Page 1 of 13
Cat Breeds & Types Kolts & Kitties Combined Cat Info
I. Cat Categories
• In 4H, cats are divided into two categories: Household Pets Purebreds
A. Household Pets
• Most cats in America are housecats of unknown ancestry. • These cats are referred to as Household Pets (HHP). • HP cats are not judged according to a breed standard. Instead they are judged on:
Physical condition Cleanliness Temperament
Attractive or unusual appearance Presentation
B. Purebreds
• A purebred cat is a cat whose ancestors are all from the same recognized breed.
II. Breed Registries
• Cat registries are the organizations in charge of keeping records of the genealogies of purebred cats. • They also issue formal certificates attesting to a cat’s breed & documenting its lineage. These are known as
pedigrees. • Cat registries hold cat shows, where registered cats are judged according to detailed breed standards. • Titles earned during these shows are recorded in the cat’s papers. • The beginning of modern cat breeding is attributed to a cat show held at the Crystal Palace in London in 1871. • An organization called The National Cat Club was formed for the purpose of this show. Essentially, it became the
world’s first ever cat registry. • It wasn’t long before cat breeders branched out & set up new cat registries. These reflected different views of breed
standards or other aspects of breeding & showing cats. • Today there are numerous cat registries in the US & around the world, but 4 large international registries dominate
the arena. Most pedigreed cats will have their papers issued by one of these associations.
A. Cat Fancier’s Association (CFA)
• Founded in 1906, the CFA is considered to be the largest cat registry in the world. • Its headquarters are in the US & it is predominantly an American association. • The CFA is considered to be more conservative than other registries & currently recognizes 44 cat breeds. • http://www.cfa.org/
B. The International Cat Association (TICA)
• Established in the USA in 1979, TICA’s founder wanted it to be a more progressive and flexible registry. • It seems to hold true to its mission statement, with recognizing over 55 cat breeds & introducing a formal genetic
registry. • www.tica.org/
C. Fédération Internationale Féline (FIFe)
• FIFeis a governing body that brings together 42 cat registries in 40 different countries. • The organization offers a unified registry with established breed standards. • Founded in France in 1949, its current board members reside in various countries in Europe. • http://fifeweb.org/
Page 2 of 13
D. American Cat Fanciers Association (ACFA)
• Not to be confused with the CFA, the ACFA was established in 1955 & currently recognizes 53 cat breeds. • It emphasizes the friendly & welcoming nature of its organization & the social aspects of cat breeding. • http://www.acfacat.com/
III. Cat Breed Types
• Purebred cat breeds are divided into 3 types: Natural, Manmade (Hybrid), Spontaneous Mutation
A. Natural Cat Breeds
• Created by nature then refined & stabilized by selective breeding. • Examples of natural breeds:
Abyssinian British Shorthair Maine Coon Russian Blue Turkish Angora
American Bobtail Egyptian Mau Manx Siamese Turkish Van
American Shorthair Japanese Bobtail Norwegian Forest Cat Siberian Cymric
Birman Korat Persian Singapura
B. Man-Made (Hybrid) Cat Breeds
• Created by crossing 2 or more breeds to create a third breed. • Some are created by crossing a domestic cat with a wild cat. These are called “Exotics”. • Examples of Man-Made breeds:
Bombay = Burmese + American Shorthair Havana Brown = Black shorthair + Seal point Siamese Tonkinese = Siamese + Burmese California Spangled = Many breeds. Trying for spots Foldex = Scottish Fold + Exotic Shorthair Longhair Exotic = American Shorthair + Persian Savannah Cat = Serval cat + Domestic cat Toyger = Bengal + Domestic Shorthair
Exotic = Persian + American Shorthair +Burmese Javanese = Balinese + Colorpoint Shorthair Bengal = Asian Leopard Cat + Domestic Cat Chausie = Jungle cat + Domestic cat Himalayan = Persian + Siamese Pixiebob = Bobcat + Domestic cat Snowshoe = Siamese + America Shorthair Ragdoll = Bred from one friendly cat
C. Mutation Cat Breeds
• Created by a spontaneous change in a gene resulting in an unusual feature. • Breeders then work to develop the feature & create a new breed. • Some mutations happened so long ago that they are now considered Natural Breeds. • Examples of mutation breeds:
American Curl Devon Rex LaPerm
American Wirehair Donskoy Munchkin
Balinese Scottish Fold (Shorthair) Selkirk Rex (Shorthair)
Cornish Rex Don Sphynx Sphynx
IV. Body Types
• All cats are divided into 3 basic body types: Cobby, Moderate, Foreign • There is some overlap between types.
