Ultimate Cat: A Complete Guide to Breeds and Hybrids

By Leigh-Ann Andersen

The numerous cat breeds are both varied and mysterious. Most have tails, some do not. Some have curled ears, some have huge ears. Some have long hair, some have short, and some have no hair at all. Some have hair, but it's really no more than a little peach fuzz.

But there are more just than just physical differences between the breeds. Their personalities are just as vibrant, and each breed is not quite like the others. Some are chatty and friendly, others are aloof and circumspect. Some spend their days climbing door frames, others would rather lie about in the sun.

These differences are fascinating to behold and helpful to all those interested in sharing their home with a cat. Found here are more than sixty of the most common breeds and hybrids from around the world.

Ultimate Cat: A Complete Guide to Breeds and Hybrids details the many differences and features of each and every breed mentioned within its pages. If you're interested in the many cat breeds out there in the world, or you simply like cat pictures, this book is for you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tear Drop Books
• Release date: Sep 1, 2016
• ISBN: 9781370251452

Leigh-Ann Andersen

Leigh-Ann Andersen is an enthusiastic young woman with a lifelong passion for learning. She resides in central Canada with her cats, dogs, fish, and one very noisy red-eyed tree frog. She also has two beautiful young children, Tristan and Rowan. Both boys, they are the light of her life, and really enjoy the fact that “Mommy” is so unique. The entire family is passionate about animals.Leigh-Ann grew up surrounded by animals. Cats, dogs, horses...she knew them all well. Whether it was Arabians racing around barrels, Golden Retrievers on the obstacle course, or Persians in the show ring, she was always having fun with her favorite creatures. It was only natural, then, that she grow up to write about these three very different species. Today she studies dogs, horses, and cats even as she blogs about them, sharing her extensive knowledge with others.A part-time and lifelong student, Leigh-Ann is pursuing a PhD in creative writing. As a hobby, she also studies anthropology, general religious studies, and politics at the University of Winnipeg. Her love of learning inspires her writing in its many forms. As a career, she writes fantasy novels under the pseudonym LA Quill, romance and poetry as Tamora Rose, and new age non-fiction as Aislin. She is also a popular web content writer on a variety of subjects, posting under her legal name, Leigh-Ann Andersen.

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Ultimate Cat: A Complete Guide to Breeds and Hybrids

By Leigh-Ann Andersen

All marked images copyright © credited individuals

All unmarked images copyright ©2016 by Leigh-Ann Andersen

Published by Tear Drop Books

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

An Introduction to the Breeds

Breeds and Personalities

Purebred Cats

Hybrids and New Breeds

Afterword

Sources

About the Author

An Introduction to the Breeds

Cats have been with us since we first settled in tiny hamlets with our brothers and sisters. They kept the rodent population within acceptable limits and amused bystanders with their hilarious antics. These ferocious sweethearts were either the most domestic of the wild animals, or the most wild of the domestic. In the end, it didn’t matter. We didn’t need to domesticate them in order to avail ourselves of their obvious talents.

Until the last two hundred years or so, the cat has remained relatively unchanged as it passed through our world. It bred as it would, interacted as it pleased, and basically lived whatever life it felt like living. Only recently did we humans decide to attempt to influence the appearance and temperament of the domestic cat. Today, we have created dozens of recognized breeds and there are countless more still in development. True, this number is meager when compared to the vast diversity in the dog world, but give us time. Cat breeders have been at it for less than two centuries. We’ll catch up in a century or two.

Unlike dog breeders, however, there is not one single entity like the American Kennel Club to approve breed standards and control which breeds are considered purebred and which are merely hybrids. Instead, there are no less than six separate registries, and that’s just in North America. There are many more worldwide and new registries come and go with alarming regularity. Each of these registries is independent of each other, so they all have different rules and standards, different requirements, and different procedures for registering individual cats or recognizing new breeds. Each registry even has a separate list of accepted breeds, making it difficult to compile a complete list of legitimate breeds. Because of this, I’ve consciously decided to omit breed standards from this book entirely. I can’t even give you a list of which associations accept which breed, because it’s constantly changing. By the time you read this book, the list will have inevitably changed multiple times. So instead, I will focus on the breeds most commonly recognized by most associations, and I’ll discuss only their basic appearance and personality. If you’re interested in specific breed standards, or you want to know more about your favorite breed, all registries have websites these days. Find the registry you’re interested in and look it up. You’ll even find information about cat shows near you and lists of breeders across the country.

