Domestic cat
The cat (''Felis catus''), also referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small Domestication, domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have sh ...
s have been diversified by humans into
breed
A breed is a specific group of breedable 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 seve ...
s and
domestic and wild hybrids. Many such breeds recognized by various
cat registries. Additionally, there are new and experimental breeds,
landrace
A landrace is a Domestication, 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 (biophysical), environment of agric ...
s being established as standardized breeds, distinct domestic populations not being actively developed and lapsed (extinct) breeds.
As of 2023,
The International Cat Association (TICA) recognizes 75 standardized breeds, the
Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) recognizes 45, the
Fédération Internationale Féline
The (FIFé) (International Feline Federation) is a federation of Cat registry, cat registries. There are currently forty-two member organizations in forty countries. Membership spans Europe, South America, and Asia. FIFé is one of the nine me ...
(FIFe) recognizes 50,
the
Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF) recognizes 45,
and the
World Cat Federation (WCF) recognizes 69.
Inconsistency in a breed's 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, "Colourpoint 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 sound exotic 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
Cat fancy describes the subculture that surrounds cat lovers and their Hobby, hobbies involving the appreciation, promotion, Cat show, showing, or List of cat breeds, breeding of cats. Animal fancy, Animal fanciers of cats may refer to themselve ...
to describe random-bred, non-
pedigree "
moggy" or "household" cats by coat length, ones that do not belong to a particular breed. Some registries such as the
Cat Fanciers' Association allow for domestic short hairs and domestic long hairs to be registered for the purpose of outcrossing.
They should not be confused with standardized breeds with similar names, such as the
British Shorthair and
Oriental Longhair.
Breeds
See also
*
Animal show
*
Animals in sport
*
Felidae
Felidae ( ) is the Family (biology), family of mammals in the Order (biology), order Carnivora colloquially referred to as cats. A member of this family is also called a felid ( ).
The 41 extant taxon, extant Felidae species exhibit the gre ...
– the entire cat family
*
Felinae
The small cats or Felinae are a subfamily of Felidae distinguished by their bony hyoids, which let them purr but not roar. Other authors have proposed an alternative definition for this subfamily, as comprising only the living conical-toothed cat ...
– the subfamily of all smaller cat species
*
Lists of breeds
These lists of breeds refer to listed breeds of List of domesticated animals, domesticated animals.
Lists of breeds
See also
*
* List of animal names
* Biodiversity
* Rare breed
* Entente Européenne d'Aviculture et de Cuniculture
* R ...
*
List of experimental cat breeds
*
List of cat registries
This is a complete list of cat registries worldwide. A cat registry's purpose is to register List of cat breeds, purebred cats which are recognized by the organization. The first cat registry was the National Cat Club, set up in 1887 in England. T ...
*
List of individual cats
This is a list of individual cats who have achieved some degree of popularity or notability.
Before the modern era
* Nedjem or Nojem (Egyptian language, Egyptian: ''nḏm'' "Sweet One" or "Sweetie"), 15th century BC. The cat of Puimre, second p ...
*
Selective breeding
Selective breeding (also called artificial selection) is the process by which humans use animal breeding and plant breeding to selectively develop particular phenotypic traits (characteristics) by choosing which typically animal or plant m ...
*
Wildcat – the ancestor of the domestic cat
Explanatory notes
References
{{Authority control
Cat
Breeds
A breed is a specific group of breedable 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 seve ...