A. Cobby Body Type
• Bodies are: heavy, shortlegged, compact, broadchested
• Examples: Persian, Manx
D. Semi-Foreign Body Type
• Bodies are beginning to stretch out, but not too extreme.
• Examples: Abyssinian, Japanese Bobtail, Russian Blue
Page 3 of 13
B. Semi-Cobby Body Type
• A little longer & not quite as broadchested as cobby bodies.
• Examples: Chartreux& British Shorthair
C. Moderate Body Type
• Body is: Well balanced, Medium length, Well muscled, Not extreme
• Most breeds are of this type
E. Foreign Body Type
• Sometimes called Oriental or Exotic. • Bodies are extremely long & tubular. • Examples: Siamese & Cornish Rex
V. Cat Colors
• Coat, color & pattern are not breeds, they are decorations. • The original coat was a shorthaired, brown classic tabby. • All other coats, colors & patterns were mutations.
A. Basic Cat Colors
• Basic colors are: Red, Black, Chocolate, Cinnamon* • Cat Color: Red
Other names: orange, marmalade or tangerine. Light reds are called yellow. The dominant color gene
• Cat Color: Black
Other names: Ebony
• Cat Color: Chocolate
A lighter version of black. Other names: brown, sable, seal, mahogany or chestnut
• Cat Colors: Cinnamon
An even lighter version of black. Other names: terracotta, burnt sienna, tawny
B. Dilute Cat Colors
• Each basic cat color has a diluted version: • Dilute Colors: Cream • Dilute of red.
Other names: beige, tan
• Dilute Colors: Blue
Dilute of black.
Other names: grey, ash, slate
• Dilute Colors: Lilac
Dilute of chocolate. Other names: lavender, platinum, frost
• Dilute Colors: Fawn
Dilute of Cinnamon. Other names: coffee & cream, caramel
Page 4 of 13
C. White & White Markings
• A solid white coat may be any of three types: Albino white, Complete white spotting, Dominant white. • Some white cats are deaf. • Albino White
Albino whites can have pink or pale blue eyes Albino white does not cause deafness.
• White Spotting
Can cause just a few spots or an entire white coat.
• Dominant White
Caused by gene which hides all color & pattern. Eyes are a darker blue than in albino whites.
Basic Colors
Red Black Chocolate Cinnamon
Dilute Colors
Cream Blue Lilac Fawn
White & White Markings
Albino White (pink eyes) Albino White (blue eyes) Complete White Spotting Dominant White
Page 5 of 13
VI. Coat Patterns
• Patterns are:
Tabby Solid (self) Tipped Parti-color Bicolor Pointed
A. Solid (Self)
• Cat is entirely one color. • Red & it’s variants will show faint tabby markings.
B. Tabby
• The original coat pattern. • Each hair is banded with light & dark stripes called agouti bands. • Have an “M” on the forehead & stripes on the cheeks. • Patterns: Classic Tabby
Markings are swirled creating a bullseye or marble cake appearance on the sides. Have solid lines on the spine. Have a butterfly mark on the shoulders.
• Patterns: Mackerel Tabby
Have stripes like a tiger (or a mackerel)
• Patterns: Spotted Tabby
Stripes are broken & appear as spots. Often looks like a mackerel tabby with dotted lines.
• Patterns: Ticked Tabby
Has no noticeable spots or stripes, just the agouti hairs.
C. Tipped
• Each guard hair is white with color only on the tip. • Variations include:
Cameo: Red tipping Chinchilla (Shell): Color only on the very tips of the hairs. Shaded: Color on the last ¼ of the hairs. Smoke: Color on the last ½ of the hairs.
