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The Napoleons are a new cat breed "in process" - meaning that they have begun the long journey of acceptance as an official breed with the International Cat Association (TICA). 

The Napoleon is a Munchkin crossed with a Persian (or a Himalayan or an Exotic Shorthair). 

The Napoleon will in essence look like a baby doll faced Persian/Himi/Exotic with the shortened legs of a Munchkin.  The Napoleons have their own standard (specifics on how round the face should be, how stocky of a frame and cobby of a body, what size and shape ears, etc.) which is different than the Munchkins.  Basically, the head needs to be broad and very rounded, eyes large and round, slight doming on the top of the head with small ears. The nose should be short with no break and the body should be well muscled and solid.

The Persian breed has evolved over the years into an extremely flat faced (very pug nosed) cat and so many people are still infatuated with the old traditional look of the Persian of yester-year. So, the Napoleons combine two cute adorable looks into one breed - with the sweet baby doll faces of the traditional Persian with the short rughugger legs of the Munchkin - all in a slightly smaller body frame. It seems to be a winning combination.

Since I had two Persian girls and of course Munchkins,
I was in a great position to try a few of these matings. 
The Napoleons come in shorthair and longhair versions
as well as any color (and obviously, I am only going to
produce mostly the longhaired version).  The
Naps (their nickname) will be a bit heavier in body
structure and rounder faced than the typical Munchkin
(though admittedly,  I tend to produce a bit rounder
faced Munchkin anyway).  Those are the two big
differences between a Munchkin and a Napoleon.

As the Napoleons move forward, there will become a more distinct difference between these two breeds with the Napoleon having a very round eye versus the Munchkins walnut shaped eye, the Napoleons will have a solid muscular frame where the Munchkins will be more petite in size, the Napoleon will have smaller ears and a noticably rounder head as well as the nose length will be shorter. One important note, the founder of the Napoleons, Joe Smith, has adamantly stated that he does not want the Napoleons to go the route of the Persians with the "extremely short" peke-faced nose. The Napoleons should have a sweet baby doll faced look.

*Note:  Both Munchkins and Napoleons can be born shortlegged or longlegged.  This is part of dealing with a breed from a mutation...which is no different than the Manx breed can produce tailed and no-tailed kittens or the Scottish Fold breed can produce "folded-eared" kittens or non-folded eared kittens.  Obviously, most people who are attraced to the Munchkins or the Napoleons are dazzled over the "shortlegged" version, but both short and longlegged versions will make beautiful and wonderful pets.  The lingo that you need to be remember is that when referring to a shortlegged kitten, the breeder usually will refer to them as a "standard"....whereas a longlegged kitten will then be considered a "non-standard."  This will help you in  your selection process.

Here are a few examples of the beautiful but.....longlegged Napoleon kittens that I have produced and are making loving and beautiful pets for people across the country.

 

More information about the Munchkins and Napoleons; the standard and their history, go to the

General Information Page

Information about my cattery and my breeding goals or shipping information, go to the

General Information Page

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Isn't this the cutest picture?  This is Addai, a dilute calico longhaired Napoleon....yes, indeed, Napoleons may be shortlegged but they are ALL cat!

The Napoleons have the sweet affectionate personality of both of their heritage breeds (Munchkins & Persians) but tend to be a bit more interactive than the typical Persian. 


They too like to sit up on their hind legs
and perch in that stance for a bit. With the shortened legs (front and back), I believe that their balance is just increased in this position. It is an adorable position and a unique tendancy to these two breeds (Munchkins & Napoleons).

The breed is young and only in the early stages of acceptance. TICA (The International Cat Association) has accepted them into the registration stage which allows breeders to begin the arduous work of setting a standard, voting in a breed committee, working with a group of breeders to get some kittens available to the general public, and try to set some agreeable standards.  The interest is high - partly because the Persian breed group has been the most popular breed in the U.S. for oodles of years so there is a keen following to the traditional looking Persian of yester-year... plus the short little legs just naturally draw on their attention and get cute points.

What prompted me to breed Napoleons?

