The Cat FamilyBy: Aeron Paul A. Suarez

& Jan Paulo A. Casiño

Abyssinian

Abyssinian cats are very affectionate. They are one of the oldest domestic cat breeds. It originated in Egypt.

Manx

With its excellent character, this cat adapts easily to changes in lifestyle. They are sociable, friendly, and bond well with their owners. Hardy, lively, and active. They are said to be very skilled hunters.

Turkish Van

Most unusual trait of the Turkish Van is its love of water and swimming. This intelligent cats are energetic, playful, and sociable. Its fur is very thick in Winter and thinner in Summer.

American Bobtail

According to legend, bobtails are the result of a crossbreeding between a domestic tabby cat and a bobcat. Yodie, a short-tailed brown tabby male, mated with a seal point Siamese colored (cat) female to create the Bobtail's original bloodline. 

American CurlIs characterized by his unusual ears, well-balanced personality and an even disposition. It’s very attached to its owner. It requires exercise and therefore will enjoy the outdoors.

American Polydactyl

A polydactyl cat is a cat with a congenital physical anomaly called polydactyl (or polydactylism, also known as hyperdactyly), a type of cat body-type genetic mutation that causes the cat to be born with more than the usual number of toes on one or more of its paws.

American Shorthair

They are playful, athletic, and very social. This breed is made for great outdoors, particularly since the American Tabby is an excellent hunter.

American Wirehair

The first wirehair cat appeared as a random cat mutation among a litter of six born to two barn cats. This single red and white male had odd wiry fur.

Arabian Mau

The breed originated in Lakewood, California as the result of a spontaneous mutation. In June, 1981, two stray kittens were found and taken in by the Ruga family.

Russian Black

The Russian black is descended from the Russian Blue so has a double coat with very soft fur. A cat with a very soft meow that requires a calm, quiet environment.

Asian Semi-longhair

Like the Asian Shorthair, the breed was developed in Britain, and is not currently recognized by any U.S. Registries. It has full recognition in the GCCF and although it is a relatively rare breed some fine examples have become champions.

Australian Mist

The earliest records of the type now known as Burmese come from Thailand, then known as Siam.

Tonkinese

Always on the alert, the Tonkinese is active and playful, very sociable and affectionate toward its owner. They are less exclusive than the Siamese.

Bengal

This breed emerged form the crossing of domestic cat with an Asian Leopard Cat. Nevertheless, the Bengal's hunter instinct and energy are beyond that of most cats.

Bombay

This is a well-assured cat. Bombay's are athletic, playful, curious and remarkably agile. They are also excellent hunters.

Brazilian Shorthair

The Brazilian Shorthair is a medium-sized cat of great agility. The breed can be distinguished from the American Shorthair by its sleek and elegant appearance.

British Longhair

The friendly, affectionate British Longhair is a very undemanding cat. Intelligent, quiet, and unobtrusive. They are tolerant, social, active, and independent.

Ashera Cat

The Ashera cat was a type of hybrid cat marketed by the controversial company Lifestyle Pets. The hybrid cat breed was allegedly a cross between the African serval, the Asian leopard cat, and a domestic housecat.

Bicolor Cat

A bicolor cat has white fur combined with fur of some other colour, for example black or tabby.

Caracal

also known as the desert lynx, is a wild cat that is widely distributed across Africa, central Asia and southwest Asia into India.

Cornish Rex CatThe Cornish Rex is a genetic mutation that originated from a litter of kittens born in the 1950s on a farm in Cornwall, UK; hence the first part of the breed's name.

Devon Rex Cat

The Devon Rex is a relatively new breed of cat with a sparse, curly, very soft coat similar to that of the Cornish Rex.

Domestic Meduimhair

are of mixed ancestry, their temperaments can be hard to predict. Some cats are quiet and docile while others are more active and vocal.

Domestic Longhaired

Domestic longhairs come in all the standard cat colors including tabby, tortie, bi-colored etc. If their fur combines several shades of the same color they may be referred to as a smoke.

Farm Cat

also known as barn cats, are cats kept primarily for the purpose of catching the smaller vermin found on farms and ranches.

Havana Brown

The Havana Brown, also known as the Swiss Mountain cat, is a breed of cat well known and shown in England in the 1890s. 

Cymric

The name comes from Cymru (pronounced KUM-ree), the indigenous Welsh name of Wales, though the breed is not associated with Wales in any fashion.

Maine CoonIn the 17th and 18th centuries, domestic cats brought over from Europe faced very severe winters in New England, where only the strongest and most adaptable cats survived.Machbagrals an experimental breed of wildcat/domestic cat hybrid.

