The or is a Spanish breed of dog of ratter or warren hound type, found on the island of Mallorca in the Balearic Islands. It is recognised by the Govern Illes Balears and by the Spanish national government, but not by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale.
History
The origins of the Ca Rater Mallorquí are unclear, with no documentary evidence before the second half of the nineteenth century. The dogs show considerable similarity to those of the Gos Rater Valencià breed of the autonomous community of Valencia, in mainland Spain. Valencian rice-farmers arrived in Mallorca in 1901 to work in the wetlands of the Albufera de Muro, and some sources cite this as a possible explanation for the similarity. It has also been suggested that there may have been some infusion of English terrier blood in the history of the breed.
A breed society – the – was established in 1990, and registrations were begun. The Ca Rater was officially recognised by the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in 2002, with the establishment of a stud-book and the publication of the breed standard in the Butlletí Oficial de les Illes Balears, the government gazette of the islands. In 2004 it received full national recognition when the breed standard was published in the Boletín Oficial del Estado – the official journal of the government of Spain – and the breed society was authorised to maintain the stud-book.
Characteristics
The Ca Rater is small: height at the withers does not reach , and is usually in the range for bitches and for dogs; body weights vary from and from respectively. In dogs, the length of the body is roughly the same as the height at the withers, such that the outline of the body is square; bitches are somewhat longer in the body, but still close to square in outline.
The coat may be either black-and-tan or brown-and-tan, either with or without white markings; these may be so extensive that the coat is tri-coloured or is white with patches of colour.
Use
The Ca Rater Mallorquí was formerly used to hunt and catch rats in the wetlands and lagoons of the island of Mallorca – the use for which it is named; this was a commercial activity, as rats were sold as food. In the twenty-first century it is commonly used to hunt rabbit, particularly in areas covered by thick scrub or vegetation; it may also be used to retrieve small feathered game such as thrushes or doves.
It is a good watchdog and a good companion animal.
References
Miguel Arias Cañete (24 March 2004). 5652: Orden APA/807/2004, de 24 de marzo, por la que se actualiza el anexo del Real Decreto 558/2001, de 25 de mayo, por el que se regula el reconocimiento oficial de las organizaciones o asociaciones de criadores de perros de raza pura. (in Spanish). Boletín Oficial del Estado. 77 (30 March 2004): 13430–13435. Reference: BOE-A-2004-5652. European Legislation Identifier: permalink.
Mateu Morro i Marcé (18 December 2002). Núm. 26150: Ordre del Conseller d'Agricultura i Pesca, de 18 de desembre de 2002, per la qual es crea el Llibre genealògic del Ca rater mallorquí i se'n regula el funcionament (in Catalan). Butlletí Oficial de les Illes Balears. 156 (28 December 2002): 23306–23308.
Races autòctones de les Illes Balears: Ca rater mallorquí: Orígens (in Catalan). Govern Illes Balears. Archived 23 January 2025.
Races autòctones de les Illes Balears: Ca rater mallorquí: Dades generals (in Catalan). Govern Illes Balears. Archived 31 March 2024.
Races autòctones de les Illes Balears: Ca rater mallorquí: Caràcters generals (in Catalan). Govern Illes Balears. Archived 31 March 2024.
Races autòctones de les Illes Balears: Ca rater mallorquí: Característiques més destacades (in Catalan). Govern Illes Balears. Archived 31 March 2024.
FCI breeds nomenclature: C. Thuin, Belgium: Fédération Cynologique Internationale. Accessed August 2025.
Miguel Fernández Rodríguez, Mariano Gómez Fernández, Juan Vicente Delgado Bermejo, Silvia Adán Belmonte, Miguel Jiménez Cabras (editors) (2009). Guía de campo de las razas autóctonas españolas (in Spanish). Madrid: Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Medio Rural y Marino. .