CatBreed.

Calhoun Abbott, Flickr Name: Devon Rex Appearance: The Devon rex is a strange looking cat that, like all rexes, has a genetic mutation affecting its hair. The result is a cat with short, soft, curly hair that rests in waves across its body. According to the Rex Cat Club, the breed's whiskers are curled as well, and can often be so short and curled that they seem to not be there at all. In fact, because of the diversity among Devons in terms of coat length, some Devons actually don't have whiskers, and others are almost completely bald. The Devon has large ears, large eyes, a tiny, wedge-shaped skull, and an upturned nose. They have long, slender legs that stand high at the hip, and in ...

Cat Fanciers' Association Name: Japanese Bobtail Appearance: A Japanese bobtail is a very hard cat to miss. Your first reaction might be concern, wondering if the cat's tail was lost in some sort of accident. But, no, that's the way it should be, as Japanese bobtails have one of the strangest mutations: They have little stubby tails. According to the Cat Fanciers' Association, the mutation is a recessive trait, so the only way to breed bobtails is by breeding two of them together. Aside from their tails, Japanese bobtails have triangular heads, large, alert ears, a medium sized body, and can come in all colors and patterns. Also, bobtails are prone to have mismatched eyes. History: ...

Siddhis Havana Browns The Havana brown is a cat that, like its name says, is a deep, chocolate brown, similar in appearance to a sable Burmese, but with a deeper, more mahogany coat. Like many breeds, Havana browns are of average size, height, and musculature. They should have green eyes, apple shaped heads, and large ears. Of course, their coat is their biggest distinguishing characteristic, and although there are other brown cats, none have the rich, homogenous luster of the Havana brown. According to Wikipedia, the origins of the Havana brown are hard to pin down, but it seems to have first shown up as a man-made breed in late nineteenth century England. Most likely, it was born from a ...

Flickr/Stevevoght The snowshoe cat is known for its strange pattern of coloring. In general, its body and musculature are average, its skull is a simple, equilateral triangle, and its limbs are all proportionate to its body. Its coat, however, is something unique, with white paws that travel up their wrists and shins, almost like long, elegant gloves. They have white faces except for dark, colored areas around their eyes, giving them a slightly raccoon-ish look. They have fluffy, white underbellies, while the rest of them is much darker, especially at the points. According to the American Cat Fanciers' Association, snowshoes are a relatively new breed of cat, first discovered in 1960 when ...

Sarahna Cats of Pennsylvania To put it simply, a Balinese cat is similar to a Siamese cat, but the Balinese are less talkative and have long, silky coats. Balinese are traditionally round and full, with long hair all over. Since the breed's origination, some Balinese have bred strains that are more Siamese looking, with triangular skulls, lanky limbs, and blue eyes. What makes these cats strictly Balinese and not Javanese is that they come in seal point, blue point, chocolate point and lilac point. Any other color is a Javanese cat. The Balinese breed first originated, like most other cats, as a spontaneous mutation in a Siamese litter, creating a cat that was generally Siamese in ...

catfacts.org The American wirehair is one of the rarest breeds, with only 22 registered worldwide as of 2003. The origin of the American wirehair can be traced to a single genetic mutation from a single litter of two barn cats in upstate New York, 1966. They've been bred since then and in 1978, they were finally recognized by the Cat Fanciers' Association. Physically, they are very similar to American shorthairs, with strong, large bodies, wide heads, and a variety of coat colors. But what separates the American wirehair from other breeds is, of course, their wiry hair. Perhaps a better way to describe wiry hair would be to call it curly, although it is hard and springy as well. Even ...