But this book isn’t for the seasoned breeder. It’s for the person interested in the differences between the various breeds. It’s for the person trying to decide which breed is right for them. And it’s for the person who just wants to see pictures of cute cats. For this reason, even the pictures aren’t generally from cat shows. Instead the pictures tend to show cats in their home, cats outside, or sometimes cats up a tree. There is the occasional show photo, but I much prefer shots of cats at ease, so that’s what you’ll find here

I’ve divided the breeds into two categories: purebred and hybrids or new breeds. In deciding which cat belongs in which category, I’ve had to take considerable license. Remember that there are multiple registries each recognizing different breed at different stages in development. Someone somewhere recognizes a breed as pure and no longer hybrid. So I had to make some tough decisions. Basically, if a breed is recognized as pure by two or more associations, I added it to the purebred section. Sometimes I was satisfied with one registry recognizing a breed. But a few breeds are so experimental, and have not yet demonstrated the ability to breed true, that I felt it was only fair to classify them as hybrids. Maybe by the time you read this book that will have changed and a hybrid will be a purebred in truth. Only time will tell.

It is my hope that by publishing this book, I’ll teach others not only to know cats, but to understand them, respect them, and love them as I do. For they are beautiful, regal creatures who come in as many shapes and sizes as we humans do. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the parade of cats you’re about to observe. I promise you won’t regret it.

Breeds and Personalities

There are dozens of recognized cat breeds around the world. With so many to choose from, a prospective cat owner can find a kitten that suits any taste, living arrangement, or budget. However, it is simply not true that each and every breed has a personality that is unique and distinct from every other breed of cat. Considering the sheer number of cat breeds, there are simply not enough personality types to go around.

It would be more accurate to say that feline personalities are related to body type. If you look closely at the individual breeds and their personalities, you’ll notice some similarities. For example, Siamese cats tend to be active, vocal, curious, and intelligent. But they share these traits with other breeds such as the Oriental Shorthair, Balinese, Abyssinian, and Cornish Rex. In other words, all the slim, elegant, and tubular breeds share these qualities and have similar personalities.

On the other hand, the Persian is laid back and easygoing. But so are the other stocky breeds such as the Burmese, British Shorthair, and Exotic Shorthair. And then there are the breeds that fall firmly in the middle. The pedigreed American Shorthair comes immediately to mind. This cat is a perfect middle-of-the-road personality, as are other breeds that share the same body type such as the American Wirehair and the Scottish Fold.

But there are also traits that all cats share. No matter what the breed, the process of domesticating the cat retards the development of certain adult behaviors. This means that domesticated cats never really grow up, and we don’t really want them to. Their kittenish behavior is a part of their charm. The adult behaviors of self-sufficiency, aggression, and marking are not at all desirable in the animals we share our homes with.

Personality is also determined by socialization. Kittens which are handled daily from three weeks old are more attached to people than those which are handled later or not at all. They are also more likely to tolerate being turned on their backs and approach humans faster and with more curiosity than non-handled kittens. You can almost always tell which kittens have been handled daily simply from their reactions to people in general.

So the fact of the matter is that breed is only a small part of the personality of a cat. If you’re looking for a certain personality in your kitten, you will have to consider more than the breed of the cat. Consider the parents, as personality often passes from generation to generation. And certainly pay attention to the way a kitten has been raised. This will help you determine whether that particular kitten has the right personality for you and your family.

Purebred Cats

Unfortunately, there is some confusion regarding the terms purebred and pedigreed when it comes to the cat world. They’re often used interchangeably, but they’re really not interchangeable at all. Your pedigreed cat is not necessarily a purebred, but your purebred must almost always be a pedigreed cat.

So what’s the difference? Technically, a pedigreed cat is a cat whose ancestors are both known and formally recorded, but the ancestors may be of many different breeds. So your average barn cat, if his ancestry has been recorded in a formal way, is a pedigreed cat, as odd as that may seem. But that barn cat is probably not a purebred.

Purebreds must have their ancestors known and recorded, just like a pedigreed cat, but it goes one step further. And I’m not talking about generations here. If your cat is a purebred, all the ancestors, every single one, is of the same breed. So an Abyssinian will have only Abyssinian ancestors are far back as the pedigree shows. Siamese will have only Siamese ancestors.

