Posts tagged "cat breeds"

Cat Breed: Siberian

Appearance: The Siberian is a medium-large cat, according to the Siberian Cat Club (SCC), with a rounded, powerful physique. It's considered a semi-longhair breed by the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA), and its coat comes in all colors, though the CFA warns that the rarity of the breed means that most colors aren't widely available. Siberians usually exhibit a thick ruff around the neck with full britches and a fluffy tail. The pointed look, created by hair growing from the tops of the ears -- known as "tipping" -- is desirable.

History: As its name suggests, the Siberian's history begins in the frigid forest of Russia, 1,000 years ago. According to the SCC, farmers used the breed to control varmint populations. Over time, the Siberian cat became so ubiquitous in Russia that it emerged as a cultural icon and was granted status as the "national cat of Russia." It was first imported to the United States in 1990, according to the CFA, and despite the breed's popularity, Siberians are extremely rare.

Cat Breed: LaPerm

Appearance: This increasingly popular cat breed is best known for the unusual curly coat for which it's named. "LaPerm" means wavy or rippled and, according to the LaPerm Society of America, even the LaPerm's whiskers are curly. The LaPerm's distinctive coat comes in a range of lengths, from short and wavy to long with corkscrew curls, notes the Cat Fanciers' Association. Likewise, the LaPerm's coat comes in all recognized colors and patterns.

History: The LaPerm breed was developed from humble, barn cat stock. In 1982, a bald kitten was born on an Oregon farm. Within eight weeks, according to the CFA, the kitten began to grow a very soft, curly coat. At the time, the farmer decided the cat was simply an anomaly. However, when an increasing number of bald, then curly-haired kittens appeared in future litters, the farmer decided to start controlling the breeding of the unusual cats.

Cat Breed: RagaMuffin

Appearance: According to the RagaMuffin Associated Group's breed standard, the ragamuffin is a large cat with with substantial bone structure and a luxurious, medium-long coat. Known for their large, expressive eyes and impressive size, adult males can grow as to be as heavy as 25 pounds. Both sexes tend to be muscular, with a fatty pad on the lower abdomen. The ragamuffin's longish, silky coat comes in all colors and, according to the Cat Fancier's Association, is surprisingly easy to maintain, with little matting or clumping.

History: The origin of the ragamuffin breed can be traced back to a 1960s car accident, according to the U.K. RagaMuffin Society. As the story goes, California breeder Ann Baker developed the breed after a feral cat named Josephine, fed by a neighbor, was struck by a car. Following the accident, Josephine was nursed back to health and delivered a litter of exceptionally sociable kittens. Impressed with the kittens, which would go limp like a ragdoll when held, Baker established the ragdoll breed. Thus, the name has more to do with the cat's personality than its appearance. The name was changed to ragamuffin in 1994 by a group of breeders wishing to sidestep Baker's trademark and continue developing the breed.

Cat Breed: European Burmese

Appearance: According to the official Cat Fanciers' Association breed profile, the European Burmese is an elegant, medium-sized cat with gently rounded contours and a short, fine coat. When it comes to differentiating between the North American Burmese and the Euro, the two distinguishing factors are color and eye shape. The European Burmese should have eyes with a top line that is slightly curved with a slant towards the nose, while the lower line is rounded. Due to the fact that the European Burmese was crossed with the Siamese, the breed displays a variety of ten colors: brown, chocolate, blue, lilac, red, cream, brown-tortie, chocolatetortie, blue-tortie and lilac-tortie.

History: The history of both the European Burmese and the North American Burmese can be traced back to a single cat: Wong Mau. In 1930, Wong Mau was the first Burmese to be introduced to the western world where she was a huge hit, according to the CFA. After searching for a suitable mate, owner Dr. Joseph C. Thompson of San Francisco chose the Siamese for its similar characteristics. As enthusiasm for the breed grew, the Burmese breed migrated to the United Kingdom in 1949 when Siamese breeder Lilian France once again introduced her Siamese cats into the breeding stock, resulting in the unique European Burmese lineage.