The Napoleon Cat Breed Standard
     
             HEAD 30 points
             Shape  5 points
             Ears  5 points
             Eyes  5 points
             Chin  3 points
             Nose  5 points
             Profile  5 points
             Neck  2 points
           
            BODY 40 points
             Torso 10 points
             Feet and Legs 15 points
             Tail  5 points
             Boning 5 points
             Musculature  5 points
           
            COAT/COLOR/PATTERN 20 points
             Length/Texture 10 points
             Color/Pattern 10 points
           
            OTHER 10 points
             Condition  5 points
             Balance  5 points
           

      CATEGORIES: All
     
      DIVISIONS: All
     
      COLOR: All
     
      HEAD:

      Shape: Round, broad, smooth domed with great breadth. Should be medium to large in size and in proportion to body. Jaws broad and powerful with perfect tooth occlusion. Cheeks should be moderately full and blend with the overall roundness of the face. Overall a very sweet expression.

      Ears: Medium to small and round tipped. Set wide apart, fitting into the  contour of the head.

      Eyes: Large, round and full. Set level and moderately far apart giving a  sweet expression to the face, eye color has equal importance to size and  shape. Deep brilliant eye color is preferred which conforms to coat color.

      Chin: Strong, moderately full, fitting into the face.

      Nose: Only moderately longer than broad. Muzzle should be moderately short  and full.

      Profile: Moderately short nose with a slight dip below the eyes. Forehead, nose and chin form a pleasing "baby doll" profile. There shall be no break between the eyes.

      Neck: Moderately short, thick and well muscled.
     

      BODY:
      Torso: Moderately long, thick, well rounded in mid section. Medium to  large in size. Slight rise from the shoulders to the tail as the back legs  are slightly longer than front legs. Well rounded chest and ribs with firm hips.

      Legs: Short, large boned, well developed and with firm musculature. The hind legs may be slightly longer than the forelegs.

      Feet: Round and large, pointing forward.

      Tail: Short to medium. Straight and in proportion to body length.

      Boning: Heavy, sturdy and in proportion.

      Musculature: Firm and well developed.
     

      COAT/COLOR/PATTERN:
      Length (long): Long all over the body. Full of life. Dense undercoat  giving the coat full volume. Ruffs should be immense. Seasonal variations  in coats shall be recognized.

      Length (short): Short, but slightly longer than most shorthairs. Soft, dense, plush; standing away from the body. Seasonal variation in coat and  density should be recognized.
      Color (long/short): As described in TICA Color Descriptions.
     
      CONDITION AND BALANCE: Should reflect excellent health and robust power  with good muscle tone. Other than the short legs, all parts of the body  should be in proportion to each other.
     
      GENERAL DESCRIPTION: The Napoleon's distinctive short legs developed from  a spontaneous autosomal dominant mutation. The short legs do not hamper
      mobility or survival ability. The ideal Napoleon is a strong cat with  excellent boning and musculature, giving the impression of robust power.  The face should be round with a sweet, pleasant expression and large,  round expressive eyes. The Napoleon should be balanced physically and     temperamentally, gentle and amenable to handling.
     
      ALLOWANCES: Consideration should be given to the fact that females will  generally be smaller than the males, but both sexes should be in proportion and balance for their size.
     
      PENALIZE: Wedge-shaped head; thin muzzle; bite deformity; obvious break between the eyes or above the nose. Ears that are large, pointed or set too close together. Toeing out of the front feet. Excessive bowing to the
      front or rear legs, excessively protruding sternum, flanged or extremely short rib cage. Poor muscle tone. Small close-set eyes. Pale, weak eye  color. Excessive tearing of the eyes. Protruding eyes.
     
      WITHHOLD ALL AWARDS: Overall lack of merit. Poor overall condition.
     
      DISQUALIFY: Kinked tail. Severe malocclusion or asymmetry to the face  structure. Crossed, slanted or improperly focusing eyes. Any evidence of  lameness.

NAPOLEON INFORMATION

Icebreaker, above, is a perfect example of a typey show quality Napoleon. He was bred by Joe Smith - now residing at Minipurrl Cattery.

Icebreaker, above,  has the perfect face - very wide open, short nose without it being snubbed. He is  Joe Smith creation - owned now by Minipurrl Cattery.