The term "original breed" is used to describe a cat breed that was not intentionally created or altered by people. These are older breeds that were around before people started to intentionally breed cats for certain characteristics.

Cat breeds of this type are also sometimes referred to as "natural breeds."

Original Cat Breeds

European Shorthair
American Shorthair
Chartreux
Thai (Traditional Siamese)
Kurilian Bobtail
Maine Coon
Turkish Angora
Turkish Van
Japanese Bobtail
Norwegian Forest Cat
Siberian Forest Cat
Manx
Cyrmic
Pixie-Bob
Korat
Singapura
Sokoke

Labels: cat breeds, cat facts

Doreen sent us these photos of her 7 year old Siamese cat "Mousse."







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Labels: cat breeds

Janice sent in this picture of her 3 year old Ragdoll Jayk playing in the snow:



Jayk is a beautiful cat! Thank you to Janice for sending the photo.

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Do you have a Ragdoll Cat yourself? Read Ragdoll Secrets.

By the way this is our 400th entry! The big four oh... oh!

Labels: cat breeds

A description of the characteristics of the Ragdoll cat. Find out if they would be right for you.

By Alexandra Heep

This breed is one of the more recent ones and dates back to about 1960. Just as the name implies, it is a cuddly, "floppy" kitty. Hence, it tends to relax when you hold it, even if you hold it on his or her back like a baby. Its fur is very soft. As a matter of fact, it feels more like rabbit hair. A Ragdoll kitten is born white and color won't show until a few weeks later. Their marvelous color patterns won't be completely developed until age two and they keep growing until they reach full maturity at age four.

The Ragdoll is one of the larger breeds, with males weighing in at 20 pounds or more. This breed has the pointed color schemes from the Siamese and the long hair and bushy tails of the Persians. Even though that makes them look somewhat like a Himalayan, thankfully, they lack the health and grooming issues of that breed. Their heads have a curved profile, but their faces are not flat, so you won't have the sinus issues of the Himalayans and Persians to worry about. Since they also lack the heavy dense undercoat, they won't mat or shed a lot. However, they do need some regular grooming; a few days a week with a metal comb should be sufficient.

While quiet and of a placid temperament, Ragdolls still like to play. They like to please their owners, which make them quite trainable. Praise and attention works best with these cats during training sessions. They are also more likely to take to a leash than other cat breeds. They don't enjoy high places and hence don't tend to jump on things, which makes them perfect for a home that has a lot of valuables.

Before a Ragdoll turns its gorgeous blue eyes on you and asks you for a home, consider some other facts. They may not be very vocal, but they are actually less antisocial than other cat breeds and even long for companionship. You must be able to devote time each day for this cat. It is actually even better if there is another cat in the household while you are gone to work. Due to their calm nature, they won't defend themselves and that is why they need to be kept indoors at all times. When they play, they do so without extending their claws. Unfortunately, these characteristics are being used to market them towards homes with small children. Unfortunately, this breed's name makes it sound like a toy. Do not let children treat it as such. Squeezing and holding animals too tight, as well as picking them up in an unsecured manner, is never alright, even if the animal exhibits no defensive behavior.

Your new Ragdoll kitten should not only be your pet, but your companion as well. Enjoy your new family member, with all of his/her lovely charisma and adorable features.

Labels: cat breeds

Tanya sent this picture of her Ragdoll cat Felix:



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Labels: cat breeds, kitten pictures

Dave sent in this photo of his adorable Ragdoll kitten and the following message:

"His name is Sherman. He is such a good boy. He does not like to eat much?? Have tryed may foods, he is just not interested. He loves to play all day & sleep all night. He has a tabby cat brother & two great dane brothers. They have loved each other since the first day Sherman arrived at our home."



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Labels: cat breeds, kitten pictures

The Russian Blue cat breed (sometimes called the Blue Russian) is one of the oldest cat breeds in the world. Russian Blues were being shown at cat shows as early as 1900.

They were originally shown in Britain (having been taken home by British seamen in Russia) as Archangel Cats. They were called this because they were taken from the Russian port Archangel on the White Sea.

They have a good temperament and they like a peaceful home life. They are known to become very attached to their owners. Some Russian Blues will even refuse to eat if their owners are away.

Russian Blues usually treat strangers with distrust until they get to know them. This should not be considered fear. They usually only like to lay in the lap of their owners.

As you would imagine most Russian Blues have a "blue" color (looks like gray to me, but that's another matter) as can be seen in the photo below. But there are also white and black Blue Russians.




Cat Care Fundamentals - Care For Your Russian Blue

Labels: cat breeds

Rebecca sent in these lovely photos of her Ragdoll cats Tiddles and Sky:









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Labels: cat breeds

We received this photo of a beautiful ragdoll kitten along with this message from Lori: "The attachment is a photo of our 3 month old rag doll kitten “Lombardi”. He is quite a rascal and such a pleasure to have around. It’s entertaining just to watch him play with any of his toys. He has a sister cat. Her name is “Jasper”. She is a 12 year old Tonkinese. She has adjusted well to her new little brother, even though the 2 cats are exact opposites in temperament. Lombardi is a wonderful addition to our family!!!"



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Labels: cat breeds, kitten pictures

"Mutation Cat Breeds" refer to cat breeds that have not been bred for a very long time and are based on one striking, unusual, hereditary characteristic. The simplest way of thinking about it is that a genetic mutation can occur and then a new cat breed may be based on that mutation by breeding the cat with the mutation. Sometimes it's a single cat that is the basis of a new cat breed in this way but usually the breed will be based on a group of cats with a similar mutation.

Today's Thursday 13 is a list of 13 of these mutation cat breeds. I'm also linking to a cat blog for a cat of that breed when I can find one. If you have a cat blog for a cat with one of these breeds leave a comment here and I'll edit you in!

1. Munchkin

2. Devon Rex
(Check out Daisy The Curly Cat)

3. American Bobtail

4. German Rex

5. Bohemian Rex

6. American Curl

7. American Wirehair

8. Selkirk Rex

9. Cornish Rex

10. La Perm
(video of Cornish Rex & La Perm cats below)


11. Sphynx
(Check out Dragonheart's Domain)

12. Don Sphinx

13. Manx

Discuss Cat Breeds On The Cat Forum (You Can Now Post As A Guest!)

Labels: cat breeds, Thursday Thirteen

Abyssinian cats are one of the oldest breeds of cats in the world. The Abyssinian breed resembles the cats found in the pictures of cats from Ancient Egypt but a direct link to ancient Egyptian cats has not been found.

The breed is named after the land where they came from which was called Abyssinia. Today Abyssinia is known as Ethiopia.

The Abyssinian cat is known for it's highly active & intelligent nature. They are also usually very friendly. They do not often meow. They like attention from their owners and generally go wherever their owners go; following them everywhere. They get along well with other cats and also with dogs.

Abyssinian cats are of medium size with a medium build. They give the impression of standing high on their legs with a muscular, sturdy, & elegant body.

They have an easy to care for coat that is short and fine and lies close against the body. Abyssinians have a ticked tabby coat pattern which means that the basic color of the coat is alternated on each separate hair.

Abyssinian cats usually have a coat of ruddy, sorrel, blue, fawn, or silver color.

The nickname "Aby" is sometimes used to refer to Abyssinian cats.

Use the Complete Cat Training Guide to train your Aby.

Abyssinian videos:

Labels: cat breeds

The British Shorthair cat breed originated in England during the late 1800s. Most of the cat shows of the time in England were primarily featuring cats from far off lands such as the Siamese and the Persian. Only very wealthy people could afford these cats and their breeding and showing was something only wealthy people were involved in.

Locals felt their British farm cats were just as beautiful as any of these so called "exotic" cats so they began to breed them. The breed was developed with stocky British house cats that had round heads to give them a more distinctive look. Sometimes they would be crossed with a Persian as this helped the breeders achieve the look they were going for more quickly.

Originally the British Shorthair cat was referred to simply as a "Shorthair," "English," or "British" cat.

British Shorthair cats are extremely adorable (in my professional opinion) and are often said to look like teddy bears. They have short hair (of course) and their coat can be almost any color, pattern, and marking. They have big full cheeks and a round shaped head with large round eyes that are set far apart.

They usually have a quiet and friendly temperament. They get along well with other cats and can also do very well with dogs. They do not demand attention as some other breeds do. While they can be quite playful as kittens, their activity level usually drops a lot after they reach 1 or 2 years old.

British Shorthairs do not take a lot of special care. The one thing you may want to watch out for with your British Shorthair is their diet because they love to eat and they are not as naturally active as some other cat breeds. Because of this they have a tendency to get fat.

Photo of a "blue" British Shorthair cat:


Do you want your British Shorthair (or any other kind...) cat featured on this site? Email your photos to MyCatWearsClothes@yahoo.com

Complete Cat Training Guide

British Shorthair videos:

Labels: cat breeds

Kathryn sent in some wonderful pictures of her flame point Himalayan kitten "Marshmallow" and she also included a pretty funny story as well with her email!

"Her name is marshmallow. i call her my little toasted marshmallow. she is a dollfaced flame point himalayan. there is actually a funny story behind her. for 7 months marshmallow was known to be a boy. the vet and the breeders confirmed when i got her that it was a boy. i went to get him neutered today, and to my suprise my beautiful baby boy is not a boy at all. in fact, she is a beautiful little girl. sooo weird. here are some pictures of her. enjoy."

Aww, look at her pretty blue eyes!


Marshmallow & flower:


This picture is particularly cute. Look at the tiny toasted Marshmallow popping out of the big boot!

Labels: cat breeds

American Bobtail Cats are a new and uncommon breed. They first started to appear in the late 1960s. It's most notable appearance wise for it's short "bobbed" tail which resulted from a genetic mutation. It's tail is similar to that of a Manx.

Despite similarities in appearance the American Bobtail is not related genetically to the Japanese Bobtail cat at all. The causes of their short tails are also completely different.

American Bobtails can have short or long coats. They can also have any color of eyes and any color of coat.

The American Bobtail breed was not recognized by the International Cat Association until 1989!

American Bobtails are very active and playful and are considered to be very intelligent cats.

Interestingly American Bobtails develop slower than most domestic cats. They take a full 2 to 3 years to grow into their adult size.

See an American Bobtail cat pictured below:


See a black American Bobtail cat play fighting with a Calico cat in this video:

Labels: cat breeds

The rare cat breed Snowshoe have white marking on the face, chest, and the feet. They are smaller cats that are lean and muscular. Pure breed Snowshoes always have blue eyes. When a Snowshoe cat is first born he will be all white. Within the first few weeks they begin to develop their colors and markings. Snowshoes do not have a consistent pattern for their markings and coloration.

Snowshoes first appeared in the 1960s in America and they were bred by cross breeding Siamese and American Shorthairs.

As far as personality goes Snowshoes tend to be very social cats and they generally need more attention than the average cat. They do not like to be left alone for long periods of time.

Labels: cat breeds

As mentioned in a previous entry Himalayan cats are also known as colourpoint Persians. Usually in America they are called Himalayans while in Europe they are referred to as colourpoint Persians.

Himalayan cats were bred from Siamese and Persians so they share the characteristics of both breeds.

Himalayans always have a white body but they have points that come in many different colors.

Himalayan cats are quite rare and they can be quite expensive to buy.

Recently Himalayan cats have hit the big time in Hollywood in the well known movies Meet The Parents and Meet The Fockers. The cat known as Mr. Jinx in the movies is a Himalayan cat.

The movies Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey and Homeward Bound: Lost in San Francisco also feature a Himalayan cat. The cat in these movies is called Sassy and is voiced by Sally Field.

See a Himalayan cat pictured below:


Video of a Himalayan kitten playing with a ball:


Short video of a Himalayan washing their face:

Labels: cat breeds

Persians are one of the oldest cat breeds in the world and they originate of course from Persia which we now know as Iran.

Persian cats with points are called Colourpoint Persians in Europe but Himalayan cats in the US.

Some examples of Persian cats:

White Persian:


Orange Persian:


Persian Chinchilla:


Some videos featuring Persian cats:

Here's a Persian cat trying to catch some computer fish:



Here's two Persian kittens play fighting:

Labels: cat breeds

Ragdolls have become one of the most popular cat breeds in the US since they were developed by a Californian cat breeder in the 1960s named Ann Baker.

Ragdolls are known for their sweet & affectionate nature. They got the name "Ragdoll" because of their tendency to go limp when picked up and held. The idea being that when you hold them it feels just like holding a rag doll.

Pictured below is a Ragdoll Blue Colourpoint:


Ragdolls are so popular that they have their own own cat care guide specifically for their breed:



Ragdoll slide show (with the Bee Gees as the soundtrack):



Here's a Ragdoll watching television (this reminds me of Simon because he watches TV too!)



Ragdoll Kitten Vs. Chihuahua

Labels: cat breeds

Most Siamese cats have seal point coloration as seen in the above photo of a seal point Siamese kitten. The other officially recognized Siamese colorations by the Cat Fanciers Association are blue point, chocolate point, and lilac point.

All Siamese kittens are born pure white or cream colored and develop their points during the first few months of life. The point pattern of Siamese cats is actually caused by a form of partial albinism. Basically the melanin production in Siamese cats is heat sensitive and fails to work at normal body temperatures but coloration can form in the cooler parts of the body such as the feet. This is why Siamese cats have coloration at their points but not in their extremities. This also explains why they are pure white at birth because at birth they are of course very warm all over their body.

Siamese cats originate in Thailand and have existed there for hundreds of years.

Many other cat breeds have been derived from Siamese cats including Balinese, Burmese, Colourpoint Shorthair, Himalayan, Javanese, Ocicat, Serengeti, Snowshoe, and Tonkinese.

The video below features a seal point & blue point Siamese. The seal point is the larger of the two. They are two year old siblings.

Labels: cat breeds

Maine Coons are large energetic cats. