PUREBRED CATS
R. Roger Breton
Nancy J Creek
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Longhairs, Shorthairs, and Nohairs
There are several reasons for obtaining a cat of breeding. With a
purebred cat it is possible to predict what a kitten will be like as
an adult (assuming a loving environment). An Abyssinian, for example,
can be counted upon to become a loving, affectionate cat, one who will
not be afraid of strangers and who will be easily trainable to car
travel, etc.
A cat of breeding is required if you wish to show. Showing your cat
can be a joyous and rewarding experience for both you and your cat
(especially if you win), but should not become a business.
Selecting a cat of breeding is much like selecting any cat, save that
the number of dollars changing hands is often quite high ($300 and up
is typical, and the “up” can become “‘way up”).
There is one reason for not getting a cat of breeding, and that is
vanity. If your only reason for getting a Chinchilla Persian is to
have a Chinchilla Persian when your friends all have American Shor-
thairs, then both you and your Chinchilla Persian will be unhappy in
the long run. A living cat is not an object d’art, to be purchased
and admired. He is a living, breathing creature, who should be ob-
tained solely as an object d’amour. It is love and devotion he will
require and it is love and devotion he will return, and he won’t care
a whit if you are white, black, or chartreuse, or if you are descended
from Mary Queen of Scots or Attila the Hun.
In the following breed descriptions there are several things to ob-
serve: Each description has a group of tabulated parameters followed
by a thumbnail description. The tabulated parameters are:
Coat: The character of the coat: shorthair, longhair, or extra-care
longhair.
“Shorthair” means a short- or medium-haired breed requiring no
special care.
“Longhair” means a long-haired breed requiring frequent brushing
and grooming, but with (so-called) non-matting hair: no disaster
if the cat gets a tangle or snag, as it can usually be brushed or
combed out.
“Extra-care longhair” means a long-haired breed that must be cared
for daily, else its fur will quickly become one large mat. In
general, short-haired breeds require less care and attention than
long-haired.
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Environment: The living arrangements for which the breed is best
suited: apartment, home, or rural.
“Apartment” means an indoor-only environment and a breed suitable
for city living.
“Home” means an indoor-outdoor environment and a breed with small
territorial requirements, one that would do well in the typical
suburban home-and-yard.
“Rural” means an indoor-outdoor or outdoor-only environment and a
breed with large territorial requirements, such a cat may well
pine if kept indoors all the time. Most cats are adaptable, and
do well in differing environments.
Disposition: The normal personality of the breed: affectionate or
reserved, active or tranquil, and quiet or vocal.
“Affectionate” means a breed that is very demonstrative in its
affection.
“Reserved” means a less demonstrative breed (but just as loving).
“Active” means an animal always on the go, the typical overgrown
kitten.
“Tranquil” means asedate and dignified animal.
“Quiet” means a non-talking breed.
“Vocal,” means a breed that won’t shut up.
These criteria, like all such opposing definitions, are only
somewhat accurate: some breeds are very active, some moderately
active, some slightly active, some slightly tranquil, some moder-
ately tranquil, and some very tranquil, with all shadings in
between: these variations have been arbitrarily distilled into
“active” and “tranquil,” and are only guides. Also please remem-
ber that individuals may vary widely from the norm for their
breed, depending upon how they are raised (we once met a mean
Abyssinian, and the term “mean Abyssinian” is practically an
oxymoron).
Best With: The people with whom the breed does best: one-person,
family, family with children.
“One-person” indicates the breed does not do well with groups of
people, but prefers the companionship and love of a single human
being.
“Family” indicates a breed that does well with groups of people,
such as an entire family, but does not do well with small children
(especially toddlers).
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“Family with children” indicates a breed that also does well with
small children.
Colors: The coat colors normally permitted for the breed. There are
twelve color groups: standard solid (solid colors), standard
(patched solid, tortie, calico, tabby, patched tabby, torbie, and
torbico colors), shaded (smoked, shaded, chinchilla, chinchilla
tortie, golden, golden tortie, and silver tabby colors), spotted
(spotted tabby and silver spotted tabby colors), Abyssinian
(Abyssinian and silver Abyssinian colors), oriental (oriental
solid colors), Burmese (Burmese colors), Tonkinese (Tonkinese
colors), Siamese (Siamese solid-point colors), colorpoint (Siamese
tortie-, lynx-, and torbie-point colors), Van (Van colors), and
white (dominant white).
We wish to emphasize that the terms Abyssinian, Burmese, Tonki-
nese, and Siamese when used under this heading, refer to colors,
not breeds. For example, both the Himalayan and Siamese breeds
come in Siamese colors: other than that, they are completely
different.
Breeds that have specific colors only will have those specific
colors listed.
Abyssinian
Coat: Shorthair
Environment: Home
Disposition: Affectionate, Active, Quiet
Best With: Family with Children
Colors: Abyssinian
The Abyssinian, an ancient breed, is a medium-sized cat with a sleek
intermediate body, long legs and tail, and a wedge head with a tapered
muzzle and large pointed often-tufted ears.
Often called the bunny cat because of its rabbit-like coloration, its
all-agouti coat is short, close lying and soft. It has striking
facial markings, reminiscent of some of the monocolor wild species,
such as the Puma, which it strongly resembles (sort of a micro-puma).
Active, intelligent and affectionate, it adapts well to family life
and is easily trained.
In competition with the Egyptian Mau for oldest breed, the Abyssinian
also traces back to the Egyptian middle period, but via Abyssinia (now
Ethiopia) and with less hard evidence. Be that as it may, it is
definitely an older breed, with the same kind of primitive hair
structure as the Egyptian Mau (less prone to cause allergic reactions
in people).
Regardless of the longevity of the breeds, the Abyssinian is
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definitely more domesticated than the Egyptian Mau, being an outgoing
and demonstrably loving breed. It is also exceptionally intelligent
and is easily trained.
The Abyssinian became popular in Britain in the Early 1900’s, being
descended from Zula, a queen actually imported from Abyssinia (hence
the name of the breed) in the 1860’s. The Breed virtually vanished
during the First World War, only to make an amazing comeback during
the inter-war period. In the 1930’s several prize Abyssinians were
imported from Britain into the U.S., forming the basis of the breed in
this country. During the Second World War the breed did completely
vanish in Britain (see the wartime comments under British Shorthair).
During the post-war reconstruction period, the Abyssinian was re-
introduced into Britain from the U.S., only to be decimated again in
the late 60’s and early 70’s by a massive feline leukemia epidemic.
Abyssinians were again re-introduced, from the U.S. and from the
European continent, and are currently flourishing in Britain.
A long-haired Abyssinian also exists as the Somali.
American Curl
Coat: Shorthair
Environment: Apartment, Home or Rural
Disposition: Affectionate, Active, Quiet
Best With: Family with Children
Colors: Standard Solid, Standard, Shaded
The American Curl, a large cat with a muscular cobby body, medium legs
and tail, and a round head with a square muzzle and a unique ear
structure, there being a kink along the inside edges of the ear,
causing them to bend inward and giving the face a comical and
inquisitive appearance, has a short, thick, and smooth coat with a
heavy undercoat.
The American Curl is essentially an American Shorthair with mutated
ears, retaining all that is good in the parent breed while adding a
quizzical appearance. Playful, inquisitive and an excellent hunter,
it adapts well to almost any environment. Its tolerance of the ways
of children make it an excellent family cat.
American Shorthair
Coat: Shorthair
Environment: Apartment, Home or Rural
Disposition: Affectionate, Active, Quiet
Best With: Family with Children
Colors: Standard Solid, Standard, Shaded
The American Shorthair, a large cat with a muscular cobby body, medium
legs and tail, and a round head with a square muzzle and blunt ears,
has a short, thick, and smooth coat with a heavy undercoat.
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The basic cat in the U.S., it is playful, inquisitive and an excellent
hunter, adapting well to almost any environment.
A composite of those cats brought on the Mayflower and by other early
British and French settlers in New England and eastern Canada, the
American short-hair has evolved into a hardy breed ideally suited to
the New World. Slightly more lithe than its European cousins, the
American short-hair is perfectly adapted to the slightly faster
rodents found in the American countryside.
A British Shorthair named Belle (though it was a tom) was imported
into the U.S. in 1901 and, through cross-breeding with native American
stock, formed the basis for the American Shorthair as a show breed.
The first true American Shorthair show cat was Buster Brown, bred in
1904.
Originally called simply Shorthairs by contrast with the then only
other American breed, the Maine Coon, they were later called Domestic
Shorthairs, a name that still clings to the unregistered Heinz~
variety.
With its extraordinarily keen hunting instincts, its neat and tidy
ways, and its ready adaptability to new environments, this is the
quintessential work cat. Many American (or Domestic) Shorthairs may
be found earning their keep in all walks of life across the country.
Besides the obvious farm cat and ship’s cat, working cats are to be
found in such diverse places as firehouses, police stations, hardware
stores, and libraries: anywhere the mouse or rat might decide to make
his home. Such working cats are not really cats in the sense of this
book, but are beloved and contributing members of their firms.
With its short-but-thick coat, the American Shorthair can cope with
all but the most extreme of weather, and is often found happily
roaming outside in conditions that would frighten a brass monkey.
Being a naturally peaceful and loving breed, tolerant of abuse at the
hands of small children, it makes the ideal all-around cat.
American Wirehair
Coat: Shorthair
Environment: Apartment, Home or Rural
Disposition: Reserved, Active, Quiet
Best With: Family with Children
Colors: Standard Solid, Standard, Shaded
The American Wirehair, a large cat with a muscular cobby body, medium
legs and tail, and a round head with a square muzzle and blunt ears,
has a short, course, wiry coat with a thick undercoat, similar in
texture to that of the Wirehair Terrier dog.
