The original Munchkin breed was only recently developed but has since been used to create other breeds as well. These cats are affected by a relatively harmless genetic mutation, called achondroplasia, which leads to dwarfism. They’re fully capable of living normal, healthy lives, they just look a little extra cute because of their short legs!
#1 – Munchkin
The Munchkin cat is the “original” breed of Munchkin, as it’s name clearly states. Although dwarfed cats have appeared every now and again for over 70 years, the Munchkin breed wasn’t standardized until the 1980s and 1990s. The world saw the first true Munchkin cat breed in 1991, although they weren’t fully recognized as a breed until 2003. While many enthusiasts speculated the cats would develop numerous health problems due to their dwarfism, they’ve so far been proven wrong.
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#2 – Skookum
The Skookum was created by crossbreeding Munchkin cats with the LaPerm. The LaPerm is a unique cat breed with curly hair that it passed along to its Skookum progeny. With the breeding program going back to the 1990s, there are quite a few well-established lines of curly-coated dwarf cats.
#3 – Minskin
Coming from Boston, Massachusetts, USA, the Minskin was created by crossbreeding Munchkin cats with the Devon Rex, Burmese and Sphynx cats. The result is an adorable dwarf cat that’s become quite popular. Because of its diverse background, the Minskin is hairless on its entire body except for its points – the feet, face, ears and tail.
#4 – Bambino
The Bambino was first born in 2005 and was a pure cross between a Munchkin and a Sphynx cat. Because there are no other breeds added in, the Bambino is a dwarf cat that’s completely hairless.
#5 – Napoleon
The Napoleon was created by breeding Munchkin cats to Persian cats, including Himalayans and Exotic Shorthairs. This gave the Napoleon the variety in the breed it has today. These dwarfed cats come with long or short coats and in just about any color variety seen in domestic cats today.
#6 – Lambkin
The Lambkin is a newer, rare cat breed that’s still in development. It’s a cross between the Munchkin and the curly-coated Selkirk Rex. Because of this, it’s also often called the Nanus Rex, meaning “dwarf rex.” Due to still being in development, not all kittens in a litter will fall under the Lambkin breed standard, which is one of the reasons it’s still so rare.