D. Parti-Color Patterns
• Cats with both red and black. • Usually female. • Variants are:
Tortoise shell: Patches of solid red & solid black. Patched tabby: Patches of 2 or more
colors with tabby markings. Calico: A tortoise shell where the color patches are on a white background.
Page 6 of 13
Torbie: A patched tabby where the color patches are on a white background.
E. Patterns: BiColor
• Any cat that has white markings. • Some common variants are:
Harlequin: A cat that is white with a large spots of color. Tuxedo Cat: A black cat with white paws & chest. Van: A white cat with patches of color on the head & tail (may have a few body spots)
F. Pointed
• Body is a dilute color. • Points are a darker color. • The “points” are:
Facial mask Ears Legs Feet Tail
VII. Coat Texture
• A cat’s coat has 3 types of hairs:
Long guard hairs. Bristly awn hairs. Soft down hairs (undercoat)
• Different breeds may have more or less (or none) of each of these hairs.
VIII. Coat Length
• Short is the natural coat length. • Breeds have many terms for coat length. • 4-H only divides as short or long hair.
Cat Breeds
Unit2 – Chapter 2 continued
Body: Semi-Foreign
Coat: Short
C/P: Ticked Tabby in ruddy, red, blue or fawn
Type: Natural
Body: Moderately Long
Coat: Short or Long
C/p: Any
Tail: Long enough to show above back, not long enough to touch hock
Type: Natural
Page 7 of 13
Body: Semi-Foreign
Coat: Short or long
C/p: All
Ears: Minimum 90º arc or curl
Origin: Mutation
Body: Solidly built
C/p: Any except pointed
Origin: Natural
Body: Moderate
Coat: Short hair that is crimped, hooked or bent
C/p: Any except pointed
Origin: Mutation
Body: Moderate
Coat: Short
C/p: Spotted or marble tabby in brown, blue, peach, lilac, caramel, gold, or chocolate
Origin: Hybrid (Abyssinian x Burmese)
Also called “Spotted Mist”
Body: Foreign
Coat: Medium
C/p: Seal, chocolate, blue or lilac point
Origin: Mutation (of Siamese)
Body: Semi-Cobby
Coat: Hairless
C/p: All colors
Type: Hybrid (Munchkin x Sphynx)
Body: Moderate
Coat: Short
C/p: Spotted or marble Tabby in brown or seal
Hybrid: (Asian Leopard x Domestic Cat)
Body: Long & Stocky
Coat: Long
C/p: Pointed with white markings
Eyes: Blue
Origin: Natural
Body: Medium
Coat: Short
C/p: Black
Eyes: Gold to copper
Origin: Hybrid (Burmese x American Shorthair)
Body: Cobby
Coat: Short
C/p: Any except pointed
Origin: Natural
Body: Cobby
Coat: Short
C/p: Sable, champagne, blue or platinum
Eyes: Yellow to gold
Origin:
Body: Cobby
Coat: Short or long
C/p: black, blue champagne, chocolate, cream, lilac, platinum, red, tortoise shell
Type: Hybrid (Burmese x Persian
Page 8 of 13
Body: Foreign
Coat: Short
Coat/pattern: Spotted Tabby
Type: Hybrid (many breeds)
Body: Moderate, compact
Coat: Short
C/p: Ticked tabby in sable to golden
Type: Natural
Body: Cobby
Coat: Long
C/p: Solid or tabby in Blue, chocolate, cinnamon, lilac, fawn
Type: Hybrid (Burmese x Birman)
Called Chantilly in Canada and Tiffany in Australia
Body: Medium Long
Coat: Medium short
C/p: Any shade of blue
Eyes: Copper to gold
Origin:
Body: Medium
C/p: Solid black, black or brown ticked tabby
Eyes: Gold or yellow
