Don’t Pity The Munchkin Cat
Our sweet Munchkin cat Honey, two weeks before giving birth, easily accessing 7 feet of height!
Can Munchkins Jump? Can Munchkins Run? Can Munchkins Climb?
These are questions we hear all the time around Munchkin cats.
Let me be the one to assure you, all of my Munchkin cats have never had any issues in jumping, running, and climbing, in comparison to their counterparts. Munchkins as a breed have only been around for 30 years or so but short legged cats have been reported to exist all the way back in the early 1900s, so I can understand why people are unaware of the truth!
It’s kind of funny the stuff you see online from people who don’t actually own in Munchkins, or who’ve never actually met any. They spread this nonsense that Munchkin cats have a lower quality of life because their legs are too short for them to do anything. That they’ll feel frustrated.
I currently have two kittens that are 14 weeks old in my cattery. One has long, beautiful nonstandard legs and the other one is a standard, short-legged munchkin. I have a cat tree that connects up to all of my wall shelves for our kitten playroom. The amount of times I’ve seen the smaller, shorter girl climb up higher and jump up higher than her sister is almost uncountable at this rate.
She never slows down!
And our adult munchkins are not any different too. These wall shelves easily clear 7 feet or so at the tallest and 6 foot at the shorter (I can’t see over them at all) — my partner is 6’6” and they’re just over his fluffy hair. All of them have been able to jump, explore, and lounge on those shelves whenever they can.
Another surprising time was when we caught our first Munchkin ever on top of our refrigerator. We still have NO idea how she got there because even our long legged cats were never there!
Ask any Munchkin owner, and they’ll tell you that their Munchkins run like little ferrets, jump like they can fly, and climb like monkeys. Even in older years.
I think people who see Munchkins see the cat equivalent of Dachshunds or Corgis. Two breeds that have struggled because of their height. But cats are built different - if you look closely at a Munchkin, their back legs are longer than their front, and tend to be thick and strong. They’re powerful kickers (we named Usagi, Japanese for “Rabbit”, for her bunny kicks), that can push them off the ground whenever they’d like. Their spines are much more flexible, so problems that Dachshunds and Corgis have aren’t ever really present in Munchkin cats.
Another important question we hear sometimes is whether or not Munchkin cats are in pain due to their short stature. Their short legs are considered a deformity. And while there are many out there that say differently, truthfully, we’ve never really seen any studies that prove it, nor have we seen any ourselves that were in pain.
Many of the Munchkin breeders I know — those who have been breeding far longer than I have and have had cats live long, happy lives — have always told me that they’ve never seen any issues in any of their Munchkins. In 1995, several breeders had their oldest Munchkins X-rayed and examined for signs of joint or bone problems and found none. Join any Munchkin Facebook group and you’ll find people who have 15 - even almost 20 year old Munchkins that seem healthy and happy with no joint issues. The vast majority of people who spread misinformation will likely never actually come across a Munchkin in their practice, unlike breeders who have been there since day one.
While there is no published study yet (there will be soon), AT THIS MOMENT, they are currently studying the health of dwarf breed cats at the University of Missouri. These tests and studies have been going on for years now. I personally know people who have submitted their cats for the study and for testing (through OFA, like they do with Maine Coons hips or big dogs). Each joint is scanned and evaluated. These cats range in 1-10 years old, and only ONE older cat they’ve scanned has shown any signs of very mild arthritis. To compare this with others statistics, Hip Dysplasia runs in about 20% of Maine Coons, IVDD shows up in 25% of Dachshunds, and more than 90% of all domestic cats will get arthritis in their older years (12+ years old).
On top of everything, Munchkins are one of the breeds in TICA that are allowed to outcross with regular domestic cats, meaning they have one of the biggest genetic pools out of the majority of purebred cats.
For me, I fell in love with the breed because of their quirks and personalities. I love the nonstandard babies as much as I love the standard ones. If it means taking some extra steps in their care - X-raying periodically, joint supporting supplements, and high quality raw food high in collagen then so be it. With everything I know, Munchkins are a very healthy breed and I believe the breed has so much more potential to it. I can’t wait to see how it evolves as the years go by.
Next time you see a Munchkin cat, don’t feel pity for them because you think they’re unable to play like any other cat.