Cat Breeds & Types. I. Cat Categories. II. Breed Registries. Kolts & Kitties Combined Cat Info

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1 I. Cat Categories In 4 H, cats are divided into two categories: Household Pets A. Household Pets Cat Breeds & Types Kolts & Kitties Combined Cat Info Page 1 of 13 Purebreds 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 B. Purebreds Attractive or unusual appearance Presentation 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 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. 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. 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.

2 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. III. Cat Breed Types Purebred cat breeds are divided into 3 types: Natural, Man made (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 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 IV. Body Types American Wirehair Donskoy Munchkin 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, short legged, compact, broad chested Examples: Persian, Manx 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 Balinese Scottish Fold (Shorthair) Selkirk Rex (Shorthair) D. Semi -Foreign Body Type Cornish Rex Don Sphynx Sphynx Bodies are beginning to stretch out, but not too extreme. Examples: Abyssinian, Japanese Bobtail, Russian Blue Page 2 of 13

3 B. Semi- Cobby Body Type A little longer & not quite as broad chested as cobby bodies. Examples: Chartreux& British Shorthair C. Moderate Body Type Body is: Well balanced, Medium length, Wellmuscled, 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 3 of 13

4 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 4 of 13

5 VI. Coat Patterns Patterns are: Tabby Solid (self) Tipped Parti -color Bi color 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 bulls eye 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 5 of 13

6 Torbie: A patched tabby where the color patches are on a white background. E. Patterns: Bi Color 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. Unit2 Chapter 2 continued Body: Semi-Foreign C/P: Ticked Tabby in ruddy, red, blue or fawn Cat Breeds ly Long or Long C/p: Any Tail: Long enough to show above back, not long enough to touch hock Page 6 of 13

7 Body: Semi-Foreign or long C/p: All Ears: Minimum 90º arc or curl Origin: Mutation hair that is crimped, hooked or bent C/p: Any except pointed Origin: Mutation Coat: Medium C/p: Seal, chocolate, blue or lilac point Origin: Mutation (of Siamese) C/p: Spotted or marble Tabby in brown or seal Hybrid: (Asian Leopard x Domestic Cat) C/p: Black Eyes: Gold to copper Origin: Hybrid (Burmese x American Shorthair) C/p: Sable, champagne, blue or platinum Eyes: Yellow to gold Origin: Body: Solidly built C/p: Any except pointed Origin: Natural 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: Semi-Cobby Coat: Hairless C/p: All colors Type: Hybrid (Munchkin x Sphynx) Body: Long & Stocky Coat: Long C/p: Pointed with white markings Origin: Natural C/p: Any except pointed Origin: Natural or long C/p: black, blue champagne, chocolate, cream, lilac, platinum, red, tortoise shell Type: Hybrid (Burmese x Persian Page 7 of 13

8 Coat/pattern: Spotted Tabby Type: Hybrid (many breeds) 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 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: Semi-Foreign & Wavy Colors/Patterns: All Origin: Mutation Body: Semi-foreign & wavy C/p: Any Coat: Lots of skin wrinkles, comes in Bald, Flocked, Velour, Brush, compact C/p: Ticked tabby in sable to golden Long Coat: Medium short C/p: Any shade of blue Eyes: Copper to gold Origin: Coat: short C/p: Pointed Origin: Coat: Long C/p: All except pointes, ticked tabby, chocolate, lavender Tail: should appear tailless Origin: Natural or long C/p: ticked tabby in black, blue, chocolate, cinnamon, fawn, or lilac Type: Hybrid (Canadian Lynx x Domestic Cat) Coat: Hairless, wrinkled skin Page 8 of 13

