The modern version of the Munchkin breed was developed in Louisiana in the 1980s. The breed began when a short-legged tomcat named Talouse bred with feral Domestic Shorthairs around the town of Monroe, creating a population of short-legged cat.
By the early 1990s, a group of breeders that had become involved with these cats petitioned The International Cat Association (TICA) for recognition of the breed, which they were calling the Munchkin. Amid much controversy, the Munchkin was recognized by TICA in 1995. The Cat Fanciers Association (CFA) and the American Cat Fanciers Association (ACFA) do not accept the Munchkin breed because of the ongoing controversy centering around its abnormally short legs