Tail: ¾ to full length
Type: Hybrid (Jungle cat x domestic cat)
Body: Foreign
Coat: short
C/p: Pointed
Eyes: Blue
Origin:
Body: Semi-Foreign
Coat: Short & Wavy
Colors/Patterns: All
Origin: Mutation
Body: Cobby
Coat: Long
C/p: All except pointes, ticked tabby, chocolate, lavender
Tail: should appear tailless
Origin: Natural
Body: Semi-foreign
Coat: Short & wavy
C/p: Any
Type: Mutation
Body: Moderate
Coat: Short or long
C/p: ticked tabby in black, blue, chocolate, cinnamon, fawn, or lilac
Type: Hybrid (Canadian Lynx x Domestic Cat)
Body: Medium
Coat: Lots of skin wrinkles, comes in Bald, Flocked, Velour, Brush
Type: Mutation
Body: Foreign
Coat: Hairless, wrinkled skin
Type: Mutation
Page 9 of 13
Body: Semi-foreign
Coat: Short
C/p: Spotted tabby in silver, bronze or smoke
Eyes: Green
Type: Natural
Body: Medium
Coat: Short
C/p: Solid colors & tortoise shell
Eyes: Yellow to amber
Type: Hybrid (Burmese/Siamese)
Body: Moderate
Coat: short
C/P: all except pointed, chocolate, & lilac
Type: Natural
Body: Cobby
Coat: Short
C/P: Any
Type: Hybrid (Persian x American Shorthair x Burmese)
Body: Cobby
Coat: Long
C/P: All
Type: Hybrid (American Shorthair x Persian)
Body: Cobby
Coat: Short
C/P: Any
Ears: Folded
Type: Hybrid (Scottish Fold x Exotic Shorthair)
Body: Medium
Coat: Short
C/P: Brown, blue, chocolate, lilac, red, cream, tortoise shell
Eyes: Yellow
Type: ?
Body: Moderate
Coat: Curly
C/P: any except chocolate, lavender or pointed
Type: Mutation
Body: Medium
Coat: Short
C/P: Brown
Eyes: Green
Type: Hybrid (Black Shorthair x Seal Point Siamese)
Body: Medium
Coat: Long, single coat
C/P: Any except chocolate, lavender or pointed
Ears: fold forward & down
Type: Hybrid (Scottish Fold x ?)
Body: Cobby
Coat: Long & thick
C/P: pointed
Eyes: Blue
Type: Hybrid (Persian x Siamese)
Body: Cobby
Coat: Long
C/P: not pointed
Type: Hybrid (Persian x Siamese)
Page 10 of 13
Basically a Persian that carries the colorpoint gene
Body: Semi-Foreign
Coat: Long or short
C/P: Any except chocolate, lavender, pointed or ticked tabby
Tail: must have 1 or more kinks, total tail can’t extend more than 3” from body, must have a pom-pom of fur
Type: Natural mutation
Body: Foreign
Coat: Medium
C/P: Pointed
Type: Hybrid (Balinese x Colorpoint Shorthair)
Body: Medium
Coat: short
C/P: all
Ears: Folded back
Legs: Short
Type: Hybrid (Munchkin x American Curl)
Body: Semi-cobby
Coat: short
C/P: Silver tipped blue
Eyes: Green
Type: Natural
Body: Cobby
Coat: short or long
C/P: any except chocolate, lilac, & pointed
Tail: short
Type: Natural Mutation
Body: Moderate
Coat: long or short; curly
C/P: any
Type: Mutation
Body: Large, Moderate
Coat: long
C/P: Any except chocolate, lavender, pointed, ticked tabby
Type: Natural
Body: Cobby
Coat: Short or long
C/P: any except chocolate, lavender, pointed & ticked tabby
Tail: should appear tailless
Type: Natural
Body: Moderate
Coat: Thin & sparse, fur on extremities
C/P: Any
Legs: Short
Type: Hybrid (Munchkin x Sphynx)
Body: Semi-Foreign
Coat: Short, long
C/P: Any
Legs: Very short
Type: Mutation
Page 11 of 13
Body: Semi-foreign
Coat: medium long
C/P: Blue
Eyes: Green
Type: Hybrid (Russian blue x ?)