There is one small exception to this purebred rule. Some breeds have allowable outcrosses in some associations. For example, the American Shorthair is an allowable outcross for many breeds in many associations, including the American Wirehair and the Scottish Fold. This means that a purebred American Wirehair may indeed have an American Shorthair as an ancestor. But this is only in cases where a specific breed has a specific allowable outcross. Most breeds no longer allow outcrossing of any kind, and allowable outcrosses differ from registry to registry. So while your cat may be recognized as purebred by The International Cat Association (TICA), the Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA) may not recognize your kitty at all. So pay attention to the registry you’re interested in when choosing a kitten if acceptance is important to you. If it’s not, then you probably don’t care.

All breeds in this section are purebred breeds, or considered to be purebred cats by most associations.

Abyssinian

Abyssinians are one of the most majestic and popular cats today. From their stunning coat pattern to their splendid conformation, these cats are truly a beauty to behold. Their balanced temperaments make them wonderful companions, and their regal bearing makes them seem to know far more than they should.

The ancient origins of the Abyssinian are composed of many alternating theories. Some claim that the Abyssinian is descended from cats worshipped by the Egyptians over four thousand years ago. Others are sure that the Abyssinian first originated in the deep jungles of North Africa, and that they were later brought to England by sailors in the late 1860s. Still others are convinced that the Abyssinian began as nothing more than ticked tabbies in the fields of Great Britain. Regardless of its ancient origins, the Abyssinian has developed into a distinctive and wonderful breed.

The first Abyssinian to arrive in the United States belonged to a woman named Jan Cathcart of New Jersey, and these cats were probably silver in color. Though these cats were shown in Boston in 1909, the first recorded Abyssinian litter was not born in the United States until 1935.

After World War II, the development of the Abyssinian progressed rapidly due mostly to increased interest in the breed. At first, Abyssinians were difficult and uncooperative at shows, as they did not adjust well to being handled by strangers. Since those days, the temperament of the Abyssinian has greatly improved, largely due to selective breeding.

Modern genetic testing suggests that the true origins of the Abyssinian cat breed might be the coast of the Indian Ocean and various parts of Southeast Asia. Despite this evidence, many still think the cats originated in what was once Abyssinia (now Ethiopia). We may never really know for sure, but most cat fanciers agree that without further evidence to the contrary, the genetic tests are probably correct.

Appearance

The most defining characteristic of the Abyssinian is its unique coat. The richly colored fur has a ticked tabby pattern free of markings on its legs, tail, and neck. It may seem odd, then, that the perfect Abyssinian has dramatic facial markings. Each individual hair on Abyssinians is ticked with four to six distinct bands of color. These bands should alternate between dark and light, with the lighter beginning at the root, the darker at the tip. Ideally, the color at the root should be identical to the color on the underside of the cat, as well as the color on the insides of its legs. The eyes should be gold or green, though some associations such as the Cat Fanciers’ Federation (CFF) recognize hazel as an appropriate eye color. These cats are medium in size, with males weighing in from eight to ten pounds. Females should be slightly smaller at six to seven pounds.

Abyssinians come in several different colors. The most common is the ruddy Abyssinian. The coat should be burnt sienna in color, but ticked with various shades of darker brown or black. The undercoat should be orange-brown and the tail may be tipped with black. The nose leather should be a tile red, but the paw pads must be either black or brown. The ruddy Abyssinian is accepted in all major associations where the breed is recognized.

Blue Abyssinians are particularly striking. Their coats are warm beige ticked with shades of slate blue. The undercoat should be blush beige and the tail must be tipped with slate blue. The nose leather should be a deep rose in color, often referred to as old rose. The paw pads are usually mauve with slate blue between the toes. This color is accepted in all major associations where the breed is recognized.

Fawn Abyssinians are a warm rose beige ticked with light cocoa brown. The undercoat should be blush-beige and the tails must be tipped with light cocoa brown. The nose leather is typically salmon while the paw pads are dark pink with light cocoa brown between the toes. This color is now accepted in all major associations where the breed in recognized, though this recognition took quite a while.

Red has become a common color for Abyssinians. The coat should be rich, warm, glowing red ticked with chocolate brown. The undercoat should be bright red while the tail is tipped with chocolate brown. The nose leather is usually a rosy pink and the paw pads are a solid pink with

Reviews for Ultimate Cat

[Margo Bovier · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I mostly liked the pictures of the cats, but some of the information was interesting and I learned several new hybrid cats.