Domestic Cat Breeds
Blue Lacy
The Blue Lacy originated in Texas in the mid 1800s and is now recognized as the official state dog breed of Texas. The breed is named after the Lacy brothers of Burnet County, Texas. It is a mixture of a scent hound, Greyhound and coyote, or so the Lac...
Toyger
The Toyger is a cross between a striped domestic shorthaired cat and a standard Bengal tabby. Breeding began in the 1980s but only in 2007 was the Toyger allowed into full championship status. The breed was created by Judy Sudgen to inspire people to c...
Serengeti
The Serengeti is a breed that is still in development, but bred to produce a cat that looks like a Serval without having any wild cat blood. It is a cross between a Bengal cat and an Oriental cat. The Serengeti is a spotted cat with very large ears...
Savannah
The Savannah is a cross between the Serval, an African wild cat and a domestic cat, typically the Egyptian Mau or another spotted breed. The Savannah, being one of the largest domestic breeds of cat, may weigh 10 to 40 pounds but are typically not much...
Chausie
A Chausie is a hybrid between the Jungle Cat and a Domestic cat, typically the Abyssinian. A Chausie can weigh 15 to 30 pounds with the males being larger than the females. Their breeding began in the 1960s or 1970s to provide a safer alternative to ha...
Bengal
The Bengal is a hybrid breed of cat bred to have the markings of a wildcat but the temperament of a housecat. The Bengal is reminiscent of and named after the Asian Leopard Cat (Prionailurus bengalensis); the Bengal Tiger species is completely unrelate...
Sphynx
The Sphynx is a hairless-looking rare breed of cat, which is, despite popular belief, not hairless. The skin of the Sphynx feels quite silky; it is covered with a very fine, soft down which is hard to perceive by seeing or feeling. The Sphynx may have ...
Scottish Fold
The Scottish Fold is a breed of cat most easily recognized by its ears. The ear cartilage contains a fold so that the ears bend down towards the front of the head. Some cats today have multiple folds that cause their ears to lie completely flat against...
Selkirk Rex
The Selkirk Rex has very curly hair and whiskers, but unlike other rex cats the hair is of normal length and not partly missing. Also unlike other rex cats the Selkirk's gene for curls is dominant. The breed originated in Montana in the late 1980s ...
Pixie-Bob
The Pixie-Bob is a domestic breed of cat. According to folklore, it is the offspring of a domestic cat and a bobcat, but DNA testing has failed to prove this. The Pixie-Bob has a large body (about 50% larger than most domestic cats), large feet, and a ...
Peterbald
The Peterbald is a breed of cat which originated in Russia, with elegant and slim builds. Peterbalds have a distinctive head, almond-shaped eyes, a straight profile and large set-apart ears. They slightly resemble Oriental Shorthair cats. They were...
Munchkin
The Munchkin is a fairly new breed of cat with a lot of controversy surrounding it. The breed is created by a mutation that causes achondroplasia, or hypochondroplasia, which results in the cats having abnormally short legs. The breed originated when a...
Manx
The Manx is a breed of cat distinguished by little to no tail. The short-to-nonexistent tail comes from a naturally occurring mutation of the spine. The cat originated on the Isle of Man (thus the name), and is called "stubbin" in the Manx language. T...
LaPerm
The LaPerm is a rex breed of cat from the US with curly fur "“ the tightest curls on the throat, base of the ears, and the belly of each cat. It comes in many colors and patterns and is not related to any other rex breeds, because a dominant gene cau...
Japanese Bobtail
The signature trait of the Japanese Bobtail is its short stubby tail that resembles the tail of a rabbit more so than that of a feline. The tail is a genetic mutation caused by a recessive gene. These cats are the cats of legends in Japan. The Japa...
German Rex
The German Rex is a medium sized breed of domestic cat with slender legs. The breed has large ears, a round head, curly whiskers and a curly, short coat of any color. The German Rex has a fairly heavy body. As a breed it is a friendly and lively cat an...
Devon Rex
The Devon Rex was discovered in Devon, UK in 1960 near a disused tin mine. They were initially thought to be related to the Cornish rex, however testing proved otherwise. The Devon Rex has only awn hair and down with no guard hair, giving them a sparse...
Cornish Rex
The Cornish Rex is a breed of cat that is very distinguishable from other cats, because it has no hair except for down. Most breeds of domestic cat have three different types of hair in their coat, yet the Cornish Rex only has an undercoat, thus not sh...
American Wirehair
The American Wirehair originated in upstate New York, and although well known, they are ranked as the rarest of the 41 breeds in the Cat Fancier's Association. The first Wirehair was a random mutation in a littler of six produced by two barn cats. Mrs....
American Curl
The American Curl gets its name from its unusual ears, which curl back from its face toward the center of the back of the skull. The breed originally was the result of a spontaneous mutation which occurred when two longhaired kittens, one white and one...
Tonkinese
Tonkinese (or "Tonks" are a medium-sized short-haired cat breed that is a cross between Siamese and Burmese. These cats are distinguished by points like the Siamese and Himalayans. Some claim that this breed's appearance is similar to the original appe...
Somali
The Somali is a long-haired version of the Abyssinian cat. In the 1950s the breed spontaneously appeared when a number of Abyssinians were born with bushy tails and long coats. The Somali and the Abyssinian share many of the same traits; they are curio...
Sokoke
The Sokoke is a breed of cat originally called the Khadzonzos. These cats were discovered on the Kenyan coast and taken to Denmark to breed in the late 1970s. The name of the breed changed to reflect the name of the forest in which the breed was discov...
Snowshoe
The Snowshoe is a cross between a Siamese and a bi-colored American Shorthair. The first Snowshoes appeared in the 1960s. The breed is sturdy and pointed with white markings on the face, chest and feet. The ears and head of a snowshoe are triangula...
Singapura
The Singapura is a small, foreign-type cat which originated in Singapore. The breed combines genes indigenous to Southeast Asia, the browns of Siamese and Burmese cats and the ticked or agouti pattern. The body of the Singapura is moderately stocky...
Siamese
One of the first distinctly recognized breeds of Oriental cat is the Siamese. It is believed to be from Siam (present day Thailand), where it is referred to as the "Moon Diamond". It is one of the most popular breeds of cat in North America and Europe....
The Russian Blue
The Russian Blue is a medium sized cat with a short, plush, bluish-grey coat. The color is a dilute expression of the black gene. The coat is a double coat unique to the breed with tipped guard hairs that give the coat a shimmering appearance. The Russ...
Oriental Shorthair
The Oriental Shorthair is a self-colored (solid, non-pointed) cat that combines the Siamese body with a varied range of colors and patterns. The Oriental Shorthair can be found in solid colors (white, red, cream, ebony, blue, chestnut, lavender, cinnam...
Ocicat
The Ocicat is a fairly new and rare breed of cat which resembles an ocelot while having the temperament of a domestic animal. Despite the appearance of the cat there is no wildcat DNA in the breed's gene pool. The breed is a mix of Siamese, Abyssin...
Korat
The Korat, known as the "Good Luck Cat" is one of the oldest stable breeds. The Korat has a heart shaped face, green eyes and a silvery blue coat and is one of only a few breeds that have only one color. The first mention of the Korat was in a boo...
Havana Brown
The Havana Brown, also called the Swiss Mountain Cat is a cross between a black shorthair and a chocolate point Siamese. The breed was supposedly named such because of its similar color to Havana cigars. It is a muscular short haired cat of moderate...
Exotic Shorthair
The Exotic Shorthair, a cross between the American Shorthair and the Persian is a breed of cat first created in the 1960s. The breed is often referred to as the "Lazy man's Persian" because it has the same body type and personality as a Persian but lac...
European Shorthair
The European Shorthair originated in Sweden, and is one of the oldest and most common breeds of cat. However, surprisingly, the breed was not standardized until recently and is not often recognized. European Shorthairs are often referred to as a Bo...
Egyptian Mau
The Egyptian Mau is the only naturally spotted breed of domesticated cat; its spots are not only on the coat, but on the skin of the cat as well. The Mau is similar to the Ocicat and the Bengal, but the Ocicat's spots were bred-in, and the Bengal is mu...
Chartreux
The Chartreux is a domestic breed of cat from France. Stories say that the breed's ancestors were mountain cats from what we now call Syria, brought to France by Crusaders in the 13th century who entered the Carthusian monastic order. European breeders...
California Spangled Cat
The California Spangled Cat was a rare and expensive cat bred to resemble a spotted wildcat. The breed only lasted for about a decade becoming extinct in the 1990s. The popularity of two similar breeds, the Ocicat and the Bengal caused the demand for t...
Australian Mist
The Australian Mist is a breed of cat developed by crossing the Burmese, Abyssinian and domestic shorthair cats to create a shorthair with a spotted coat. Prior to 1998 the cat was called the Spotted Mist, but the name was changed to include cats with ...
Burmese
The Burmese is a breed of domestic cat split into two subgroups: the British Burmese (traditional) and the American Burmese (contemporary). The ancestry of all Burmese cats can be traced back to Thailand. The breed was recognized in America in 1936 and...
British Shorthair
The British Shorthair is known as the "teddy bear" of domestic cats because of its features. Having a round head with full, chubby cheeks and a round sturdy body contributes to its resemblance to the stuffed toy. It is a large, muscular breed with a br...
Bombay
The Bombay is a Burmese type cat with a black coat, paw pads and nose, and green or copper eyes. The American Bombay was created by crossing an American Shorthair with a Burmese, while in the UK it was created by crossing Burmese with domestic black c...
American Shorthair
The American Shorthair is a descendant of English cats which were brought on ships to North America by settlers to protect their cargo from rodents. Today the American Shorthair is the most popular breed of cat in the United States. American Shortha...
Abyssinian
The Abyssinian is said to have originated from the breeding of an Egyptian kitten and an English tabby. The Egyptian kitten, Zula is believed to be the ancestor of all Abyssinians in Europe, the Americas and Australia; however it is likely that as many...
Turkish Angora
The Turkish Angora is an ancient, naturally occurring breed of cat which originated in the Ankara region of central Turkey. It was one of the cats inter-bred to improve the coat on the Persian. Its coat is silky and mostly white; it is a medium-long c...
Turkish Van
The Turkish Van is a rare breed of cat from Turkey's Lake Van region. The coat on a Turkish Van is semi-longhaired, with only one hair type instead of the usual three. This makes their coat feel soft like cashmere or rabbit fur. The cats have a coat th...
Siberian
The Siberian cat is very strong and powerful. Siberians have strong hindquarters which enable them to jump quite high. They weigh between 10 and 20 pounds, and even though they attain the same weight as breeds such as the Maine Coon and the Norwegian F...
Ragamuffin
The Ragamuffin is a medium-longhaired cat which is very similar to a Ragdoll. They are heavy, muscular cats that do not reach maturity until they are around 4 years old. When fully grown, the females of this breed weigh 10 to 15 pounds and the males 15...
Ragdoll
The Ragdoll is a breed of semi-longhaired cat. They have short legs, a sturdy body weighing 10 to 20 pounds and a thick coat with Siamese style points. They were bred in the 1960s in California mainly for their looks and temperament. Ann Baker bred her...
Persian
The Persian cat is one of the oldest breeds of cat, and it is also one of the most common. Documentation of the breed dates back to the 1500s. Although many people can name very few if any cat breeds, most can name the Persian. Oftentimes in a show hal...
Oriental Longhair
The Oriental Longhair is a cat of many names. It was originally the product of the mating of a Sorrel Abyssinian and a Siamese Seal Point. This mating was done in attempts to introduce a gene believed to produce white cats. The British Angora, as it on...
Norwegian Forest Cat
The Norwegian Forest Cat is a breed of domestic cat native to Norway. The breed is very old, and occurred as a natural adaptation to the cold climate of the region. It is a sturdy cat with a heavy coat, equipped to survive harsh winters. The Norweg...
Nebelung
The Nebelung cat is a medium-haired cat breed, and resembles the Russian Blue but has a medium-long coat, and was produced for the first time in 1986. It is a separate breed from the Russian Blue although it is occasionally called the long-haired Russi...
Maine Coon
The Maine Coon, known for its intelligence and playful nature is one of the oldest natural breeds of cat in North America. As one of the largest breeds of domestic cat, it is often called the "gentle giant". The North American Maine Coon originated...
Javanese
The Javanese is a highly intelligent breed of cat which strongly resembles the Balinese with its long silky coat. The points of the Javanese differ from the Balinese "“ they often have Lynx, Flame or Tortie points. It is a highly intelligent, soc...
Himalayan
The Himalayan is a breed of cat with blue eyes and extremely long, fluffy fur. They are also called Colorpoint Longhair or Colorpoint Persians, as they were bread from Siamese (for their markings or points) and Persians (for their coat length, stocky b...
Chantilly/Tiffany
The Chantilly/Tiffany is a feline with a semi-foreign body style and a full semi-long coat. The coat is silky, soft and smooth, and because there is no undercoat, grooming is made simpler. Somewhat a late bloomer, the Chantilly/Tiffany is slow to matur...
British Longhair
The British Longhair cat is a semi-longhair version of British Shorthair. In the U.S. it is also referred to as the Lowlander. Apart from its fur, the British Longhair is identical to the British Shorthair. This breed came about because the origina...
Birman
Birmans have been bred as companions for many generations, and, as such, are very loving. They frequently take a genuine, affectionate interest in what their owners do. Legend Many years ago, before the birth of Buddha, the Khmer people of Burma...
Balinese
The Balinese breed is known for its long hair and Siamese style markings. Their medium-length silky coat and plumed tail do not require significant amounts of grooming. They are not nearly as "talkative" as Siamese cats, but are still extremely intelli...