice picture by Helmi Flick to brighten up this current post.

Moggie! Glorious random bred cat -- photo copyright Helmi Flick

Brown Classic Tabby Maine Coon Photo

A classic portrait of a brown classic tabby Maine Coon by the celebrated Helmi Flick. Helmi is one of the world's top cat photographers. Brown tabby is one of the best coat types for the Maine Coon perhaps because it is more natural and this was a farm cat between 1650 and mid 1800s.

You probably know that "classic tabby" refers to a tabby pattern that is swirls and blotches against the background color. You can see some of the dark pattern against a brown coat on the body of this cat (bottom left of photo).

The photographer owns the copyright of this photo. Use without permission of the photographer is not allowed. Violations are reported to Google.com (DMCA policy)

I love the Maine Coon face. The photograph was taken in March 2005. The focal length of the lens was 75 mm. This is a slight telephoto for the 35 mm format. Ideal for portraiture. The exposure was 1/250th of a second but strobe light was used. Aperture was F5.6 and ISO 100.  There is plenty of light in the set up used by Helmi. See the Helmi Flick set up.

The frame around this Helmi photo was created by Google Picasa, incidentally. Unfortunately the hosting server for this site adds a shadow as well so it is a bit overdone, perhaps.

Turkish Van Cat Picture

A super glamorous Turkish Van cat in a Helmi Flick special picture. Helmi is one of today's leading cat photographers, probably the best. When we think of the Turkish Van we think of the classic van coat pattern, which is the inverted "V" on the forehead and the colored tail. The cat in the Helmi picture is a calico  - three colors: orange, white and black - with the non-white areas exactly as they should be for this cat breed. This is a very special cat, I think. We also think about water or at least I do because I see so many websites saying that this cat likes swimming and loves water etc. This enhances the breed's history as this breed ostensibly comes from the Lake Van region, which is in Eastern Turkey. Personally (forgive me), I think it is pure fiction to dress up a cat breed that does not need dressing up by saying that the cat likes swimming. Some cats like water, some don't and some are in between. It is about individual cats although we can say that wildcat hybrids have an affinity for water because their wildcat ancestors do. That makes sense.

Here is another piece of Turkish Van history. This cat breed is not that common in Turkey (where it is probably not a cat breed but a random bred cat) because they prefer all white cats with odd-eye color. That describes the Turkish Angora (see picture right) This preference came about because the founder of modern Turkey declared, in 1923, that his successor would be bitten on their ankle by an odd-eyed white cat! Believe that?! Read and see more...

Modern Siamese Cat Picture

The modern Siamese is very different to the traditional Siamese. You can see the "oriental" body conformation (slender) of this cat breed in the excellent Helmi Flick photograph above, which gives an impression of the active Siamese. In fact there are a whole range of Siamese cat body shapes. The middle ground is occupied by the Thai, a new cat breed but which for me is simply a newish version of the Siamese. It is a bit confusing for people outside the cat fancy. TICA's breed standard is different to that of the CFA. Both recognize the slender, contemporary Siamese as the breed (and simply ignore the more popular traditional cat) but TICA allows a much wider range of pointing colors and patterns while the more conventional CFA accept: seal, chocolate, blue and lilac pointing. The more modern types of pointing are lynx pointing (tabby) and other versions of broken pointing such as tortie and shaded pointing. Read more...and about the history of this cat..

Sokoke Cat Picture

A rare Sokoke cat picture by Helmi Flick. There were ten adult breeding cats in the USA in 2008. That makes this one of the rarest purebred cats on the planet. Helmi took a great picture. The choice of background is perfect as it emphasises the glorious "bulls-eye" tabby pattern, plum in the middle of the body. The head of this cat breed reminds me of the Bengal, quite small like the wild leopard cat. It certainly has a wild look. However, this is a purely, 100%, domestic cat. It is not a wildcat hybrid. That is what I have been told. I found the origin and history of this breed interesting and exotic and to be perfectly honest, I don't believe it! I know that sounds a bit brash and harsh but that is what I feel about the history, which is that stray/domestic/feral hybrid cats from the east of Kenya where discovered in the late 1970s and then exported to America, where they were refined through selective breeding. This purebred cat is named after the Sokoke Forest in Kenya (see map - you can zoom back). Read more....

Safari Cat Picture

A rare Safari Cat picture by Helmi Flick. This is wildcat hybrid that you will not see very often. I doubt whether they are shown at cat shows. Perhaps they make the odd appearance. The Safari Cat is not registered with TICA and they are perhaps the most adventurous cat association. That is not to say that this cat breed is unpopular. As you can see this cat has a stunning appearance. The Safari Cat is the result of a mating between the small wildcat Geoffroy's cat and a domestic cat. Sometimes the selected domestic cat is the Bengal cat (itself a wildcat hybrid). The Geoffroy's cat is sometimes (but rarely) domesticated itself. Clearly Geoffroy's cat is one of the small wildcats that can be domesticated. Incidentally the leopard cat - the wild component of the Bengal cat - can't! The picture above is an F1, first filial, Safari Cat. The coat is pure, dense, spotted tabby. The background color is a warm gray. The eyes are piercing and the face very strong. This is a large domestic cat at up to 25lbs (F1). You'll need to make special arrangements and have realistic and informed expectations. Read and see more....

Cymric Picture

All red, white and black and no tail! This is another interesting cat photograph of the long haired Manx by professional photographer, Helmi Flick. This is a very cobby looking cat. "Cobby" means stocky and thick set in cat fancy language. Notice too how this cat leans forward. The hind legs are longer than the forelegs, which is not unusual in cats but seems to have a disproportionate effect on the stance of this purebred cat. This is a show cat and it has no tail. Sometimes cats of this breed have short tails of varying length. Dependent on the type of tail or no tail, the cat can be a show cat or a pet quality cat. Its name indicates that it comes from Wales, UK, but it was created in North America. Manx cat litters occasionally produced long haired kittens and the development started from that point. A wide range of colors and patterns are allowed under the breed standard. Read and see more if you wish...