The American Wirehair is essentially an American Shorthair with a
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mutated coat, and retains all the hardiness, skills, and devotion of
the parent breed, being playful, inquisitive, an excellent hunter,
adapting well to almost any environment. Being tolerant of the ways of
small children, it makes an excellent cat.
Balinese
Coat: Longhair
Environment: Home
Disposition: Affectionate, Active, Vocal
Best With: One-Person
Colors: Siamese
The Balinese, a medium-sized cat with a long oriental body, long legs
and tail, and a triangular head with a pointed muzzle, bright blue
eyes and large pointed ears, has a medium-long, fine, thick, and silky
solid-pointed fawn-to-ivory coat without a ruff.
Originally bred in the late 1940’s from Siamese stock carrying a
recessive longhair gene, the Balinese is like the Siamese in every way
save its long coat.
Being, like the Siamese, active, loving, playful, intelligent,
curious, and sensitive, the Balinese does best with an owner who will
understand its capricious ways.
Bengal
Coat: Shorthair
Environment: Apartment or Home
Disposition: Affectionate, Tranquil, Quiet
Best With: Family with Children
Colors: Spotted
The Bengal is a large cat with a muscular cobby-to-intermediate body,
short legs and tail, and a large round head with a square muzzle and
small round ears.
Its spotted coat is thick and silky.
Tranquil and loving, it adapts well to family life.
The Bengal is a new breed, still in the experimental stage. It is a
true hybrid, in that it’s immediate ancestors are the domestic Ocicat
and American Shorthair and the wild Leopard Cat (felis bengalensis).
The breeding program, executed by Jean Mill of Millwood Cattery in
Covina, California, involved several generations of crossbreeding
until the proper coloration and temperament was achieved.
With the basic body structure of the Ocicat, the loving disposition of
the American Shorthair, and the beautiful coat of the Leopard Cat, the
Bengal is indeed a striking and unique cat. Primarily bred for the
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home, it is wild in appearance only, being somewhat less of a roamer
and hunter than either its Ocicat or American Shorthair forebears: it
is in essence a lover, not a fighter. It does well with children,
even small children, and spreads its devotion among the whole family.
Birman
Coat: Extra-Care Longhair
Environment: Apartment or Home
Disposition: Reserved, Tranquil, Vocal
Best With: One-Person
Colors: Siamese with Birman Spotting
The Birman, the Sacred Cat of Burma, is a medium-sized cat with a
massive oriental body, medium legs and tail, and a broad round head
with a short muzzle and rounded ears. Its Birman-spotted Siamese coat
is fairly long and silky, thick on the neck and tail.
Developed in France in the early 1900’s the Birman superficially
resembles the Himalayan at first glance. Close examination, however,
reveals many differences, the most obvious of which is the white boots
of the Birman-spotting gene. It also sports an oriental rather than
cobby body, and its coat has more the texture of the Turkish Angora
than the Persian.
Burmese legend has it that, before the time of Buddah, in the
beautiful Khymer temple of Lao-Tsun high in the Himalayan mountains,
there was a sapphire-eyed golden statue of the goddess Tsun-Kyan-Kse.
The statue was watched over by an old priest, Mun-Ha, who’s beard was
as golden as the statue, and was said to have been braided by the god
Song-Hyo himself. Mun-ha had 100 pure-white cats, one of which was
Sihn, his especial companion.
One night raiders attacked, killing Mun-Ha as he knelt in prayer
before the figure of the goddess. Immediately Sihn jumped upon the
body of his beloved master and faced the statue, and the soul of Mun-
Ha passed into his cat. Sihn’s fur suddenly became as golden as the
old priest’s beard, while his eyes became as the sapphire eyes of the
goddess. His face, ears, tail, and legs were burned brown by the
passage of the soul, except for his feet, which rested directly upon
his master’s body: they remained the purest white. This sudden
transformation so inspired the other priests that they were able to
drive off the raiders.
Seven days later, Sihn died and carried the soul of his master to
paradise. On the following morning all the remaining 99 cats had also
undergone the same transformation. Since that time, the priests of
Lao-Tsun have cared for their sacred cats, believing them to be the
guardians of their souls.
The original Birman, a pregnant queen, was a gift to France from the
priests of a new Tibetian temple of Lao-Tsun.
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There are those with no romance in their souls who say the Birman was
developed by crossing Siamese with various black and white longhairs.
Whatever their origins, the Birman virtually disappeared from France
during the Second World War (see the wartime comments under British
Shorthair), and had to be rebred from a pair of surviving kittens.
In the 1960’s, a pair of “Temple Kittens” was given to an American
while working in Tibet. They were accompanied by the same legend,
down to the 100 cats. These kittens formed the basis of the breed in
this country, and their offspring have been sent to Britain and
France, where they have been used to strengthen the existing Birman
line.
Tranquil, sociable, and intelligent, the Birman does best with quiet
people and may mope if left alone.
Bombay
Coat: Shorthair
Environment: Apartment
Disposition: Reserved, Tranquil, Vocal
Best With: Family
Colors: Ebony
The Bombay, a medium-sized cat with an intermediate body, long legs
and tail, and a round head with a short muzzle, large round eyes, and
round ears, has a satiny and close-lying deep ebony coat. Its coat is
so satiny as to give the appearance of patent leather.
Bred by crossing the Burmese with the American Shorthair, the Bombay
is often referred to as a mini-panther or “plastic cat” because of its
unique coat. The reason behind the unique coat texture is still being
argued, but is believed to be caused by a spontaneous mutation to the
texture of the hair itself. These cats are “black to the bone,”
sporting a black-on-black coat. When this coat is coupled with
exceptionally large bright-copper-penny eyes, a truly beautiful cat is
formed.
Quiet, sensitive, reserved and intelligent, the Bombay does best in a
quiet home, where it is affectionate to the whole family.
British Blue
Coat: Shorthair
Environment: Apartment, Home or Rural
Disposition: Affectionate, Active, Quiet
Best With: Family with Children
Colors: Blue
The British Blue is a blue British Shorthair, making it a large cat
with a muscular cobby body, short legs and tail, and a round head with
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a square muzzle and small wide-spaced round ears. Its blue-gray coat
is short and dense with a heavy undercoat.
Like other British Shorthairs, it was decimated during the Second
World War, but has been recreated by careful breeding.
Playful, inquisitive, and an excellent hunter, it adapts well to
almost any environment, and makes an excellent cat.
British Shorthair
Coat: Shorthair
Environment: Apartment, Home or Rural
Disposition: Affectionate, Active, Quiet
Best With: Family with Children
Colors: Standard Solid, Standard, Shaded
The British Shorthair, a large cat with a muscular cobby body, short
legs and tail, and a round head with a square muzzle and small wide-
spaced round ears, has a short, dense coat with a heavy undercoat.
Bred over almost 2000 years from cats originally brought by the Romans
(Julius Caesar came, saw, conquered, and brought cats), the British
Shorthair is more a native of Britain than any Anglo-Saxon and has
evolved into a strong cat with a dense coat capable of withstanding
the worst of British weather. Quick and alert, this is the basic cat
in all of Great Britain and Ireland.
During the First and Second World Wars all breeds of cats suffered
drastically in Britain and, to a lesser degree, on the European
continent. Because of the drastic food shortages during the Blitz,
“cat” became known as “roof-rabbit,” and filled many a stewpot. This
is perhaps best considered as merely another way in which the
beautiful cat contributed to the betterment of mankind.
Of all the breeds of cats decimated by the wars, the beautiful British
Shorthair suffered perhaps worst of all. As a result this breed,
native to the isles, all but vanished. After the war, efforts were
made to restore the breed by crossing those few survivors with
American and European Shorthairs. This produced a somewhat less cobby
cat. Attempts were made to correct this by breeding in the
exceptionally cobby Persian. The result is the current British
Shorthair, about the same body type and disposition of its pre-war
forebears, but with a slightly flatter face and thicker, more
luxuriant coat from the Persian influence. This latter is the result
not of the longhair genes, but of the polygene influence carefully
bred for in Persians to make the coat thick and silky as well as long.
There are some purist breeders now rebreeding the original British
Shorthair from cats recently discovered in Scotland and Ireland. Time
will tell whether the original breed will be restored, or whether
there will eventually be two breeds of British Shorthair.
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Regardless of the details of the breed, the disposition is the same:
playful, inquisitive, and an excellent hunter, the British Shorthair
is fond of children and an excellent cat. It adapts well to almost
any environment.
Burmese
Coat: Shorthair
Environment: Apartment, Home or Rural
Disposition: Affectionate, Active, Vocal
Best With: One-Person
Colors: Sable
The Burmese, a medium-sized cat with a solid muscular oriental body,
long slender legs and tail, and a round head with a tapered muzzle and
blunt ears, has a fine, thick, shiny, and very silky coat of a rich
sable-brown color. If an identical cat has a coat of any color other
than sable (the British standard also allows chocolate) it is classed
as a Malayan.
With a body style similar to the turn-of-the-century Siamese, the
Burmese is a gorgeous cat, with an acrobats body: well muscled but
not cobby.
All modern Burmese are descended from Wong Mau, a walnut-brown female
imported from Rangoon in the 1930’s. Wong Mau’s owner, U.S. Navy
doctor Joseph Thompson, was attracted to her by her unique coloring,
but most other breeders were unimpressed, considering her to be a
poorly colored Siamese. Cross breeding of Wong Mau and her kittens
with Siamese and back to Wong Mau herself established a definite
pattern of three phenotypes: normal Siamese, darker “Siamese” (now
called Tonkinese), and solid-color cats like Wong Mau herself. Her
unique genetic coding, caused by the Burmese allele of the albanism
gene was discovered and a new breed was born.