9 Body: Semi-foreign C/p: Spotted tabby in silver, bronze or smoke Eyes: Green Coat: short C/P: all except pointed, chocolate, & lilac Coat: Long C/P: All Type: Hybrid (American Shorthair x Persian) C/P: Brown, blue, chocolate, lilac, red, cream, tortoise shell Eyes: Yellow Type:? C/P: Brown Eyes: Green Type: Hybrid (Black Shorthair x Seal Point Siamese) Coat: Long & thick C/P: pointed Type: Hybrid (Persian x Siamese) C/p: Solid colors & tortoise shell Eyes: Yellow to amber Type: Hybrid (Burmese/Siamese) Type: Hybrid (Persian x American Shorthair x Burmese) Ears: Folded Type: Hybrid (Scottish Fold x Exotic Shorthair) Coat: Curly C/P: any except chocolate, lavender or pointed Coat: Long, single coat except chocolate, lavender or pointed Ears: fold forward & down Type: Hybrid (Scottish Fold x?) Coat: Long C/P: not pointed Type: Hybrid (Persian x Siamese) Page 9 of 13

10 Body: Semi-Foreign Coat: Long or short 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 mutation Coat: short C/P: all Ears: Folded back Legs: Short Type: Hybrid (Munchkin x American Curl) Coat: short or long C/P: any except chocolate, lilac, & pointed Tail: short Mutation Body: Large, Moderate Coat: long except chocolate, lavender, pointed, ticked tabby Coat: Thin & sparse, fur on extremities Legs: Short Type: Hybrid (Munchkin x Sphynx) Basically a Persian that carries the colorpoint gene Coat: Medium C/P: Pointed Type: Hybrid (Balinese x Colorpoint Shorthair) Body: Semi-cobby Coat: short C/P: Silver tipped blue Eyes: Green Coat: long or short; curly C/P: any or long C/P: any except chocolate, lavender, pointed & ticked tabby Tail: should appear tailless Body: Semi-Foreign, long Legs: Very short Page 10 of 13

11 Body: Semi-foreign Coat: medium long C/P: Blue Eyes: Green Type: Hybrid (Russian blue x?) ly long C/P: Spotted Tabby Type: Hybrid (Abyssinian x Siamese x American Shorthair) or long C/P: any Eyes: Green or blue, not crossed Type: Hybrid (Siamese x?) Coat: Hairless or brush Type: Hybrid (Oriental Shorthair x Donskoy) Coat: Medium to long C/P: any Type: Bred from one very friendly cat Coat: long or short, curly Ears: curled back Coat: Long, double coat C/P: any except chocolate, sable, lavender, lilac, cinnamon, fawn or pointed Coat: Long & thick, pointed Persians are called Himalayan or long C/P: Spotted or ticked tabby Tail: 2 to hock length Type: Hybrid (bobcat x domestic cat) ly long Coat: Long C/P: Bi-color, van, colorpoint, mitted patterns; seal, blue, chocolate, lilac, red, cream; must have points Type: Bred from one very friendly cat, fine-boned, double coat C/P: Blue Page 11 of 13

12 C/P: Brown spotted tabby Type: Hybrid (Geoffrey s Cat x Domestic Cat) Developed by WSU for Leukemia research Coat: short or long except chocolate, lavender, pointed Ears: Small & folded or long C/P: Van, white with any solid color, tail must be a solid color Type: Hybrid (Siamese x Oriental) C/P: Seal, chocolate, blue or lilac; pointed Body: Semi-Cobby, small C/P: Sepia agouti, no white Body: Semi-foreign Coat: Very short, no undercoat C/P: Brown ticked or classic tabby 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: Semi-foreign C/P: Spotted tabby, solid black, Silver/Smoke Type: Hybrid (Bengal x Oriental) Coat: short or long; curly Coat: long, triple coat Body: Semi-foreign C/P: Pointed mitted, pointed bicolor Type: Hybrid (Siamese x American Shorthair) Body: Semi-foreign Coat: Medium-long, double coated C/P: Ruddy, red, blue or fawn ticked tabby or mutation Page 12 of 13

13 Coat: appears hairless C/P: any Coat: Medium short C/P: Mink, solid or pointed Type: Hybrid (Siamese x Burmese) Body: Semi-Foreign Coat: Long; single coat except chocolate, lavender; pointed Coat: Semi-long C/P: chocolate or lavender in any pattern; may have white Type: Selective natural Coat: very short C/P: Pointed Sometimes called the traditional Siamese C/P: Tabby with glitter Type: Hybrid (Bengal x Domestic Shorthair) ly long Coat: Semi-long with no undercoat C/P: red, cream, black or blue in solid, tabby or tortoise shell; must have van pattern Page 13 of 13