The following list of cat breeds includes only
domestic cat breed
A breed is a specific group of domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist several slig ...
s and
domestic and wild hybrids. The list includes established breeds recognized by various
cat registries, new and experimental breeds,
landrace
A landrace is a domesticated, locally adapted, often traditional variety of a species of animal or plant that has developed over time, through adaptation to its natural and cultural environment of agriculture and pastoralism, and due to isol ...
s being established as standardized breeds, distinct domestic populations not being actively developed and lapsed (extinct) breeds.
As of 2019,
The International Cat Association
The International Cat Association (TICA) is considered the world's largest genetic cat registry. Originally a North American organization, it now has a worldwide presence. The organization has a genetic registry for pedigreed and household pet c ...
(TICA) recognizes 73 standardized breeds, the
Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) recognizes 45, and the
Fédération Internationale Féline
The Fédération Internationale Féline (FIFé) (in English "International Feline Federation") is a federation of cat registries. There are currently forty-two member organizations in forty countries. Membership spans Europe, South America, an ...
(FIFe) recognizes 48.
Inconsistency in a breed classification and naming among registries means that an individual animal may be considered different breeds by different registries (though not necessarily eligible for registry in them all, depending on its exact ancestry). For example, TICA's Himalayan is considered a
colorpoint variety of the Persian by the CFA, while the Javanese (or Colorpoint Longhair) is a color variation of the Balinese in both the TICA and the CFA; both breeds are merged (along with the Colorpoint Shorthair) into a single "mega-breed", the Colourpoint, by the
World Cat Federation (WCF), who have repurposed the name "Javanese" for the
Oriental Longhair. Also, "Colo
point Longhair" refers to different breeds in other registries. There are many examples of nomenclatural overlap and differences of this sort. Furthermore, many geographical and cultural names for cat breeds are fanciful selections made by Western breeders to be exotic sounding and bear no relationship to the actual origin of the breeds;
the Balinese, Javanese, and Himalayan are all examples of this trend.
The
domestic short-haired and
domestic long-haired cat types are not breeds, but terms used (with various spellings) in the
cat fancy
The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of ...
to describe "
mongrel
A mongrel, mutt or mixed-breed dog is a dog that does not belong to one officially recognized breed and including those that are the result of intentional breeding. Although the term ''mixed-breed dog'' is sometimes preferred, many mongre ...
" cats by coat length, ones that do not belong to a particular breed. Some registries permit them to be
pedigree
Pedigree may refer to:
Breeding
* Pedigree chart, a document to record ancestry, used by genealogists in study of human family lines, and in selective breeding of other animals
** Pedigree, a human genealogy (ancestry chart)
** Pedigree (anim ...
d and they have been used as
foundation stock in the establishment of some breeds. They should not be confused with standardized breeds with similar names, such as the
British Shorthair
The British Shorthair is the pedigreed version of the traditional British domestic cat, with a distinctively stocky body, dense coat, and broad face. The most familiar colour variant is the "British Blue", with a solid grey-blue coat, orange eyes, ...
and
Oriental Longhair.
Breeds
See also
*
Animal show
*
Animals in sport
Animals in sport are a specific form of working animals. Many animals, at least in more commercial sports, are highly trained. Two of the most common animals in sport are horses and dogs.
Types of animal sporting events
There are many types o ...
*
Felidae
Felidae () is the family of mammals in the order Carnivora colloquially referred to as cats, and constitutes a clade. A member of this family is also called a felid (). The term "cat" refers both to felids in general and specifically to the ...
– the entire cat family
*
Felinae – the subfamily of all smaller cat species
*
Lists of domestic animal breeds
*
list of experimental cat breeds
The following is a list of experimental cat breeds and crossbreeds that do not have the recognition of any major national or international cat registries, such as The International Cat Association (TICA) in the US, Europe, and Australasia; the Go ...
*
List of cat registries
*
List of individual cats
This is a list of famous cats which achieved some degree of popularity either in their own right or by association with someone famous.
Before the modern era
* Nedjem or Nojem ( Egyptian: ''nḏm'' "Sweet One" or "Sweetie"), 15th century BC. The ...
*
Selective breeding
*
Wildcat
The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while ...
– the ancestor of the domestic cat
Notes
References
General references
Canadian Cat Association / Association Féline Canadienne - CCA/AFC Breed Standards
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Cat
Breeds