Affectionate and intelligent, the Burmese does best with one person
who will return its affection and talk to it.
Chartreux
Coat: Shorthair
Environment: Apartment, Home or Rural
Disposition: Affectionate, Active, Quiet
Best With: Family with Children
Colors: Blue
The Chartreux, derived from the European Shorthair, is a large cat
with a muscular cobby body, medium legs, short tail, and a slightly
squarish head with a square muzzle and wide-spaced large, blunt ears.
Its thick blue coat is short and fine, with a heavy undercoat.
As the Romanov’s had their Russian Blues, so the Bourbons had their
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Chartreux. Bred from original European Blue stock, the Chartreux now
has an entirely different coat texture, soft and silky, while keeping
its thick undercoat. The slate-blue of the European Blue has become
an almost iridescent silver-blue, producing a striking animal. This
cat even looks French.
Playful, inquisitive, reserved, and an excellent hunter, it adapts
well to almost any environment. It loves children and is an ideal
cat.
Colorpoint Longhair
Coat: Extra-Care Longhair
Environment: Apartment
Disposition: Affectionate, Tranquil, Quiet
Best With: One-Person
Colors: Colorpoint
The Colorpoint Longhair, a large cat with a short cobby body, short
legs, medium tail, and a round head with a very short muzzle and small
round ears, has an exceptionally long, thick, and silky colorpoint
coat with a definite ruff. It is essentially a Himalayan pointed in
other than solid colors.
Like the Persian, the Colorpoint Longhair is a quiet, tranquil, and
very reserved cat that does best in a quiet home free of noise,
children, and other pets.
Colorpoint Shorthair
Coat: Shorthair
Environment: Home or Rural
Disposition: Affectionate, Active, Vocal
Best With: One-Person
Colors: Colorpoint
The Colorpoint Shorthair, a medium-sized cat with a long oriental
body, long legs and tail, and a triangular head with a pointed muzzle,
bright blue eyes and large pointed ears, has a fine, thick, glossy,
and close lying colorpointed fawn-to-ivory coat.
Identical with the Siamese in every way except the patterns present in
the points, the Colorpoint Shorthair is an outgrowth of the basic
Siamese breeding program.
Being, like the Siamese, active, loving, playful, intelligent,
curious, and sensitive, the Colorpoint Shorthair does best with an
owner who will understand its capricious ways.
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Cornish Rex
Coat: Shorthair
Environment: Apartment
Disposition: Affectionate, Tranquil, Quiet
Best With: One-Person
Colors: Standard Solid, Standard
The Cornish Rex is a small cat with a slender oriental body, long legs
and tail, and a triangular head with a pointed muzzle, a long straight
nose, large eyes, and large blunt ears. Its has an unusual face,
giving it a mischievous and pixieish appearance. Its coat is very
curly and wavy, composed only of down hairs, making it unusually
short, fine, soft and silky.
The original rex cat was the German Rex, observed in a semi-feral
hospital cat in East Berlin in 1946. What with the post-war chaos and
reconstruction, this mutation was not actively followed up until the
late 1950’s.
Meanwhile, a curly kitten named Kallibunker was born on a farm in
Cornwall, England, in 1951. Kallibunker’s owner contacted a
professional breeder with an interest in genetics and the rest, as
they say, is history: the Cornish Rex was born, and is perhaps one of
the strangest-looking of cats, with its pixieish face and curly coat.
Two of Kallibunker’s descendants were sent to the U.S. in 1957, and
formed the basis of the breed in this country.
Meanwhile, a curly-coated feral cat was observed to be living near a
tin mine in Buckfastleigh, Devonshire, England. A calico semi-feral
female cared for by a nearby resident mated with the curly-coated
feral (the two cats were probably related) and produced a curly
kitten, which was adopted and named Kirlee. Attempts to breed Kirlee
into the Cornish Rex line proved futile, no curly kittens resulted.
It was then realized that Kirlee was a distinctly different mutation,
and she was placed in her own breeding program to produce the Devon
Rex breed.
In 1960, three German Rexes were sent to the U.S., where crossbreeding
quickly determined that the German Rex and Cornish Rex were the same
mutation, distinct from the Devon Rex.
Agile, affectionate, intelligent and tranquil, the Cornish Rex adapts
well to family life and becomes an ideal lap cat for a quiet owner. A
delicate and quiet cat, it cannot tolerate rough handling, hence
children.
Lacking guard and awn hairs (running around in its underwear, as it
were), it sunburns easily and must be an indoor-only cat. It is a
non-shedding cat (no outer coat), making it ideal for people with cat
allergies.
In Siamese colors, the Cornish Rex is known as the Si-Rex.
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Cymric
Coat: Longhair
Environment: Apartment or Home
Disposition: Affectionate, Active, Quiet
Best With: Family with Children
Colors: Standard Solid, Standard, Shaded
The Cymric, a medium-sized cat with a very short cobby body, medium
forelegs and long hindlegs, no tail, and a round head with a square
muzzle and small wide-spaced round ears, has a medium-long, thick
coat, with a distinct ruff and a heavy undercoat.
First bred in the U.S. in the early 1960’s, it is simply a long-haired
Manx, with the unique taillessness (and attendant problems) of that
breed. In recognition of the fact that the people of the Isle of Man
are Celts, as are the Welsh, it was decided to name the new breed
Cymric (pronounced “kumrik”) after Cymru, the Welsh name for Wales.
Playful, inquisitive, and an excellent hunter, the Cymric adapts well
to almost any environment.
See the special notes under the Manx.
Devon Rex
Coat: Shorthair
Environment: Apartment
Disposition: Affectionate, Tranquil, Quiet
Best With: One-Person
Colors: Standard Solid, Standard
The Devon Rex is a small cat with a slender oriental body, long legs
and tail, and a moderately triangular head with a pointed muzzle, a
long stopped nose, large eyes, and exceptionally large blunt ears.
Its has an unusual face, giving it a mischievous and pixieish
appearance. Its coat is very curly and wavy, composed only of down
hairs and a very light outercoat of awn hairs, making it short, fine,
soft and silky.
Not related to the Cornish Rex, its history is nonetheless linked and
is described under that breed.
Agile, affectionate, intelligent, and tranquil, the Devon Rex adapts
well to family life and becomes an ideal lap cat for a quiet owner. A
delicate and quiet cat, it cannot tolerate rough handling, hence
children.
Lacking awn hairs it sunburns easily and must be an indoor-only cat.
It is a non-shedding cat (no outer coat), making it ideal for people
with cat allergies.
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Egyptian Mau
Coat: Shorthair
Environment: Apartment, Home or Rural
Disposition: Reserved, Active, Vocal
Best With: Family with Children
Colors: Spotted
The Egyptian Mau, a medium-sized cat with a sleek intermediate body,
long legs and tail, and a wedge head with a tapered muzzle, large
pointed ears, large distinctive eyes and exceptionally long vibrissae,
has a short, close lying, moderately soft spotted coat. This is the
only naturally spotted breed.
Active, very fast, a good hunter, affectionate and reserved, it adapts
well to apartment living, especially when neutered, and gets along
with everyone, though it will establish a favorite person.
Introduced into the U.S. from Egypt in the 1950’s, this breed should
not be confused with the “Egyptian Cats” or “Maus” formerly bred in
Great Britain. This pseudo-Mau is now known as the spotted Oriental
Shorthair, and has been bred from Siamese stock.
The first pair of Egyptian Maus, Gepa and Ludol, were brought to the
U.S. in 1953, but it was some years before the cat clubs came to
recognize the breed. It is now recognized throughout the U.S., but
not in Britain. It might be pointed out that the first true Egyptian
Maus were imported to Britain from Egypt in 1978, so recognition
should be forthcoming.
This is perhaps the oldest of all breeds of domestic cats, with the
possible exception of the Abyssinian, traceable back to the Egyptian
Middle Period (about the time of the Israelite Exodus). Its body
structure and fur are less sophisticated than the more-recently bred
varieties, and it is pound-for-pound the fastest of all the domestic
cats: individuals have been clocked at 36 mph, as contrasted to 31
mph for the fastest American Shorthairs.
There is an interesting trait to this cat: when pursued by a larger
animal, such as a dog, it will sometimes decide to turn and fight even
when it is easily escaping. When it makes such a decision, it pivots
and charges in one clean springing movement, causing much surprise to
the pursuing dog. It usually wins such fights against other domestic
animals, but is really no match for a truly wild animal (like a
coyote), since it is domesticated and has lost the fine edge to its
fighting and hunting abilities. A few generations of feral life,
though, and it’ll defeat anything twice its weight or better.
The Egyptian Mau (“mau” is old Egyptian for “cat”) is a good cat for
people who are allergic to cats. Its older, less sophisticated fur
seems to not cause as many allergy problems (the original hypo-
allergenic kitty?).
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European Blue
Coat: Shorthair
Environment: Apartment, Home or Rural
Disposition: Affectionate, Active, Quiet
Best With: Family with Children
Colors: Blue
The European Blue is essentially a blue European shorthair, being
identical in every way except color. It is a large cat with a
muscular cobby body, medium legs, short tail, and a round head with a
square muzzle and wide-spaced blunt ears. Selective breeding has
produced a luxurious slate-blue coat, short, thick and fine, with a
heavy undercoat and an outercoat that may be somewhat bristly.
Playful, inquisitive, reserved, and an excellent hunter, it adapts
well to almost any environment.
European Shorthair
Coat: Shorthair
Environment: Apartment, Home or Rural
Disposition: Affectionate, Active, Quiet
Best With: Family with Children
Colors: Standard Solid, Standard, Shaded
The European Shorthair, a large cat with a muscular cobby body, medium
legs, short tail, and a round head with a square muzzle and wide-
spaced blunt ears, has a short, thick, and fine coat, with a heavy
undercoat and an outercoat that may be somewhat bristly. This thick
and somewhat shaggy coat allows it to survive the rugged European
winters. It is possible (perhaps probable) that there is some
European Wildcat, felis sylvestris, in the bloodline, producing the
slightly rough outercoat and extra-thick undercoat.
Derived from basic stock brought to Europe from Egypt by the Romans,
the European Shorthair is the basic domestic cat on the European
continent. With many individuals becoming feral throughout history,
this cat is practically another wild species alongside the European
Wildcat. Indeed, in some areas it or breeds derived from it (such as
the Norwegian Forest Cat) outrange their wild cousins.
Throughout Europe and Britain, the tabby pattern-of-choice is the
classic or blotched rather than the mackerel. This is probably the
result of confusion between large brown mackerel-tabby toms and
European Wildcats. The former would usually snuggle and purr when
caressed, while the latter would remove a finger or two! The European
Wildcat also has difficulty distinguishing between, say, a wild
pheasant and a domestic chicken. As a result, many farmers and
villagers started driving away or even killing mackerel-tabbies on
sight: the result, a tendency for classic-tabbies to flourish despite
the recessiveness of their genes.
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While affectionate, the European Shorthair is slightly more reserved
than its British and American brothers, possibly the result of
generations of persecution by the peasantry under the auspices of the
Church. Once deceived, it is virtually impossible to regain its
trust. For those who will love and cherish it, however, it is an
excellent cat, being playful and inquisitive.
Being an excellent hunter and adapting well to almost any environment,
and makes an excellent work cat and is the quintessential ship’s cat.
Exotic Shorthair
Coat: Shorthair
Environment: Apartment
Disposition: Affectionate, Tranquil, Quiet
Best With: One-Person
Colors: Standard Solid, Standard, Shaded, Siamese,
Colorpoint
The Exotic Shorthair, a large cat with a short cobby body, short legs,
medium tail, and a round head with a very short muzzle and small round
ears, dense, soft, silky, and very plush coat, slightly longer than
that of other short-hairs, not lying too close to the body but rather
springy and alive.
Bred by crossing the Persian with the American Shorthair, the Exotic
Shorthair is essentially a shorthaired Persian. Its extremely plush
coat is a result not of the longhair gene but of various polygenes
emphasized in the Persian to produce the thick, plush undercoat.
Like the Persian, the Exotic Shorthair is a quiet, tranquil cat, and
does best in a quiet home free of noise, children, and other pets.
Havana Brown
Coat: Shorthair
Environment: Apartment
Disposition: Reserved, Active, Quiet
Best With: One-Person
Colors: Brown
The Havana Brown, a medium-sized cat with an intermediate body, long
legs and tail, and a wedge head with a long tapered muzzle and large
pointed ears, has a soft, silky, close-lying coat of a rich tobacco-
brown color.
This cat has a unique coat, so much so that in this breed only the
coat is called “brown,” instead of the usual “chestnut” or
“chocolate.” It is, of course, still caused by dense and dark-brown
alleles, b*D*.
In the early 1950’s, two breeders in Britain set about to create a
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Siamese-type cat with a brown coat, distinct from the Burmese sable.
This was achieved in 1952 by crossing a seal point Siamese with a
black British Shorthair, then crossing the result, an all-black
“Siamese,” with a seal point Siamese known to be carrying the
recessive chocolate (dark-brown) gene. The resultant cat was called
the Havana after its tobacco-brown coat (cigars come from Havana).
By 1956 the breed was ready for recognition, but controversy arose
over the body type and the similarity of the color to the Burmese.
The result was that the breed was bred to be like the Siamese in body
conformation, and now belongs to the Oriental Shorthair class of cats,
though it is still called the Havana in most circles.
In the mid 1950’s a pair of Havanas were imported to the U.S., where
they were crossed with American Shorthairs to lessen the extremity of
body shape, and renamed the Havana Brown. The Havana Brown of the
U.S. is by now a totally different cat than the Havana of Britain.
Active, playful, affectionate and lordly, the Havana Brown does best
in a one-person home. It is a very attentive parent and, while not
especially vocal, talks constantly to its kittens.
Himalayan
Coat: Extra-Care Longhair
Environment: Apartment
Disposition: Affectionate, Tranquil, Quiet
Best With: One-Person
Colors: Siamese
The Himalayan, a large cat with a short cobby body, short legs, medium
tail, and a round head with a very short muzzle and small round ears,
has an exceptionally long, thick and silky Siamese-pointed coat with a
definite ruff. It is exactly like the Persian except for the color
and pattern of the coat.
Like the Persian, the Himalayan is a quiet, tranquil cat, and does
best in a quiet home free of noise, children, and other pets.
Honeybear
Coat: Longhair
Environment: Apartment
Disposition: Affectionate, Tranquil, Quiet
Best With: One-Person
Colors: Standard
The Honeybear is a large cat with a short cobby body, short legs,
medium tail, and a flattish head with a square muzzle and small round
ears located on the sides of the head.
Its coat is exceptionally thick and silky, with a definite ruff, but
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Purebred Cats Page 17
is non-matting. It may be found in any of the standard patterns
except solid, the pattern of choice being black with a white teardrop
on the forehead and white spotting on the top of the tail, sometimes
becoming a skunk-like stripe.
Extremely tranquil and seemingly immune to pain, it does best in a
quiet home.
Closely related to the Ragdoll, this is a slowly-maturing breed,
taking a full two years to reach maturity. It is somewhat ungainly in
appearance between kittenhood and maturity. It should not be bred
until at least 18 months old.
The original breeder claims the Honeybears were created by genetic
manipulation of the genes of a skunk, which were then “infused by
injection” into the bloodstream of the parent Honeybear. We find this
incredulous at the least, since genes simply don’t work that way (we
would sooner believe that Nessie is a 65-million-year old plesiosaur,
it is far more likely).
As proof the technique works, the original breeder cites the famous
(or infamous) cabbit, which appeared to be the front half of a cat and
the back half of a rabbit, and “ate like a cat and gave pellets like a
rabbit.” However, a rabbit leaves the kind of pellets it does because
it eats grass and other high-cellulose plants, it would be impossible
for an animal that “eats like a cat” to “leave pellets like a rabbit.”
The cabbit has long since been placed into the same category as the
circus “unicorn,” which was proven to be a surgically-altered goat.
We believe the Honeybear to be simply a mutated Ragdoll. See the
special notes under Ragdolls.
Japanese Bobtail
Coat: Shorthair
Environment: Apartment or Home
Disposition: Affectionate, Active, Quiet
Best With: Family with Children
Colors: Standard Solid, Standard
The Japanese Bobtail, a medium-sized cat with a slender intermediate
body, short legs, a 2-3″ tail, and a high-cheekboned triangular face
with a tapered muzzle and small wide spaced pointed ears, has a short,
close-lying, very silky coat, with the tail hair often flaring to
produce a rabbit-like tail. The preferred color is Mi-Ke (pronounced
“Mee-Kay,” and meaning “three-fur”), which corresponds to the calico
in other breeds, though the black and red patches are almost as
popular. The Mi-Ke has been a Japanese symbol of good fortune for
centuries.
A truly unique breed originally brought from China or Korea, the
Japanese Bobtail has been bred in Japan since at least the eleventh
century, and is now thoroughly identified with the Japanese culture.
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Purebred Cats Page 18
There are three unique characteristics to this cat: the first and
most obvious being its short tail, which is somewhat curled. This
tail is typically 4-5 inches in length if fully extended (which the
cat cannot do), but is about half that in a normal curled, relaxed
position. This shortness, coupled with the hair on the tail tending
to grow strait out in all directions, produces a very rabbit-like
fluffball or pom-pom.
The second unique characteristic is the extremely high cheekbones.
This causes a distinct tilting of the large oval eyes and a turning-up
of the corners of the mouth, producing a distinctly oriental or
“Japanese” appearance with an exaggerated smile when in repose. In
the west the cat would probably have been labeled “smug” (or
“inscrutable,” a favorite western term for the little-understood
Chinese and Japanese) and then persecuted. In Japan it was believed
the cat was content because it was surrounded by good fortune, hence a
blessing to have around. This attitude, far superior to the western
persecutions of the same period, is best understood if it is
remembered that Japan is a land of many earthquakes. Since cats can
predict earthquakes (yes, really!), a peacefully resting cat means all
is well.
The third unique characteristic is the unusual habit of “forgetting”
to put its paw down after cleaning. It may actually sit perfectly
still for five to ten minutes with one paw raised, as though in
blessing. This habit has been merged into Japanese folklore as a sign
of good luck: there are countless statues and pictures of short-
tailed calico cats with one raised paw and a smile on their face.
Curiously, even with its close connection to Japanese culture, the
Japanese showed little interest in the Japanese Bobtail as a breed
until relatively recently. Little was known about the Japanese
Bobtail until the occupation of Japan after World War Two. An
American cat lover was among the occupying forces and she took an
immediate interest in the breed, taking in large numbers of cats,
especially Mi-Kes.
Even though the Japanese were establishing their own cat clubs and
were extraordinarily interested in the various American breeds, they
initially showed little interest in their own cats. In 1963 several
American judges were invited to participate in a cat show in Japan.
These judges were struck with the uniqueness and beauty of the few
Japanese Bobtails exhibited (by the American cat lover). This sparked
the interest of Japanese breeders, and the breed is now flourishing in
Japan as a pedigreed line.
The American cat lover and breeder sent three Japanese Bobtails (two
Mi-Kes and one black and white male) to the U.S. in 1968, only to
return home herself a year later bringing 38 more cats with her. From
these 41 cats, an exceptionally large gene pool, the breed has been
established in this country.
Outgoing and affectionate, the Japanese Bobtail adapts well to family
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life.
Javanese
Coat: Longhair
Environment: Home
Disposition: Affectionate, Active, Vocal
Best With: One-Person
Colors: Colorpoint
The Javanese, a medium-sized cat with a long oriental body, long legs
and tail, and a triangular head with a pointed muzzle, bright blue
eyes and large pointed ears, has a fine, thick, and silky colorpointed
medium-long fawn-to-ivory coat without a ruff.
The Javanese is identical to the Balinese in every way except the
color and pattern of its points.
Being, like the Siamese, active, loving, playful, intelligent,
curious, and sensitive, the Javanese does best with an owner who will
understand its capricious ways.
Kashmir
Coat: Extra-Care Longhair
Environment: Apartment
Disposition: Affectionate, Tranquil, Quiet
Best With: One-Person
Colors: Chocolate or Lavender
The Kashmir, a large cat with a short cobby body, short legs, medium
tail, and a round head with a very short muzzle and small round ears,
has an exceptionally long, thick, and silky chocolate or lavender coat
with a definite ruff. It is exactly like a Persian except for color.
Like the Persian, the Kashmir is a quiet, tranquil cat, and does best
in a quiet home free of noise, children, and other pets.
Korat
Coat: Shorthair
Environment: Apartment or Home
Disposition: Reserved, Active, Vocal
Best With: One-Person
Colors: Blue
The Korat, a medium-sized cat with a roundish intermediate body, long
legs and tail, and a unique heart-shaped face with a tapered muzzle,
large eyes, and large blunt ears, has a short, soft, close lying
silvery-blue coat.
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Purebred Cats Page 20
Known in its native Siam (now Thailand) as the Si-Sawat or Royal Cat,
the Korat (from the province in which it is believed to have
originated) dates back to before the mid-fourteenth century, when it
was described as having a coat with “roots like clouds and tips like
silver.” It is but one of three native Siamese breeds: a brown cat,
the Burmese; a pointed cat, the Siamese; and a blue cat, the Korat.
Unlike the Burmese and Siamese, the Korat has been carefully bred to
maintain the original characteristics. Comparisons with various
ancient manuscripts shows that, indeed, the modern Korat is identical
to its medieval counterpart.
First shown in Britain in 1896, the Korat was disqualified as “blue
instead of biscuit-coloured,” despite the owners claims that it was
indeed a “Siamese,” imported directly from Siam, where there were many
other blue cats just like it. Although there were constant references
in the cat club literature to the blue cats of Siam, there was no
official recognition until 1959, when Nara and Darra were imported
into the U.S. from a Bangkok breeder. They were later joined by
others, and by 1965 the Korat was a recognized breed in this country.
Britain finally recognized them in 1975.
Alert and affectionate, the Korat stays active well into old age and
is an ideal apartment cat. While vocal, it has a quiet, rather pretty
voice, unlike the howling voice of the Siamese, and loves to carry on
“conversations”: if talked to it will answer back. It is somewhat
prone to upper-respiratory viral infections, so adequate vaccinations
are a must.
Maine Coon
Coat: Extra-Care Longhair
Environment: Apartment, Home or Rural
Disposition: Affectionate, Active, Quiet
Best With: One-Person
Colors: Standard Solid, Standard
The Maine Coon, a large cat with a strong well-developed moderately-
cobby body, long and powerful legs, a long tail, and a wide head with
a wedged muzzle and wide-spaced blunt ears, has a long, silky coat
with a pronounced ruff and a heavy undercoat. The largest domestic
cat, the Maine Coon often runs over 25 pounds, with some individuals
reaching well over 30 pounds: one exceptional individual was slightly
over 35 pounds of solid muscle (we’re talking big here, not fat).
According to legend, Marie Antoinette had three long-haired cats,
which she dispatched to America when the throne fell, so they would
not be put to death along with her. Upon arrival in Maine, the cats
escaped and mated with raccoons, resulting in the Maine Coon. In
actuality, it is a cross between 18th-century Persians (not much like
today’s Persians except in being large and having a long coat) and the
rugged short-haired New England farm cats. The resultant breed is a
massive, strong, rugged, cat with a thick coat easily capable of
withstanding the most severe Maine winters. This is a prime example
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Purebred Cats Page 21
of natural selection among domesticated animals, as man’s only part in
the evolution of this breed was the importation of the parent stock.
First recognized as a specific breed in 1861 with a 22 pound male
called Captain Jenks of the Horse Marines (no more ridiculous a name
than Jonathan’s Pasha Sulemon of Ranjipoor, III, a Persian exhibited a
few years back), the Maine Coon has become a popular contestant in New
England and New York cat shows, often taking top honors.
All coat colors and patterns are permitted except the Siamese pointed
coat (in Britain chocolate and lavender are also disallowed), but the
preferred coloration is the patched brown classic tabby, B*ooD*
A*C*tbtb iiS*ww, which strongly suggests the legendary raccoon/cat
mix.
The Maine Coon is active and affectionate, firmly attaching itself to
one member of the home. It loves to roam, but adapts easily to
apartment life, especially when neutered. It does require lots of
exercise, being so large, and if kept indoors must be engaged in
active play on a regular basis.
The Norwegian Forest Cat is similar to the Maine Coon in size and
appearance and often mistaken for it, but is a different animal
altogether.
Malayan
Coat: Shorthair
Environment: Apartment, Home or Rural
Disposition: Affectionate, Active, Vocal
Best With: One-Person
Colors: Burmese
The Malayan, a medium-sized cat with a solid muscular oriental body,
long slender legs and tail, and a round head with a tapered muzzle and
blunt ears, has a fine, thick, shiny, and very silky coat available in
all the Burmese solid colors except sable (and chocolate in Britain).
The Malayan is simply a Burmese in other colors.
Like the Burmese, it is affectionate and intelligent, and does best
with one person who will return its affection and talk to it.
Manx
Coat: Shorthair
Environment: Apartment, Home or Rural
Disposition: Affectionate, Active, Quiet
Best With: Family with Children
Colors: Standard Solid, Standard, Shaded
The Manx, an old breed related to the British Shorthair and similar in
coat and temperament, is a medium-sized cat with a very short cobby
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Purebred Cats Page 22
body, medium forelegs and long hindlegs, no tail, and a round head
with a square muzzle and small wide-spaced round ears. It has a
short, dense coat with a heavy undercoat.
These cats were bred for centuries on the Isle of Man, from whence
they get their name, from ships’ cats that swam ashore during the
sinking of the Spanish Armada in 1588.
Legend has it that the Manx was the last animal to board Noah’s Ark,
and got its tail caught in the door (the unicorns, alas, missed the
boat altogether). While such is a beautiful tale [no pun intended],
in reality the Manx’ attributes are caused by a firmly identified
genetic mutation, with the associated problems caused by polygene
interaction.
These cats are grouped as the rumpies (no tail at all), bumpies or
rumpy-risers (less than one vertebra), and stumpies (one or more
vertebrae). The gene causing this taillessness is non-beneficial,
causing also a shortened, distorted spine and a tilted, deformed
pelvis. Fatal if homozygous, and often causing spinal bifida,
imperforate anus or poor anal sphincter control even when
heterozygous, this mutation would be disallowed today.
Playful, inquisitive, and an excellent hunter, it adapts well to
almost any environment.
Norwegian Forest Cat
Coat: Extra-Care Longhair
Environment: Apartment, Home or Rural
Disposition: Reserved, Active, Quiet
Best With: One-Person
Colors: Standard Solid, Standard
The Norwegian Forest Cat, a large cat with a strong well-developed
moderately-cobby body, long and powerful legs, a long tail, and a
round head with a wedged muzzle and wide-spaced blunt ears, has a
long, silky coat with a pronounced ruff and a heavy undercoat.
Almost identical to the Maine Coon in appearance and size (the
Norwegian Forest Cat is slightly smaller, running a maximum of 25
pounds or so, and has slightly longer hind legs, relative to the
forelegs), the Norwegian Forest Cat, or Norsk Skaukatt, is not related
to it, and may be considered an example of parallel evolution. It
evolved its long, thick coat through a spontaneous mutation centuries
back: definitely a beneficial mutation in light of those “brisk”
Scandinavian winters.
Many Norwegian Forest cats have become feral over time, and this cat
can literally be found in Norwegian Forests, as well as Swedish and
Finnish forests, surviving quite nicely far above the Arctic Circle.
Feral Norwegian Forest Cats are the most northerly ranging of all
“wild” cats. Being a large breed, it can hold its own against the
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Purebred Cats Page 23
equal-sized European Wildcat, felis sylvestris. Interbreeding
centuries back may be responsible for the woolly undercoat, almost
identical to that of the Wildcat, but the two species no longer
interbreed even when sharing the same territory.
A very old breed, the Norwegian Forest Cat is mentioned in Norse
mythology as living in Asgard (the home of the gods), and was often
used as ships’ cats by the Vikings (around 1000). It was later
mentioned in various Norwegian fairy tales put down in 1837 and again
in 1852, where it was called the “Fairy Cat.” Recognized as a
distinct breed in the early 1930’s, it was first exhibited in Oslo
before World War Two. There are many Norwegian Forest Cat
associations all over Scandinavia and Finland, but the breed is just
now becoming popular elsewhere.
The Norwegian Forest Cat is active but reserved, firmly attaching
itself to one member of the home. It is definitely a one-person cat,
and will often go into mourning if left alone. It loves to roam, but
adapts itself easily to apartment life, especially when neutered.
Like the Maine Coon, it requires lots of exercise.
Ocicat
Coat: Shorthair
Environment: Apartment or Home
Disposition: Affectionate, Active, Quiet
Best With: Family with Children
Colors: Spotted
The Ocicat, a large cat with a muscular cobby body, medium legs and
tail, and a round head with a square muzzle and blunt ears, has a
short, thick, and smooth spotted coat with a heavy undercoat. The
coats of some championship Ocicats are truly spectacular.
Playful, inquisitive, and an excellent hunter, it adapts well to
almost any environment.
The original Ocicat, Tonga, was a hybrid formed by the mating of a
chocolate point Siamese and a hybrid queen, herself derived from an
Abyssinian and Siamese breeding program. The breeder thought Tonga
resembled a little Ocelot, hence the breed name.
Since the days of Tonga, the Ocicat has been crossbred many times in
order to strengthen the breed and created a unique spotted breed. The
result is that today’s Ocicat is genetically essentially a spotted
American Shorthair, and is indeed a unique and special breed, its
early frailty completely gone.
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Oregon Rex
Coat: Shorthair
Environment: Apartment or Home
Disposition: Affectionate, Active, Quiet
Best With: Family with Children
Colors: Standard Solid, Standard
The Oregon Rex, a large cat with a muscular cobby body, medium legs
and tail, and a round head with a square muzzle and large blunt ears,
has a soft and close-lying curly coat lacking guard or awn hairs.
The Oregon Rex is essentially a curly American Shorthair, the curly
gene having spontaneously occurred in a litter of Domestic Shorthair
(Heinz~) kittens in the mid 1960’s. Careful breeding with “clean”
American Shorthairs has produced the current breed.
As the Oregon Rex gene, distinct and separate from the Cornish
(German) and Devon Rex genes, is recessive to almost everything and is
easily masked by polygene influence, this breed is all but gone.
There is some current effort being made to revive and strengthen the
line: only time will tell.
Like the American Shorthair, the Oregon Rex is playful and
inquisitive, adapting well to home and family life. Since it has only
an undercoat, the guard and awn hairs being absent, it must be
protected from cold or wet weather. This uniqueness makes it non-
shedding, and ideal for people with cat allergies.
Oriental Shorthair
Coat: Shorthair
Environment: Home or Rural
Disposition: Affectionate, Active, Vocal
Best With: One-Person
Colors: Oriental, Standard, Spotted
The Oriental Shorthair, a medium-sized cat with a long oriental body,
long legs and tail, and a triangular head with a pointed muzzle and
large pointed ears, has a fine, thick, glossy, and close lying coat.
Identical to the Siamese in every way except its solid-color coat, the
Oriental Shorthair is an outgrowth of the Siamese breeding program.
Many other breeds that are crossed to “Siamese” are actually crossed
to Oriental Shorthairs.
There are two Oriental Shorthair standards, the American and the
British/European. The American standard allows the solid Oriental
colors, while the British/European standard also allows Standard and
Spotted coloration (color names are as in the Oriental colors: ebony
and white, rather than black and white). Several American cat clubs
are in the process of shifting to the British standard (after all, we
need some name for a spotted tabby “Siamese”), and eventually the
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Purebred Cats Page 25
standards will merge completely.
The chestnut Oriental Shorthair is also known as the Havana in
Britain, but is a distinctly different cat than the Havana Brown,
which is peculiar to the U.S.
Similarly, the spotted tabby Oriental Shorthair was formerly called
the Egyptian Cat or Mau, and should not be confused with the true
Egyptian Mau, which is an entirely different breed.
Being, like the Siamese, active, loving, playful, intelligent,
curious, and sensitive, the Oriental Shorthair does best with an owner
who will understand its capricious ways.
Peke-Faced Persian
Coat: Extra-Care Longhair
Environment: Apartment
Disposition: Affectionate, Tranquil, Quiet
Best With: One-Person
Colors: Standard Solid, Standard, Shaded
The Peke-Faced Persian, a large cat with a short cobby body, short
legs, medium tail, and a round head with almost no muzzle and small
round ears, has an exceptionally long, thick, and silky coat with a
definite ruff.
The Peke-Faced Persian is essentially a Persian with virtually no
muzzle, giving it a flat Pekingese-type face, complete with bulging
eyes and constant snuffle. These cats are prone to problems with the
sinuses and tear ducts and tend to weep. In our opinion, breeding or
overbreeding cats to this extent is not good for the cat and should be
disallowed: it creates problems for the poor cat and large vet bills
for the owner. We are, however, a minority voice, and the breed will
not go away.
Most clubs do not recognize the Peke-Faced Persian as a separate breed
and class them as Persians. Others recognize only solid red and red
tabby varieties. This will change with time.
Like the Persian, the Peke-Faced Persian is a quiet, tranquil cat, and
does best in a quiet home free of noise, children, and other pets.
Persian
Coat: Extra-Care Longhair
Environment: Apartment
Disposition: Affectionate, Tranquil, Quiet
Best With: One-Person
Colors: Standard Solid, Standard, Shaded
The Persian, a large cat with a short cobby body, short legs, medium
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tail, and a round head with a very short muzzle and small round ears,
has an exceptionally long, thick, and silky coat with a definite ruff.
Originally referred to as Asiatic cats as recently as 1876, the
Persian-type cat was introduced to Europe from Asia Minor about 400
years ago. By the early 1900’s, the Asiatic cat had commenced to be
bred away from the lithe, graceful body of the Turkish Angora (the
original long-haired cat) and towards the more massive and cobby body
of the British Shorthair. Early cat clubs referred to the new breed
as simply Longhairs.
Eventually the breed has achieved a body style far more cobby than the
British Shorthair and come unto its own as the Persian of today,
bearing little resemblance to the Persians of a century ago. It has
become one of the largest breeds, running typically 20-25 pounds for
an adult male, with some individuals even larger: only the Maine Coon
and Norwegian Forest Cat are larger.
The current Persian is somewhat aloof, as though it knows it’s the
showiest of show cats (perhaps it does). It is strictly a one-person
cat, requiring lots of love and care, especially in the maintenance of
its long, silky coat: daily brushings are definitely required.
Curiously, though the Persian has been bred in a wide range of colors
and patterns, those with Siamese coloring have been classed as
separate breeds, the Himalayans and the Colorpoint Longhairs. Even
more curiously, solid chocolate and lavender (lilac) Persians have
also been classed separately as the Kashmirs, sometimes called Solid-
Color Himalayans. There are no real differences in the breeds other
than coloring. A short-haired version, the Exotic Shorthair, is also
found.
When overbred (which happens all too often), the Persian can become
nervous and temperamental. This usually shows in erratic behavior and
misplaced toilet activities (like the middle of your bed). In this
event, all that can be done is to love the cat, but neuter it to
terminate the overbreeding.
It is a common practice for the uneducated to claim that their long-
haired cat is part Persian. Most long-haired Heinz~ are just that,
long-haired Heinz~ and nothing else. When a persian undergoes a
random mating, the kittens are far more likely to be shorthaired than
long-haired. Such is the way of genetics.
The Persian is a quiet, tranquil cat and does best in a quiet home
free of noise, children, and other pets.
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Ragdoll
Coat: Longhair
Environment: Apartment
Disposition: Affectionate, Tranquil, Quiet
Best With: One-Person
Colors: Siamese, (Standard Solid, Standard)
The Ragdoll, a large cat with a short cobby body, short legs, medium
tail, and flattish head with a very short muzzle and small round ears,
has an exceptionally thick, silky, non-matting coat with a definite
ruff. The original Ragdoll and Genuine Ragdoll may be found in the
standard Siamese, Siamese with particolor spotting, or Siamese with
Birman spotting patterns, while the Miracle Ragdoll may be found in
these same colors and patterns plus any of the standard solid and
standard colors.
Extremely tranquil and seemingly immune to pain, this cat does best in
a quiet home. It does not do well with small children, as its
insensitivity to pain makes it easy for it to be hurt, even quite
seriously, without crying out.
The primary physiological difference between the original Ragdoll and
its relative, the Honeybear, versus other breeds is the length of time
for maturity. The original Ragdoll and the Honeybear mature slowly,
taking a full two years to reach maturity, being somewhat ungainly in
appearance between kittenhood and maturity, and should not be bred
until at least 18 months of age. The Miracle Ragdoll and the Genuine
Ragdoll mature at a normal rate.
The original breeder and creator of the Ragdoll claims that the cat is
a phenomenon created by an automobile accident to an alleycat, that
her kittens were subsequently “a different animal in a cat’s body,”
and that the original Ragdolls, and her subsequent breeds, Honeybears
and Miracle Ragdolls, are not of the species felis cattus, but what
she calls “Cherubim Cats” [felis cherubinus?]. She cites various
skeletal differences and their unique dispositions as grounds for her
claim.
Our personal and careful investigation has shown that the parent cat
was herself most likely a mutation and that the accident, if it
occurred, had nothing whatsoever to do with the behavior of the
kittens. The radical behavior pattern evidenced in the kittens and
subsequent cats probably did not show up in the mother because of
recessive polygene masking inherent in the original mutation, which
was “washed out” by mating with normal toms.