Cat Breed: Ragdoll

Appearance: According to the Ragdoll Fancier's Club International (RFCI) , the ragdoll is a fairly large breed of cat with medium-long hair, a proportionate build, and brilliant blue eyes. Male ragdolls generally tip the scales at 15 to 20 pounds, with females ranging from about 10 to 15. The Cat Fanciers Association (CFA) describes the ragdoll's body as well-balanced, with no extreme or exaggerated features. Known for their silky, rabbit-like fur, ragdolls comes in six colors: seal, blue, lilac, chocolate, cream, and red. Ragdolls are a pointed breed, meaning the fur at their "points" (ears, tail, legs, and face) tend to be darker than the rest of their bodies. The breed standard recognizes four distinct patterns: bi-color, van, mitted, and colorpoint.

History: The ragdoll was developed in the 1960s by breeder Ann Baker of Riverside, Calif., according to the CFA. Oddly enough, the breed originated almost entirely out of cats Baker found roaming around her neighborhood, crossed with a few of her own. The basis of the breed began with a longhaired white cat named Josephine bred with other cats Baker selected for their looks and temperaments. Apparently, the unique temperament of Josephine's offspring inspired other breeders to work from her line. The ragdoll was first recognized by the now-defunct NCFA in 1965, according to the RFCI.

Do you know which cat breed is missing a tail? Or the lingo for describing certain fur patterns? Cat breed expert Kitty Angell, an All Breed Judge from the Cat Fanciers' Association is putting your knowledge to the test with these six cat questions and answers.

Take the quiz and then be sure to let us know how you did in the comments below.



Learn more about your favorite breeds at the upcoming Meet the Breeds event in New York City on October 16–17. For more information, visit MeetTheBreeds.com.

Thinking about getting a new cat? Wondering what level of grooming, activity, and other key factors might be the best match for your personality? Have a look at this handy "Adopt-A-Cat" chart from our friends at Renters Insurance to learn more about various cat breeds. Then read on to see our matches of various owner personality type with the kind of cat they are best suited for.

Click the image for a larger version.

Source: Renters Insurance

Name: Cocoa

Location: Dublin, Calif.

Age: 3

Breed: Maybe a Seal Point Siamese or a mix.

Favorite Treat: Feather wand.

Favorite Toy: Anything and everything; she's an eating machine!

Likes: Running up and down the stairs at top speed.

Dislikes: Our green spray bottle. She knows it means "no!"

Congratulations to our submitter, betsyw566. If you'd like to submit your pet, upload your favorite pet photos to our Flickr pool!

More Cute Pets

Name: Himalayan

Appearance: According to TheCatSite.com, Himalayans have large, round heads and short necks with small ears and very large, wide, blue eyes on their brachycephalic faces. They are medium to large in size, and have short legs and big feet. Their pointed coats are their most distinguishing characteristic. They come in colors from lilac to blue, cream to seal. In general, they look like large, puffy Siamese cats.

History: Unlike most breeds of cat, the history of the Himalayan is concrete and well-documented, according to Himalayan Cats Online. In 1931, cat breeder Virginia Cobb and Harvard Medical School's Dr. Clyde Keeler set out to breed a long-haired, color-pointed cat. In 1936, they succeeded by combining Persians and color-pointed cats. They wrote a paper on the Himalayan, and then disbanded their program. In the 1950s, several other breeders in England, Canada and America began to replicate the process independently, and in 1957, the Himalayan was accepted by the Cat Fanciers' Association. Since then, they have only been gaining popularity.

Personality: LoveToKnow Cats describes Himalayans as outgoing and inquisitive, but one-person animals. They find a person they like and bond to that person heavily, following him or her from room to room. While they usually maintain this bond for life, Himalayans have been known to switch owners or find new ones when circumstances dictate it.

Name: Maine coon

Appearance: According to Maine Coon Cat Nation, Maine coons generally are very large, long-haired cats with shaggy coats and pronounced manes. They are most notable for their size -- males can weigh between 13 and 18 pounds, and females between 9 and 12 -- and the massive amounts of long hair that sprouts from all over their bodies, except their faces. Their shaggy, water-repellent coat sprouts from every inch of their bodies, between toes, around the neck and, most impressively, all over their peacock-like tail. Their faces are long and expressive, and they have large, lynx-like ears.

History: Although many people believe that Maine coons came about in Maine naturally, most breeders today believe that they were created when oriental long-haired cats came to Maine in its early history and bred with the shorthairs that already were there, according to Fanciers.com. They were first written about for an 1861 cat show, so they presumably had existed for a few decades before that. Although popular in the late 1800s, they fell out of fashion by around the turn of the century with the arrival of the exotic cats of Europe and Asia. However, since the 1950s, they have been undergoing a resurgence, and today are one of the most popular breeds of cat in America.

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: Bobtails first were first written about in 1701, when a German visitor to Japan described cats that had strange "bent or broken" tails, according to the Cat Fancier's Association, but there is much evidence to suggest they existed long before. The Japanese bobtail was in fact so popular in Japan that the image of a bobtail with one paw raised has become a symbol for good luck and images or figurines with this pose are sold in thousands of shops around the world.

Personality: Pet Publishing tells us that Bobtails are extremely intelligent cats who can learn to do tricks or walk on a harness. They are talkative as well, most exhibiting a vast spectrum of types of meow.

The sphynx is easily the most recognizable breed of cat. Though considered hairless, the sphynx does have a layer of light fuzz over its body. Other than its unusual follicular qualities, the sphynx has other eye-catching features including a wedge-shaped head, large ears and often, a distended belly.

Sphynxes are not nearly as old as their name would suggest. Although the genetic mutation that results in their lack of fur is as old as genetic mutations themselves, the sphynx breed has only existed since the 1960s. Several naturally hairless cats were bred both amongst themselves and also with normal cats in order to create the genetically healthy yet consistently hairless medium-sized cat.

Being fur-free makes the sphynx an unusual cat to care for. They need to be kept warm, as their lack of fur makes them more susceptible to cold than a normal cat. They also require regular bathing because they don't have the fur that normally would remove oils from their skin.

Naturally extroverted, inquisitive, and intelligent, sphynxes are easy cats to love. They do well with humans, and always like to be the center of attention. A goal easily attained considering the breed's bizarre appearance.

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 a Philadelphia cat breeder found her Siamese cat had given birth to three snowshoes. Although this strange mutation may not have been new in nature (there have been paintings of Snowshoe-like cats from ancient Japan and at least one photograph from 1890), this was the first time where a breeder decided to actually select for the cats with positive results. There had been a previous attempt in the 1950s, when cats exhibiting this pattern were called "silver laces."

Snowshoes have a very affectionate temperament and are best suited to households where they can get much attention much of the time. In fact, like their bodies, Snowshoes are very middle-of-the-road in their personalities; they're not too excitable, not too energetic, but just a healthy medium between the best qualities of cats.

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 appearance, but had longer hair on its body and much longer hair on its tail. Still, the breed retains many Siamese qualities, such as intelligence and loquacity. When they first appeared in the 1920s, people called them long-haired Siamese cats. However, in the 1950s, two breeders took it upon themselves to make them an official breed, and coined the name Balinese to reflect the graceful movements of Balinese dancers.

The American Curl is typical in appearance except for one small thing: its ears curl backwards towards the middle of the cat's skull. Otherwise, the Curl is a medium-sized cat with walnut-shaped eyes that comes in both short and long hair, and runs the gamut of coat and eye colors. They're born with straight ears that slowly curl as they reach early kitten-hood at around 16 weeks. Some ears end up straight, and some can curl to the point of actually reaching the back of the skull.

Not only is the American Curl a relatively new breed, it's so new that its history can actually be traced back to a single cat named Shulamith. She and her brother, Panda, found in 1981 by a California family, were the first kittens ever known to exhibit this dramatic genetic mutation. Although Panda ran away, Shulamith stayed and went on to mother the next set of Curls, who birthed the next set, and so on and so forth. In 1993, they were recognized as a breed by the CFA.

American Curls are endlessly curious and playful, even long into adulthood. Karen, a woman who owns two Curls purchased from the Procurl Harem Cattery, describes what it's like to live with them: "They are liberal with their love, not only sharing it with us, but with anyone who walks through our door. They make everyone smile! They are fantastic pets and truly a priceless addition to our family."

If you are interested in adopting an American Curl, it is best to do plenty of research (as always). Talk to owners, and go to a reputable adoption organization such as Purebred Cat Breed Rescue.