Norwegian Forest Cat

The breed is very old, and occurred as a natural adaptation to the cold climate of the region, but it was not regarded as anything other than a standard house-cat until the late 1930s 

Ocicat

is a new and still-rare breed of cat which has spots resembling a 'wild' cat and the temperament of a domestic animal, named for its resemblance to the ocelot.

Chartreux

This well-balanced, easygoing, independent cat has a strong personality, though it is not very vocal. Affectionate and devoted to its owner. The reserved Chartreux enjoy solitude and tranquility.

Burmese

This particularly extroverted, energetic, exuberant cat has a strong personality and fears nothing. This little “talker” has a loud voice, though it is less husky than that of the Siamese.

SomaliThis very lively cat is active but exuberant. Hardy, well-balanced and even-tempered, it is calmer than Abyssinian. Somalis have a gentle and very affectionate.

Sphynx

The Sphynx is lively, mischievous, playful, and independent. They are very affectionate. They adore being doted on. Apartment life is perfect for them since they are sensitive to cold, heat, and humidity.

Singapura

It is one of the smaller breeds of cat. Into everything, sociable and loving. These cats are sensitive and enjoy affection. They have very soft voice.

York Chocolate Cat

The York Chocolate Cat is a new American breed of show cat, with a long, fluffy coat and a plumed tail. 

Turkish Angora

Like all domestic cats, Turkish Angoras descended from the African wildcat (Felis silvestris lybica). The mountainous regions of Eastern Anatolia isolated cats brought by traders from Egypt

Toyger

The Toyger is a breed of cat, the result of breeding domestic shorthaired tabbies (beginning in the 1980s) to make them resemble the 'toy tiger' as its striped coat is reminiscent of the tiger's.

Birman

The Birman is said to have originated in western Burma, and cats with similar markings are recorded in documents from ancient Thailand.

Oriental Shorthair

The Siamese cat was imported to Britain from Siam (Thailand) in the later half of the 1800s. According to reports, both pointed and solid colors were imported.

Persian Cat

The Persian cat originates from the Iranian plateau, a large area between the Hindukush mountains and Mesopotamia.

Pixie Bob

is a breed of domestic cat claimed by breed founder Carol Ann Brewer of Washington state to be the progeny of naturally occurring bobcat hybrids.

Peter Bald

Peterbalds have an elegantly slim graceful and muscular build. They have a narrow and long head with a straight profile, almond-shaped eyes, wedge-shaped muzzle, and big set-apart ears. 

Pantherette

is a hybrid breed of cat that is still under development. It is intended to look similar to a Black panther. 

Ragdoll

Ragdolls were first bred in the 1960’s by Ann Baker, a Persian breeder in California. Some of the original stock consisted of sturdy, free-roaming cats. 

Siamese

The exact origins of the breed are unknown, but it is believed to be from Southeast Asia, and is said to be descended from the sacred temple cats of Siam (now Thailand). 

Snowshoe

is a rare breed of cat originating in the United States of America in the 1960s. Snowshoes were first produced in Philadelphia when a Siamese breeder's cat gave birth to three kittens with white feet.

Stone Cougar

The Stone Cougar is a jungle cat hybrid developed by Mandan Exotic Cats to resemble the American cougar. In addition to the cougar-like color, the body is thick and low to the ground, the tail is thick and the ears are small.

Tourtoiseshelldescribes a coat coloring found almost exclusively in female cats. Also called Tortoise for short, they combine two colors other than white, either closely mixed or in large patches.

American Keuda

The American Keuda has some pronounced similarities with the Egyptian Mau breed, including body type, habits, and a belly flap, not seen in other breeds. Since the belly flap allows extra extension when running, and thus more speed, this would be a successful adaptation for any cat that needed speed.

Ashera Cat

The Ashera cat was a type of hybrid cat marketed by the controversial company Lifestyle Pets. The hybrid cat breed was allegedly a cross between the African serval, the Asian leopard cat, and a domestic housecat. 

Calico

Calico cats are domestic cats with a spotted or parti-colored coat that is predominantly white, with patches of two other colors (often the two other colors are orange tabby and black).

Cymric

The name comes from Cymru (pronounced KUM-ree), the indigenous Welsh name of Wales, though the breed is not associated with Wales in any fashion,

Javanese

The Javanese is a recognized breed of cat. Javanese have a long, silky coat, that comes in a variety of colors. These cats are ranked among the most intelligent breeds of cat, and resemble the Balinese.