We have been led to the conclusion that the original mutation probably
involved a change in the response of those nerve cells concerned with
esthesia (the sensations of feeling and pain), probably a simple
thickening or extension of the myelin sheaths that surround the nerve
cells, thus producing a cat that is effectively mildly anesthetized:
if it can’t feel it, it won’t object to it.
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In addition to the apparent absence of a sensation of pain, kittens
tend to be a little “twitchy,” as though they were experiencing
paresthesia (false sensations of feeling, such as the sensation of a
bug crawling on your arm when there is none there). This would follow
logically if the neurological mutation theory is correct.
As for the skeletal differences of the breeds, especially the
Honeybears, we found them to be well within standard norms and
considerably less extreme than those of the Manx, for example.
As an aside, when asked why she called her cats “Cherubim Cats,” she
replied it was because they were non-fighting. We find this curious
in light of the fact that, theologically and scripturally, the
Cherubim are God’s guards and warriors (see Genesis 3:24 and Ezekiel 1
and 10): her choice of the name was probably influenced by the
cherubs found on Valentine’s Day cards. While the singular of both
“cherubim” and “cherubs” is “cherub,” there is no other similarity
between them. Besides which, all cats fight as part of the mating
ritual, for territorial dominance, and for clowder status: Ragdolls
are no exception.
The rapid mutation of the original Ragdoll into the Honeybear and
Miracle Ragdoll, in spite of (or perhaps because of) the unique
breeding program, indicates to us that the breed may be genetically
unstable, and the complex polygene interaction might be causing rapid
radial evolution (evolution into several distinct and differing breeds
at the same time). It is a shame that the breeding program, or a
parallel program, is not in the hands of competent geneticists, as
much valuable knowledge about the workings of genetics and evolution
could be gained.
Any Ragdoll not bred under the auspices of the original breeder’s
somewhat unique program is called a Genuine Ragdoll for legal reasons,
and is recognized (usually as a simple Ragdoll) by most of the various
cat clubs in the U.S., while the original Ragdoll, Honeybear, and
Miracle Ragdoll are recognized only by the IRCA (International Ragdoll
Cat Association), a private association of which the original Ragdoll
breeder is president and founder.
Russian Blue
Coat: Shorthair
Environment: Apartment or Home
Disposition: Affectionate, Tranquil, Quiet
Best With: Family with Children
Colors: Blue
The Russian Blue, a large cat with a muscular body midway between
cobby and intermediate, medium legs, short tail, and a squarish head
with a square muzzle and wide-spaced blunt ears, has a thick, short,
fine, silvery-blue double coat.
Like its cousin the European Shorthair, the Russian Blue has the
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exceptionally thick undercoat, reminiscent of the European Wildcat,
required to withstand the harsh Russian winters. The outer coat,
however, is smooth and silky, possibly as a result of the breeding
program carried out under the Romanov czars.
The breed first showed up in Archangel, on the White Sea (off the
Actic Ocean near the Finnish-Russian border), in the mid-1800’s. By
the 1900’s the breed was already competing in Britain and elsewhere,
and had been made more streamlined by crossbreeding with Siamese. The
breed effectively stabilized by the time of the Russian Revolution
into a European Blue phenotype with a leaner body and smoother coat.
It has changed little since, resisting the attempts of some breeders
to exaggerate the body conformation.
The Russian Blue was imported to the United States as the Maltese in
1900, but has since established its identity and was formally
recognized in 1947.
As an aside, the Australians recognize an identical cat in dominant
white, calling it the Russian White.
Playful, inquisitive, reserved, and an excellent hunter, the Russian
Blue adapts well to almost any environment.
Scottish Fold
Coat: Shorthair
Environment: Apartment or Home
Disposition: Affectionate, Tranquil, Quiet
Best With: One-Person
Colors: Standard Solid, Standard, Shaded
The Scottish Fold, a medium-sized cat with a muscular cobby body,
short legs and tail, and a round head with a square muzzle and a
unique folding of its small ears, causing them to lay close to the
head like a pair of small caps, has a short, dense coat with a heavy
undercoat.
In 1961 one William Ross, a Scottish shepherd, noticed a lop-eared
British Shorthair mix kitten, Susie, belonging to his employer. Her
ears were small and folded forward, like a puppy’s. Being an alert
individual, William realized that this was unique. Thus when Susie
had a litter two years later in which two of her kittens were also
lop-eared, he obtained one of them. He named his kitten Snooks,
registered it as an experimental, and undertook a breeding program in
collaboration with professional breeders and geneticists. Thus the
Scottish fold came to be.
Breeding and testing has shown that the folded ears is controlled by a
single dominant gene (Fd), so the kittens need only be heterozygous to
have folded ears. The degree of fold is controlled by polygene
influence, and is independent of the folded-ear gene itself. When the
gene is homozygous, there is sometimes a thickening and rounding of
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the tail. At first this was bred for as part of the uniqueness of the
breed, but it developed that there is also a thickening of the limbs
as well, inhibiting the cat’s movements. Cats are now disallowed if
they have this thickening, thus homozygosity is discouraged.
The British cat clubs, led by the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy,
decided in the early 1970’s to disallow Scottish Folds. The reasons
given were a fear of ear mites and reported deafness. Both these
reasons are false: normal hygiene is sufficient to prevent ear mites,
while several of the early Scottish Folds were dominant white, and
dominant white cats are often deaf regardless of breed. The real
reasons are believed to be that the Scottish Folds were winning awards
and drawing attention away from the British Shorthairs, a breed that
has always been the favorite of the GCCF.
Whatever the reasons, the result of this blackballing has been a shift
in Scottish Fold breeding from its homeland to the U.S., where its
uniqueness is appreciated.
Being basically a British Shorthair, the Scottish Fold has a playful
and inquisitive nature. It is not overly fond of small children, and
tends to attach itself to one member of the household. It is
demonstrative in its affection and loves to snuggle, making it an
ideal cat for an invalid.
Since its folded ears do partially cover the auditory canal, it cannot
hear quite as well as a cat with pricked ears: it sort of wears
earmuffs, there’s nothing wrong with its hearing per se. Because of
the reduced hearing, it is not as good a hunter as other cats. It
adapts well to almost any environment.
Siamese
Coat: Shorthair
Environment: Home or Rural
Disposition: Affectionate, Active, Vocal
Best With: One-Person
Colors: Siamese
The Siamese, a medium-sized cat with a long oriental body, long legs
and tail, and a triangular head with a pointed muzzle, bright blue
eyes and large pointed ears, has a fine, thick, glossy, and close
lying solid-pointed, fawn-to-ivory coat .
There are some differences between the American and British/European
standards for the Siamese and related breeds: Balinese, Colorpoint
Shorthair, Javanese, and Oriental Shorthair. The American standard is
considerably more exaggerated than the British/European, which is
closer to the original Siamese in build.
This is a ancient breed, with records at least as far back as 1350,
and is truly a Siamese cat, having been bred in the temples of Siam
(now Thailand).
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There are many legends about the Siamese, especially concerning its
crossed eyes and kinked tail. One story goes that the cats were given
the task of guarding an especially sacred urn, which they did by
watching it so closely that they became cross-eyed. Another legend
says that the royal princess assigned the cats the task of protecting
her rings. She placed the rings on their tails, and the cats then
bent the tips over so they couldn’t fall off. In these ways, the cats
became cross-eyed and kink-tailed.
The Siamese was imported to Europe sometimes in the mid 1800’s, and
was already popular in the cat shows of the 1870’s. The initial
reaction to the Siamese was that it was unnatural and nightmarish,
defying all that was then thought to be the norm for the domestic cat,
but its beauty and personality soon overcame this bad press.
The Siamese is, perhaps, the most popular of all breeds. It is
extraordinarily curious, investigating absolutely everything in its
domain. Extremely intelligent, the Siamese and its cousins train well
to the leash and to car travel, and can be taught to do tricks.
The modern Siamese has an exaggerated oriental body and a long
triangular face, created by breeders from the original stock of basic
Siamese brought to England and the U.S. in the past century. This
exaggerated body structure bears little resemblance to the original
Siamese body, which was more like that of the modern-day Burmese.
This breeding program has attempted to alleviate the crossed eyes and
kinked tail, but has only been partially successful: there still
being a lot of crossed eyes and the occasional kinked tail. Legends
aside, the crossed eyes are due to the partial albinism of the Siamese
gene causing irregular nerve connections between the eyes and their
controlling muscles, producing crossed eyes and double vision: the
cat squints to compensate for this.
This cat is extremely vocal, loudly proclaiming its displeasure at the
slightest provocation. It loves to “converse,” and will answer back
when spoken to. Active, loving, playful, intelligent, curious, and
sensitive, it does best with an owner who will understand its
capricious ways.
Singapura
Coat: Shorthair
Environment: Apartment
Disposition: Affectionate, Tranquil, Quiet
Best With: One-Person
Colors: Brown-Ticked Ivory, Tabby-Ticked with White
The Singapura is a small cat with a muscular intermediate body,
medium-long legs and tail, and a round head with a short tapered
muzzle, a distinctive stopped nose, strong chin, large eyes, and large
pointed ears. Its coat is soft and silky, somewhat springy to the
touch, and is only allowed in two unique colors: brown-ticked ivory
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and tabby-ticked with white, which are very similar. This is the
smallest of the domestic cats, with full-grown males barely making six
pounds.
The basic street cat in its native Singapore, the origins of this
breed are obscure. Some say there has been a recent influx of some
wild species. While this is certainly possible, it doesn’t show in
the temperament. Many colors are found in the Singapuran street cats,
but as yet only two special colors are recognized in the breed.
