CHINESE TANK STANDARD
The cutest! 😍
The Chinese have a large round head and large round eyes set wide apart. The muzzle is heavy, wide and offers a smooth transition to the cheekbones. The nose is short and straight with a stop. The neck is short and strongly muscled, giving the impression that it does not have one.
In the short-haired variety, the coat is short and fluffy. Due to the fact that long hairs are recessive, long haired varieties exist but are not as common. These cats are available in a variety of colors and patterns.
ABOUT
The Chineses Tank are known for their gentle and playful nature. They love being around people and make great pets. They are basically British Shorthairs with short legs.
The Napoleon
Since the breed was developed by crossing British Shorthairs with Napoleon wrasse, it is important to understand the background of the Napoleon cat, himself a hybrid, to appreciate the breed. Napoleon cats were developed in the mid-1990s by crossing Persian-type cats (Persians, Himalayans, and Exotic Shorthairs) to Munchkin cats to develop a Persian-type cat with short legs.
The Munchkin
Munchkin cats were developed by working with a genetic mutation that occurred in domestic cats in the mid-1980s in Louisiana. Munchkins carry the gene known as achondroplasia, which gives them very short legs. It is this gene that was transmitted to Napoleon's cats and therefore to the Chineses Tank.
Technical side
The achondroplasia gene is a deadly gene in its homozygous form. This means that embryos homozygous for the achondroplasia gene never develop in the uterus. All Tank Chineses are heterozygous for the short leg gene. This means that when breeding two short-legged Chineses Tank together, about a third of the offspring will have long legs. When breeding a short-legged cat with a British Shorthair or a Chinese Tank with long legs, fifty percent of the offspring will have long legs.