Body: Moderate
Coat: Long, double coat
C/P: any except chocolate, sable, lavender, lilac, cinnamon, fawn or pointed
Type: Natural
Body: Moderately long
Coat: Short
C/P: Spotted Tabby
Type: Hybrid (Abyssinian x Siamese x American Shorthair)
Body: Moderate
Coat: Short
C/P: Any
Eyes: Blue
Type: Mutation
Body: Foreign
Coat: Short or long
C/P: any
Eyes: Green or blue, not crossed
Type: Hybrid (Siamese x ?)
Body: Cobby
Coat: Long & thick
C/P: Any, pointed Persians are called Himalayan
Type: Natural
Body: Foreign
Coat: Hairless or brush
C/P: Any
Type: Hybrid (Oriental Shorthair x Donskoy)
Body: Medium
Coat: Short or long
C/P: Spotted or ticked tabby
Tail: 2” to hock length
Type: Hybrid (bobcat x domestic cat)
Body: Cobby
Coat: Medium to long
C/P: any
Type: Bred from one very friendly cat
Body: Moderately long
Coat: Long
C/P: Bi-color, van, colorpoint, mitted patterns; seal, blue, chocolate, lilac, red, cream; must have points
Eyes: Blue
Type: Bred from one very friendly cat
Body: Medium
Coat: long or short, curly
C/P: Any
Ears: curled back
Type: Mutation
Body: Medium, fine-boned
Coat: Short, double coat
C/P: Blue
Type: Natural
Page 12 of 13
Body: Moderate
Coat: Short
C/P: Brown spotted tabby
Type: Hybrid (Geoffrey’s Cat x Domestic Cat)
Developed by WSU for Leukemia research
B ody: Semi-foreign
Coat: short to medium
C/P: black, brown spotted tabby, silver spotted tabby, black smoke
Type: Hybrid (African Serval Cat x Domestic Cat)
Body: Medium
Coat: short or long
C/P: Any except chocolate, lavender, pointed
Ears: Small & folded
Type: Mutation
Body: Semi-foreign
Coat: Short
C/P: Spotted tabby, solid black, Silver/Smoke
Type: Hybrid (Bengal x Oriental)
Body: Foreign
Coat: Short or long
C/P: Van, white with any solid color, tail must be a solid color
Type: Hybrid (Siamese x Oriental)
Body: Medium
Coat: short or long; curly
C/P: Any
Type: Mutation
Body: Foreign
Coat: Short
C/P: Seal, chocolate, blue or lilac; pointed
Type: Natural
Body: Cobby
Coat: long, triple coat
C/P: Any
Type: Natural
Body: Semi-Cobby, small
Coat: Short
C/P: Sepia agouti, no white
Type: Natural
Body: Semi-foreign
Coat: Short
C/P: Pointed mitted, pointed bicolor
Eyes: Blue
Type: Hybrid (Siamese x American Shorthair)
Body: Semi-foreign
Coat: Very short, no undercoat
C/P: Brown ticked or classic tabby
Type: Natural
Body: Semi-foreign
Coat: Medium-long, double coated
C/P: Ruddy, red, blue or fawn ticked tabby
Type: Natural or mutation
Page 13 of 13
Body: Medium
Coat: appears hairless
C/P: any
Type: Mutation
Body: Foreign
Coat: very short
C/P: Pointed
Eyes: Blue
Type: Natural
Sometimes called the “traditional Siamese”
Body: Medium
Coat: Medium short
C/P: Mink, solid or pointed
Type: Hybrid (Siamese x Burmese)
Body: Medium
Coat: Short
C/P: Tabby with “glitter”
Type: Hybrid (Bengal x Domestic Shorthair)
Body: Semi-Foreign
Coat: Long; single coat
C/P: Any except chocolate, lavender; pointed
Type: Natural
Body: Moderately long
Coat: Semi-long with no undercoat
C/P: red, cream, black or blue in solid, tabby or tortoise shell; must have van pattern
Type: Natural
Body: Medium
Coat: Semi-long
C/P: chocolate or lavender in any pattern; may have white
Type: Selective natural