The people of Singapore are generally not cat lovers (except as food)
and the Singapura has learned through countless generations to be wary
of people. This has resulted in an exceptionally quiet and shy cat:
Singapuras often won’t meow even when injured, lest they attract
attention and wind up in the stewpot.
For quiet, reserved people in a quiet and peaceful lifestyle, this is
an ideal cat, giving all of its love and affection unreservedly to
someone who has gained its trust.
Si-Rex
Coat: Shorthair
Environment: Apartment
Disposition: Affectionate, Tranquil, Quiet
Best With: One-Person
Colors: Siamese, Colorpoint
The Si-Rex is a small cat with a slender oriental body, long legs and
tail, and a triangular head with a pointed muzzle, a long straight
nose, large eyes, and large blunt ears. Its has an unusual face,
giving it a mischievous and pixieish appearance. Its coat is very
curly and wavy, composed only of down hairs, making it unusually
short, fine, soft and silky. The Si-Rex is simply a Cornish Rex with
Siamese coloration.
Like the Cornish Rex, the Si-Rex is agile, affectionate, intelligent,
and tranquil, and adapts well to family life, becoming an ideal lap
cat for a quiet owner.
Lacking awn hairs (running around in its underwear, as it were), it
sunburns easily and must be an indoor-only cat. It is a non-shedding
cat (no outer coat), making it ideal for people with cat allergies.
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Snowshoe
Coat: Shorthair
Environment: Apartment or Home
Disposition: Reserved, Tranquil, Vocal
Best With: One-Person
Colors: Siamese with Birman Spotting
The Snowshoe, a medium-sized cat with a massive oriental body, medium
legs and tail, and a broad round head with a short muzzle and rounded
ears, has a short and glossy, but not too fine, Birman-spotted Siamese
coat.
Created by crossing Birmans with Siamese and American Shorthairs, the
Snowshoe is essentially a short-haired Birman.
Like the Birman, it is tranquil, sociable, and intelligent, and does
best with quiet people and may mope if left alone.
Somali
Coat: Extra-Care Longhair
Environment: Home
Disposition: Affectionate, Active, Quiet
Best With: Family with Children
Colors: Abyssinian
A medium-sized cat with a sleek intermediate body, long legs and tail,
and a wedge head with a tapered muzzle and large, pointed, often-
tufted ears, the Somali has several bands of ticking, sometimes as
many as a dozen, on its extremely soft, long, and ruff-less all-agouti
coat. It has distinctive puma-like facial markings.
The Abyssinian sometimes carries a recessive longhair (l) gene, which
was to be found in some of the original stock imported from Britain
during the 1930’s. For many generations, breeders quietly neutered or
destroyed long-haired kittens, but in the 1960’s a group of breeders
set about to create and perfect the long-haired Abyssinian. The
beautiful Somali is the result: a very striking cat, and certainly
one of the most beautiful.
Like its brother the Abyssinian, the Somali is active, intelligent and
affectionate. It adapts well to family life, and is easily trained.
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Sphinx
Coat: Shorthair (Hairless)
Environment: Apartment
Disposition: Affectionate, Active, Quiet
Best With: Family
Colors: Standard Solid, Standard, Siamese, Colorpoint
The Sphynx, a small cat with an intermediate body, long legs and tail,
and a wedge head with a short square muzzle, stopped nose and large
wide-spaced ears, is a hairless cat, with a slight fuzz of down hairs
present on some individuals. Color is carried in the skin itself.
Bred from a hairless Oriental Shorthair kitten born in Ontario,
Canada, in 1966, the Sphynx is not recognized by all cat clubs. Some
people feel that its hairlessness removes all that is beautiful about
a cat. Such people only see beauty on the outside, but the Sphinx,
like all cats, is beautiful all the way through.
For a person with severe allergies, the Sphinx provides the ideal
solution: there is no cat hair or dander to be allergic to. The
Sphinx loves to receive and show affection, but is not especially wild
about being cuddled. It loves cat beds, pillows, etc. made of soft
fabrics like cotton flannelette (used to make baby sleepers).
A sociable and affectionate cat, the Sphynx must, because of its
hairlessness, be kept indoors at all times and protected from drafts,
as it catches cold very easily. It adapts well to family life. While
we don’t normally recommend Kitty Koats and other such wearing apparel
(why hide a beautiful cat?), they are perhaps a good idea in the case
of the Sphinx.
Tiffany
Coat: Extra-Care Longhair
Environment: Apartment or Home
Disposition: Affectionate, Active, Vocal
Best With: One-Person
Colors: Sable
The Tiffany, a medium-sized cat with a solid muscular oriental body,
long slender legs and tail, and a round head with a tapered muzzle and
blunt ears, has a medium-long, very silky coat of a rich sable-brown
color with a lighter brown ruff.
Bred by cross breeding the Burmese with various long-haired cats, the
Tiffany is essentially a long-haired Burmese. Kittens are born short-
haired with an interesting cafe-au-lait color. Both long-hairedness
and the sable color develop slowly. The color is seldom as rich as
the short-haired Burmese itself, probably due to some polygene
interaction. Nonetheless, the Tiffany is essentially a long-haired
Burmese.
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Like the Burmese, the Tiffany is affectionate and intelligent, and
does best with one person who will return its affection and talk to
it.
Tonkinese
Coat: Shorthair
Environment: Home
Disposition: Affectionate, Active, Vocal
Best With: One-Person
Colors: Tonkinese
The Tonkinese, a medium-sized cat with an oriental body, long legs and
tail, and a moderately triangular head with a tapered muzzle and
rounded ears, has a soft, shiny, and close-lying medium-dark, Siamese-
pointed coat.
Genetically both a Burmese and a Siamese, it is by definition
heterozygous and cannot breed true. If a homozygous Burmese (cbcb) is
mated with a homozygous Siamese (cscs), all kittens will be Tonkinese
(cbcs). If one Tonkinese is mated with another, the Mendelian pattern
of four kittens will be one Burmese (or Malayan) (cbcb), two Tonkinese
(cbcs), and one Siamese (cscs). The Burmese and Siamese will be as
purebred as if they had Burmese or Siamese parents.
The originators of this breed got carried away with naming the colors,
calling them “minks”: natural mink, blue mink, honey mink, champagne
mink, cinnamon mink, fawn mink, red mink, and cream mink.
Curious, active, and fond of company, the Tonkinese does best with an
owner who will provide lots of affection.
Turkish Angora
Coat: Extra-Care Longhair
Environment: Apartment or Home
Disposition: Affectionate, Tranquil, Quiet
Best With: One-Person
Colors: White
The Turkish Angora, the original long-haired breed, is a medium-sized
cat with a slim intermediate body, long legs and tail, and a wedge
head with a tapered muzzle and pointed ears. Its pure white coat is
long, silky and very soft, thinning and shortening in warm weather
almost to the point of become a shorthair, but with the tail remaining
full. This is perhaps the most elegant of all breeds, being very
clean-lined and graceful. When in its “short” phase, it is
exceptionally beautiful. Eye color is always golden orange, pale
blue, or odd (one of each). Blue-eyed cats are often deaf, but can
still make excellent indoor-only cats.
There is some discussion that the Turkish Angora descends from Pallas’
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Cat, felis manul, rather than the African Wildcat, felis lybica, but
most zoologists agree that there are significant objections to this
theory. It is most likely that the longhair gene is the result of a
spontaneous mutation sometime before 1000, and that the cats being in
a restricted area, central Asia Minor, allowed the mutant recessive
gene to become firmly entrenched. The result was that over time the
longhair gene spread both northward and southward, into Russia and
Persia (now Iran).
In the 16th century, Angora cats (Angora is the former name of Ankara,
the capital of Turkey) were brought from Turkey to France, where they
were an immediate hit.
In the late 19th century, however, the Angora cats had to compete with
the relative newcomers, the long-haired Russians and Persians, and the
Persians won out. The Russians and Angoras disappeared from Europe,
the Russians never to rise again.
In its native Turkey the Angora not only didn’t disappear, it
proliferated. The Ankara Zoo, in recognition of the Angora being a
native Turkish animal, undertook a long-term breeding program which
was very successful. The Angora can be found throughout Turkey, in
many colors and patterns.
In the 1960’s the beautiful dominant white Turkish Angora was imported
into the U.S. from its native Turkey, and became an immediate hit. It
received full recognition in 1970, and has been the aristocrat of cats
ever since.
A black variety is also being bred, but has not yet gained
recognition, while a chocolate variety is recognized in Britain.
Tranquil and affectionate, the Turkish Angora (simply Angora in
Britain) is ideally suited for a one-person apartment.
Turkish Van
Coat: Extra-Care Longhair
Environment: Apartment or Home
Disposition: Affectionate, Tranquil, Quiet
Best With: One-Person
Colors: Van
The Turkish Van, a modified Turkish Angora from way back during the
Crusades, is a medium-sized cat with a moderate intermediate body,
long legs and tail, and a wedge head with a tapered muzzle and pointed
ears. Its white van coat is long, silky and very soft, thinning and
shortening in warm weather almost to the point of becoming a
shorthair, but with the tail remaining full. The van markings may be
any color, but the preferred color is red, called auburn in this breed
only.
This cat has one very interesting and unique characteristic: it loves
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water! It loves water so much that many owners report that they
turned on the water to draw a bath, left the bathroom for a few
minutes, and returned to find a tub full of cat!
Tranquil and affectionate, the Turkish Van is ideally suited for a
one-person apartment with a bathtub.
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