Dogs & Cats Meet in Cyberspace!

New York, NY – Attention all dog and cat lovers, the American Kennel Club (AKC) and the Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA) – invite you to log on to www.meetthebreeds.com to learn more about dogs and cats.

The site is a comprehensive one-stop-shop for all things dog and cat, and is inspired by the upcoming Meet the Breeds™ event that will be held October 17 & 18, 2009 in New York City.

For those of us who can't be in New York for the main event, we can still participate in cyberspace!

The Meet The Breeds website features:

Meet the Dog and Cat Breeds – Learn about 160 dog breeds and 41 cat breeds.
Meet the Breeds Game from ZooToo – Test your breed knowledge and compete for the top score. Each round asks you to choose the correct dog breed from three choices.
Declare your Pet Preference! – Are you a doggy devotee or a feline follower? Weigh in on this centuries-old debate by taking our definitive one-question survey and tell us why dogs or cats are your preferred pet.
Virtual Sticker Downloads for your Social Media Pages – Choose your favorite breed and download a virtual sticker to your Facebook or MySpace page, Web site or blog.
Meet the Breeds Blog from AOL’s Paw Nation – Follow the latest news, learn about who will be attending and get in on all the behind-the-scenes action at the Meet the Breeds event.

“If you’re crazy for cats or passionate about pooches you cannot miss Meet the Breeds both online or in person,” said AKC spokesperson Gina DiNardo. “Both meetthebreeds.com and the event itself present an entertaining way for friends and families to enjoy quality time together while learning how to become responsible pet owners.”

Tabby or Not Tabby?

Confusion over cat colours and coat patterns

Do you know what colour your cat is? You may think you do.... but if it's a tabby, is it a speckled, mackerel or striped tabby?

What if you find a lost cat. Are you sure you would know how to describe it?

There is a wide array of coat patterns in cats and you'd be surprised at how many cat owners don't know a tabby from a tortoiseshell! Sadly, this confusion over coat patterns and colours may lead to some lost cats never being returned to their rightful owners!

Thankfully, Petlynx's DataSketch™ takes the guess work out of identifying lost and found pets. It is especially helpful in describing cats, where there is often much confusion over colours and coat patterns.

Since two people will likely not describe an animal the same way DataSketch™ technology reduces the number of possible descriptors and colors for a pet to a defined number. By reducing the descriptors, we have increased the possibility that people will describe the animal in a similar fashion. An animal's DataSketch™ is compared to other sketches and 'scored' during the AutoMatch™ process. Those matches with the highest scores are then presented to both parties as the most likely matches.

Although DataSketch™ is a real help, here are some things you should know about cats:

Your Average House Cat
Cats of unknown parentage are referred to ‘domestic short-, medium- or long-hairs.’ This is an all-encompassing term used to describe your average house cat, not a purebred designation. However, you should know that the American Shorthair, American Wirehair, British Shorthair, Exotic Shorthair, and Oriental Short- and Longhairs are all distinct and well-established breeds.

A Purebred Tabby? There's No Such thing!
Some people mistakenly refer to their cats as a purebred tabbies. But that’s like saying you have a purebred black dog! Tabby is a coat pattern, not a breed, and therefore tabbies can be found in almost all breeds of cats. Even Siamese cats can have tabby markings. These cats are exceptionally beautiful and are described as having lynx- or tabby-points rather than the usual solid-colored markings on the legs, tail, ears and muzzle.

Tortoiseshells and Torbis
‘Torti’ or ‘Tortoiseshell’ is a color, not a breed. These cats have black coats with patches of cream and red. A calico is a torti with white. A tortoiseshell with tabby patches is called a ‘torbi.’ These cats are almost always female. Male tortis or calicos are very rare and are usually born sterile.

Cat Organizations:
The Canadian Cat Association, The Cat Fanciers Association of Canada, The International Cat Association, The American Cat Fanciers Association: