The list of different breeds of cats in the world is huge; according to the International Progressive Breeders’ Alliance (IPBA), there are 73 recognized cat breeds, all being unique and special in their own way. This CatAppy article, here, tries to enlist all the breeds.
Kitty Fame!
Taylor Swift has two Scottish Fold breed cats. The recent one is named Olivia Benson, and the older one is Meredith Grey. There are many celebrities like her who have fallen in love with these lovely felines!
Cats (Felis catus) are one of the few animals that have been domesticated since ages. They have accompanied humans almost anywhere and everywhere! And yes, all these felines have made us fall in love with them too. Yes, we are aware that some people have this great misconception about the so-called ‘cold and aloof’ attitude of cats, but then, don’t those big round eyes make you feel like cuddling them? They talk to you with their meows and their great soulful, speaking eyes. Sure, they need their space sometimes―but who doesn’t? So, stop blaming and start loving them.
You might think of a tabby when you think of a cat breed. But it is not a breed but a pattern, so any breed can have a tabby pattern. There are so many different kinds of cats that we thought best to list them out for you.
Cat Breeds
Abyssinian cat
The name indicates its country of origin Abyssinia (now, Ethiopia). It is a medium-sized and short-haired cat with a slender look, and a distinct “ticked tabby” coat. Pointed ears, slight wedge-shaped head, and almond-shaped eyes are some prominent features. Those expressive eyes can be green, hazel, gold, or copper in color.
Aegean cat
The only cat breed to have originated in Greece, the Aegean cat is a medium-sized breed and has semi-long hair. The coat can have two or three colors, but it always has a white in it. It may or may not have some tabby stripes. The almond-shaped eyes are seen in the shades of green.
American Curl
This distinct and uncommon breed originated in California. The unique ears are seen curled backwards. It is a medium-sized and healthy cat breed and is both long-haired and short-haired.
American Shorthair
This is quite a popular breed that originated in North America. It has a medium-sized body, which is quite powerful―well-suited for a working cat. It is often seen in the recognized eight colors and their combinations.
Balinese
This long-haired breed is a natural mutation of the Siamese breed. It gets its point coloration and blue eyes from that breed. It originated in the U.S. as a result of deliberate breeding. There are two types: the traditional and the modern, both have pointed ears, graceful stance, long legs and tails.
Bengal
This spotted beauty is a hybrid of an Asian leopard cat and a domestic cat. It also originated in the U.S. The spots and rosettes give the Bengal cat a wild look―similar to a leopard. It comes in different colors, but brown-spotted and snow-spotted are recognized colors. The stripes on the legs are also unique to it.
Birman Cat
It is also known as the “Sacred Cat of Burma”. This breed originated in France. The Birman is a medium-sized cat with a broad face, Roman nose, pointed coloration, and white glove-like patches on the paws.
Brazilian Shorthair
It originated in Brazil and is the only one internationally known from this country. It is a medium-sized cat but has a powerful body. It has pointed ears and round-shaped eyes of different colors that match its coat color.
British Shorthair
Obviously, this breed originated in Great Britain, and has a compact but powerful built. The big and round face, medium-sized ears, short muzzle, and blue or orange eyes are few of its unique features. British shorthairs come in different coat colors and combination, which is dense and crisp.
British Longhair
This is another breed from Britain. It is a medium-sized cat with a powerful physique. The coat of long soft hair come in different colors like white, fawn, lilac, black, etc. It has a round face with bright round eyes. It also has short ears and a thick, bushy tail.
Bombay cat
These black beauties originated in the U.S. as a result of crossbreeding the Burmese and the black American Shorthair.Bombay cats have a complete, tight, and glossy black coat and bright almond-shaped eyes.
Burmese cat
The Burmese originated in Burma and Thailand. They are medium-sized cats with a short and glossy coat. These are found in brown color mostly. They have big, round eyes that are green or gold in color.
Burmilla
This breed originated in the United Kingdom due to the accidental breeding of Chinchilla Persian and the Burmese breed. These medium-sized cats are found in both short and semi-long haired varieties. They have eyes in a slight oblique setting, which come in shades of green. These have a distinct lining near the eyes, nose, and the mouth.
Chartreux
A rare breed which originated in France, this cat is different from the British Shorthair because of its different textured coat. The Chartreux has a double coat which is water-resistant, and the texture is like that of sheepskin. It is a medium-sized breed with a muscular built. It is found in the blue (gray) color and has bright orange or copper-colored eyes.
Cheetoh
This breed originated in the United States. It is a new breed that was developed by breeding the two spotted cats―Bengal and Ocicat. It has stripes and spots too. Also, it has bright, almond-shaped eyes.
Cornish Rex
This unique breed from the U.K. has an undercoat of only 1 cm. The coat might be of different colors and might be curly too. Long whippy tails, round ears, and big ears are other prominent features.
Colorpoint Persian
This is a long-haired breed which was developed by crossing a Persian cat with a Siamese cat. Its origins are unknown, though it has a round face, short legs, and is seen in different point coloration. The eye color changes according to the coat colors, and can also be blue.
Cyprus cat
This is a landrace of domestic cat which originated in Cyprus. It can be quite large in size and have long legs. The triangular-shaped head, straight muzzle, and olive-shaped eyes are some of its prominent features. It is found in a variety of different colors.
Devon Rex
This breed originated in England and has a soft, curly, and short coat, just a bit more than the coat of a Cornish Rex. Large ears and eyes, noses slightly upturned, and large toes are some of its features. It comes in different colors, and the eye color matches its coat color.
Don Sphynx Cat (Donskoy)
Egyptian Mau
These naturally spotted beauties are small or medium-sized and uncommon cats that originated in Egypt. They have a slender but muscular body, and their front legs are slightly shorter than the back ones. They also have a distinct “scarab beetle” or “M” mark on their forehead.
European Shorthair
This breed is often known as the “Celtic shorthair” and is said to have originated in Finland/Sweden. It is a medium-sized cat with a muscular built and round face. It is seen in different colors and eye colors that match the coat color. The eye colors are mostly green, yellow, or orange.
Exotic Shorthair
This breed originated in the United States by breeding the Persian cat and the American Shorthair, to develop a short-haired version of the Persian. It has a huge and oval face with large, round eyes, small ears, fluffy coat, and a short and thick tail.
Havana Brown cat
This breed originating in England as a result of the breeding a Siamese cat and a domestic black cat. It is a medium-sized and a short-haired breed. It has a distinct brown color with no tabby markings. The ears are big, and the eye color is green.
Kurilian Bobtail
This natural breed is said to be native to Japan and Russia. It is found with short and long-haired coat with a unique, small and fluffy tail. The common coat colors are grey and red with bobtail stripes. Common eye colors are green, yellow, or a mix of the both.
Korat cat
This blue-gray and short-haired cat is a natural breed that originated in Thailand. It has a shimmering coat and the tips are silver in color. The eyes are large and in adults, the color is green, and golden-green in kittens. The shape of its face resembles a heart shape.
Maine Coon
This cat breed originated in Maine, U.S. and is the largest domesticated breed. The Maine coon has a dense and water-resistant coat, which can be of any color. All eye colors except blue (possible in full white) are accepted. Its long, bushy, and raccon-like tail is one of its distinct features.
Munchkin cat
This is a short breed that originated in the United States. It has distinct short legs, which is natural. The hind legs are slightly longer than the forelimbs. Themunchkin comes in all coat colors and is seen with both long and short hair. The coat patterns are different in each cat.
Nebelung
One of the rare breeds that originated in United States, it is characterized by a long neck and body, dense fur coat, and large, green eyes. The Nebelung also has large and pointed ears on its wedge-shaped face. It has a long and silky double coat of a distinct shade of gray.
Norwegian forest cat
This naturally large breed, which originated in Norway, is characterized by its long and bushy tail and legs, and large ears. It has a double coat of any color; with the silky and water-repellent top coat and a woolly undercoat. It has almond-shaped oblique eyes that may be of any color.
Ocicat
This is a naturally spotted breed which originated in the United States. It is found in more than 12 recognized colors. The dark contrasting spots, dark markings, powerful legs, and almond-shaped eyes are some of its characteristic features. It also has oval-shaped paws and tilted ears.
Oriental Shorthair
This breed originated in Thailand but was developed in the United States. It has a slender but muscular body with a wedge-shaped head and long ears. TheOriental shorthair is found in different colors and patterns. Its almond-shaped eyes are green or might be blue in some cases.
Persian (Modern and Traditional)
This long-haired cat is recognized by its distinct round face. It comprises the traditional Persian cat (comes from Iran) and the modern Persian cat (comes from the US). In case of the both, the coat is long, both are natural breeds, while their body structure is shortish and thickset.
Peterbald
This cat, originating in Russia, is gracefully slim but is muscular in its built. Its ears are set wide apart, the head is long and narrow, while the eyes are almond-shaped, and the tail is like a whiplash. The Peterbald comprises a hair-losing gene, because of which, it may appear bald.
Ragamuffin cat
This cat originated in the U.S. It is distinguished by its broad chest, broad shoulders, and rabbit-like fur. The coat is of medium length on the entire body, which increases in length towards the middle. The coat although thick, doesn’t clump and can be maintained easily.
Ragdoll cat
With its origin in the U.S., theragdoll cat is recognized by its large frame, sturdy body, and colorpoint coat. The coat is semi-long, soft and silky to touch, and its legs are proportionate to its body.
Russian blue cat
Coming from Russia, this cat has a bluish-gray coat and blue eyes. It has a double coat, with the undercoat being softer and appearing even more blue. The tail has dull-looking stripes. The silver tips on its entire body give the Russian blue cat a shimmery appearance.
Russian White, Black and Tabby
The Russian White, Russian Black, and Russian Tabby are breeds that originate from Russia. These were developed by mating a Siberian cat and a Russian Blue. They have different coat and eye colors.
Savannah cat
A cross between a serval and a domestic cat, it has its origins in the U.S. Tall and slim, it has a spotted pattern. Its distinct features are the tall, cupped ears, hooded eyes, and puffy nose. The cheetah tear or tear streak markings run near the corner of the eyes, similar to a cheetah. It is long and leggy.
Scottish Fold
This breed, originating in Scotland, is affected by a mutation which causes its ears to fold forward and down (lop-eared), giving it an owl-like appearance. The head, eyes and face of a Scottish Fold are generally round. The head is dome-shaped, while the neck is short. The eyes are widely set.
Selkirk Rex
This cat breed, originating in the U.S., is distinguished by its highly curled hair. The coat is soft and appears like wool, with unstructured curls. The head is round with rounded eyes and the ears are medium-sized.
Serengeti cat
A cross between the Bengal cat and Oriental shorthair, this cat breed, originating in the U.S., bears spots on its body, its legs are long, and its ears are large and round tipped. Its neck is comparatively long and blends with its skull.
Siamese cat
This breed has its origin in Thailand. Its eyes are blue and almond shaped, body is slender yet muscular, and it displays point coloration. The ears of the Siamese are large, while the head is wedge-shaped.
Siberian cat
This cat breed originating from Russia is a powerfully built cat with large, round paws. It has a broad forehead, barrel-like chest, and a stocky built. Its body bears a slight arch.
Snowshoe cat
This cat breed originated in the 1960s, in the U.S. It has light-colored fur with teal or blue areas, making it a pointed cat and a distinct white on the paws. Thesnowshoe has wide, sparkling blue eyes, which resemble the shape of a walnut. Its body is firm and well-muscled but not stocky.
Somali cat
Coming from Somalia, this mutated cat breed is available in 28 colors, but only 4 color patterns are registered. They are ruddy or usual pattern, sorrel (red), fawn, and blue colors. It is recognized by its full plume tail and colorful fur, facial markings, long ears, and dark hock, which eventually gives it a fox-like look.
Sphynx cat
This breed from Canada, which descends from natural mutation, is recognized by its long ears, lemon-shaped eyes, and absence of coat. They appear hairless but they aren’t. Sphynxare barrel-chested (stocky) with a muscular body. Their tail is long, like a whip.
Thai cat
Obviously belonging to Thailand, this cat is a natural breed. The head is triangular in shape with a long, flat forehead. It has a flat coat with no long hair. This cat shows point coloration.
Tonkinese cat
This cat is a crossbreed between a Siamese and Burmese cat and originated in Canada. It is a medium-sized cat with a long body. The legs and tail are slender as compared to the body but still in proportion. Eyes are almond-shaped to an extent, and the head is wedge-shaped with a blunt muzzle.
Turkish Angora
From its name, it can be guessed that this cat has its origins in Turkey (central Turkey to be precise). It is one of the oldest yet natural cat breeds. The eyes may be blue, green, amber, yellow in color or odd-eyed. The Turkish angora has a long, silky coat with a wiggly body. Mostly it is pristine white, although other colors are also observed.
Turkish Van
With this breed being developed in Great Britain from a selection of cats coming from southwest Turkey, this cat has semi-long hair, and it’s identified by its van pattern, i.e., color is present on the head and tail, otherwise it is white. It has blue or amber colored eyes or can be odd-eyed.
A Few More Breeds
American Bobtail
This breed originating in the U.S. is recognized by its broad and thick bobbed tail that is one-third to half the length of a normal cat’s tail. The small size of its tail is due to a genetic mutation. The body is stout, its chest is broad, prominent whiskers are present, and its ears are set wide apart and are medium in size.
American Wirehair
This American cat breed is a mutated version of the American Shorthair. Its coat is wiry and springy, including the fur on its ear and whiskers. It has a moderate built, high cheekbones, and a prominent muzzle. The eyes are golden in color, while some are blue or amber colored.
Arabian Mau
A native of the Arabian Peninsula, this cat, in terms of body structure, is neither large nor slim but has well-developed muscles. It has long legs with oval paws. Eyes are oval and slanted, and mostly are bright green in color.
Australian Mist
This Australian cat breed is medium in size with short hair and big eyes. Its coat color resembles a misted veil, which is due to random spots in solid color areas.
Asian
Also called Malayan, this cat breed was first developed in Great Britain, is muscular, well-developed, has a broad chest, and a medium-length tail. The coat is shiny and glossy. This breed has 4 major types: the Asian Self, the Asian Tabby, the Asian Smoke and the Burmilla (shaded Asian).
Asian Semi-longhair
A native of Great Britain, this crossbreed cat is recognized by its long hair. This medium-sized cat is found in coat colors such as blue, black, brown, chocolate, and lilac. Eye color is in shades of green.
Bambino
A cross between a Sphynx and Munchkin cat, this American cat is named so because of its baby-like or kitten-like appearance. Also, Bambino in Italian means baby. It has huge, standing ears, while its legs are short. It appears hairless with the skin color being pink or white.
British Semi-longhair
A native of the U.K., this cat breed differs from the British Longhair only by its coat length, which is of medium length in case of the former.
California Spangled
A native of the U.S., this breed is a cross between many strains, which includes the Abyssinian, American Shorthair, and British Shorthair. It is bred in such a way to resemble an ocelot and leopard. It is long, lean, muscular, and spotted (triangular, oval, or square). Coat colors can be brown, charcoal, red, golden, etc.
Chantilly-Tiffany
A cross between long-haired Asians and Burmese cats, this cat is a native of the U.S. It has a semi-long coat, which is silky and soft. Its eyes are golden in color, while the coat colors can be chocolate, blue, cinnamon, etc.
Chausie
A native of France, this cat is medium in size, long, lean, and with long legs. Its ears are tall, upright, cheekbones are prominent, and coat comes in 3 colors―black, black grizzled tabby, and brown ticked tabby. Eye color is golden or yellow.
Colorpoint Shorthair
This cat is graceful in its appearance, with a long, hard body, triangular large ears, and fine boning. The eyes are almond-shaped and blue in color.
Cymric (Manx Longhair)
This cat breed, originating from the Isle of Man, has a compact and muscular body with a rounded appearance. Its eyes are large and full, while the ears are set wide apart. The hair is well-padded on the body, adding to its rounded appearance.
Dragon Li
This domestic breed originated in China and has a beautiful golden brown coat, which has stripes like the tabby pattern. Some other features include yellow-green and almond-shaped eyes and tipped ears.
Dwarf cat (Dwelf)
The condition of dwarfism is responsible for dwarf cats. Their origins are unknown. They can be found both in the hairless and shorthair types. Their face is big and the legs are small but thick.
FoldEx cat
This is an official breed originating in Canada. It was developed by crossing a Scottish Fold and the Exotic. It resulted in a more round face, short nose, and bigger round eyes.
German Rex
This medium-sized breed originated in East Germany. It has a round face, open and large ears, and has a silky coat of different colors. The color of the eyes match the coat color.
Japanese Bobtail
This natural breed originated in Japan (Southeast Asia). It has a medium-sized body with large, triangular, and upright ears, and oval eyes. The coat colors of aJapanese bobtail will vary, and the eyes may have different colors.
Javanese cat
This oriental-type breed originated in North America. It has a silky and long-haired coat of different colors. It has large, upright ears and oval eyes, and the color of their eyes depends on their coat color.
Khao Manee
Also known as the Diamond Eye cat, this breed is quite rare and is said to have originated in Bangkok. It has a muscular body covered with a pure white and silky coat. The eyes can be gold, blue, or one eye of each color.
LaPerm
This breed from the United States, is known for its peculiar curly coat. It is a medium-sized breed with a soft and wavy coat, wedge-shaped face, and almond-shaped eyes of colors that match its coat.
Lykoi
This werewolf-like cat breed comes from the United States. The unique coat is mostly solid black (gray). It has a hairless face, wedge-shaped head, and round, yellow-green eyes.
Manx
This unique tail-less cat originated on the Isle of Man. It is a medium-sized cat with only a small stub as the tail. It is found in many colors, though white is rare. The almond-shaped eyes go with the coat color.
Minskin
This breed originated in the U.S., as a result of crossing the Munchkin and the Sphynx. It is hairless like one parent and is short like the other. It can be seen in different patterns with different eye colors.
Napoleon
This breed originated in the U.S., by crossing a Munchkin and a Persian cat. This cat has short legs and a good boning to support it. It also has a round face and eyes, and a dense coat.
Ojos Azules
This beauty originated in Poland. It is a medium-sized cat with large, round, blue eyes. Its coat is silky and short. It is found in several different colors and patterns.
Oregon Rex
This curly coat breed originated in the United States. It is a medium-sized cat and has a wedge-shaped head, large ears, oval-shaped eyes, and long legs. It has a peculiar tight, silky, and curly coat.
Oriental Bicolor
This cat originated in the United States. It has a long, slender body with a triangular head. The eyes are normally green but can be blue (colorpoint), and the coat is sleek and glossy with white spotting.
Oriental Longhair
The name itself tells you that this cat has an Oriental-style body, its features are long and tubular, and its coat is semi-long and silky. It is found is several colors: chocolate, fawn, lilac, cinnamon, red, cream, etc.
Pixie-bob
This medium-sized cat breed has its origin in the U.S. It is thought to be bred from bobcats, and hence, it bears ‘bob’ as a part of its name. Its coat is short or long with a tabby pattern of brown spots.
Raas Cat
This cat, originating from Indonesia, has physical attributes that match a leopard or bobcat. The body is pretty large in comparison to a regular cat’s size, while the tail is bent at the end. Its eyes are dark green in color and oval in shape. The face is squarish.
Singapura
This natural breed of cat, originating from Singapore, is recognized by its brown ticked coat, large eyes, and blunt-tip tail. Known as one of the shortest cat breeds, it has a short, fine coat and a moderately well-built body.
Sokoke
Originating from Kenya, this natural cat breed resembles a tabby cat in its wilder form. It has a blotched tabby coat with eyes ranging in color from amber to light green. Its body is long and thin with long legs. A distinct feature is the agouti body-ticking that can move all the way to the tail’s tip.
Toyger
This cat, with its origin in the U.S., was obtained by breeding tabby cats that are short-haired, thus making it appear like a miniature tiger. According to breeding standards, it is vertically striped with circle-like markings on the legs, tail, and neck. These cats are black, brown, or tan in color, while their eyes are round with a deep color.
Ukrainian Levkoy
This cat of Ukrainian origin is distinct from others because of its inwardly folded ears, while there is little to no hair growth. Its face resembles a dog, and it has almond-shaped eyes. It is an average-sized cat with a long body.