Cat Breeds

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A cat breed is an infrasubspecific rank for the classification of domestic cats. Each breed has distinct features and heritage.  A cat is considered to be of a certain cat breed if it is true breeding for the traits that define that breed.  A breeding certificate proves that a cat belongs to a cat breed by showing the cat's pedigree back to at least four generations.

The whole concept of cat breeds is a relatively new one. Two hundred years ago there was no such thing.  Today there are almost a hundred cat breeds.  Only three percent of owned cats belong to a cat breed, and an even smaller percentage of those are suitable for showing.  Varieties of domestic cat can also be identified by characteristics other than breed.

List of cat breeds

Following is a list of all the currently recognised cat breeds.

Longhaired and semi-longhaired cats

• American bobtail cat
• Angora cat (or British Angora cat)
• Asian Semi-longhair cat (or Tiffanie)
• Balinese cat
• Birman cat
• Chantilly/Tiffany cat
• Cherubim cat (or Honeybear cat)
• Colourpoint Longhair cat
• Exotic cat
• Himalayan cat
• Javanese cat
• Maine Coon cat
• Nebelung cat
• Norwegian Forest cat
• Oriental Longhair cat
• Persian cat
• Ragdoll cat (and Ragamuffin cat)
• Siberian cat
• Somali cat
• Sterling cat
• Turkish Van cat
• Turkish Angora cat
• York Chocolate cat

Shorthaired cats

• Abyssinian cat
• American Keuda cat
• American Shorthair cat
• Asian Shorthair cat
• Australian Mist cat (or Spotted Mist cat)
• Bombay cat
• British Shorthair cat
• Brazilian Shorthair cat
• Burmese cat
• Burmilla cat
• Chartreux cat
• Colorpoint Shorthair cat
• Egyptian Mau cat
• European Burmese cat
• European Shorthair cat
• Exotic Shorthair cat
• Havana Brown cat
• Javanese cat
• Korat cat
• Malayan cat
• Oriental Shorthair cat
• Russian Blue cat
• Siamese cat (and Traditional or Applehead Siamese)
• Tonkinese cat

Breeds with unusual physical features

• American Bobtail cat
• American Curl cat
• American Wirehair cat
• Bengal cat
• California Spangled cat
• Chaucie cat
• Cornish Rex
• Cymric cat
• Devon Rex
• Havana Brown cat
• Japanese Bobtail cat
• LaPerm cat
• Manx cat
• Munchkin cat
• Ocicat
• Ojos Azules cat
• Pixie-bob cat
• Selkirk Rex cat
• Singapura cat
• Sphynx cat
• Scottish Fold cat
• Snowshoe cat
• Sokoke cat

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Cat" and from Cat-Purr.com

Also see: CONCERNING VARIETIES OF CATS.

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