Pet Articles
Your Guide to Cat Breeds
Your Guide to Cat Breeds
Author: NS Kennedy
For the first 8,000 years of their relationship with humans,
cats pretty much took care of their own breeding. People kept
them for one purpose - hunting rodent - and they are already
perfectly designed for that. More than 100 years ago, however,
we began systematically breeding cats to appeal to our aesthetic
tastes. Hair length, color, coat pattern, as well as head and
leg proportions contribute to the "look" of specific breeds.
Look at enough cat bodies and faces, and you'll see two
distinctly different types.
Faces are either triangular or rounded. Bodies that are lean and
slender belong to the lithe oriental, or foreign breeds. Short
legs supporting a broad, compact body are characteristic of a
"cobby." Mixed breeds usually have an "in between" body type.
There are more than 70 distinct breeds of cats that are
recognized by formal cat registries. Some registries recognize
only about 40 breeds, because they exclude those such as Bengals
which are hybrids of domestic and wild cats. Some "breeds" are
simply variations of primary types. For example, a Balinese cat
is a longer haired type of Siamese cat.
Some breeds have roots that go far back in history. The Japanese
Bobtail, distinguished by a short, rabbit-like tail, can be
traced more than 1,000 years. The Egyptian Mau cat retains the
physical characteristics of ancient Egyptian cats found in
ancient paintings.
With an elegant body that is randomly spotted, banded legs and
tail, communicative eyes and an ellegant cheetah-like stride, it
is no wonder that the Mau attracts such a tremendous amount of
attention at shows.
Other breeds reflect new aesthetics. Ocicats and Savannah cats
are wild-hybrids -- the result of breeding wild cats with
domestic cats - which fill a desire for some cat lovers to have
a "wild" pet. The Cornish Rex, with its soft, wavy coat and
curled whiskers, is a dramatic, visual contrast to the typical
smooth-coated cat. Likewise, the "hairless" Sphynx cat is a
breed for the esoteric cat fancier.
Because the Sphynx cat has little hair, the cat needs to be
bathed periodically. This is an easy task with a cat that has
been accustomed to a bath from kittenhood.
Sometimes, cats are just "ordinary felines." "Domestic" is the
veterinary term used to classify cats of unknown heritage. Cats
in these categories are broken into groups as domestic short
hair (DSH), domestic long hair (DLH) and domestic medium length
hair (DMH). Some people classify cats based on living
circumstances; house cat or alley cat, but these are not true
breeds.
Hair length and texture contribute to a breed's "look, " but
color is not a reliable identity factor. Black cats with white
paws, belly, and chests are referred to as "tuxedo cats," but
this is simply a description of coat pattern found in both
domestic and "exotic" breeds. Tortoiseshell and calico coated
cats are sometimes referred to as "ginger," "marmalade," or
"orange tabby" cats, making them sound like specific breeds. In
reality, they are just descriptors, much like "green-eyed Asian"
or "brown-eyed European." While it is true that some cat breeds
only come in one hue (Russian Blues and Korats only show gray)
most breeds display a range of coat color and pattern.
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