Cat Breeds

There is a tremendous number of different cat breeds and the majority of cat registries show that when it comes to cat breeds, and in particular domestic cat breeds, there are anywhere from 30 to 40 kinds and there are more breeds of cats still evolving in the registries. There are one or sometimes even more cat breeds emerging and being recognized on an annual basis and each breed of house cat has its own heritage and its own distinct features.

Often cat breeders and cat owners enjoy competing to find out which breeds of cats come closest to being what is considered to be the apex or ideal of the breed. This is often called selective breeding. A cat breed list is generally drawn up and the breeding of Devon Rex cats, black cat breeds and the calico cat breed are some of the ones that are listed.

Crossbreeding has become extremely common in many areas across the globe which explains why a great deal of cats are considered to be part of a homogeneous breed of cats that are domestic shorthair and domestic longhair and this is related to the kind of fur the cat has.

In Australia and the UK all non-purebred cats are called moggies in slang. Moggie is short for Maggie or Margaret which was a popular name for calves and cows in 18th century England and later during the Victorian Era the name came to be used for domestic cat breeds. A non-purebred cat in the United States is called an alley cat or a barn cat and it does not have to be a stray cat to be called that.

Cat breeds have given rise to many different products such as cat breed jewelry, cat breed pillows and specific gifts of cat breeds. Cats are an Interesting lot that come in many different colors and delightful patterns. The color and pattern of a cat are physical properties and do not directly relate to the breed of the cat you are dealing with. There are some original breeds of cats that have a distinct and unique kind of phenotype and this is the main kind that takes place naturally and is the dominant breed of domesticated cat. This is sometimes called a subspecies of cat breed.

The nomenclature for cat breeds has been broken down into four categories, which are the Manx (F. catus anura), the Siamese (F. catus siamenus), the Chartreux (F. catus cartusenensis) and the Turkish Angora (F. catus angorensis). Most recently other subspecies of cat breeds have arisen such as the Maine coon, the Norwegian Forest Cat, the Sokoke and the Singapura. There is no official nomenclature for these cat breeds.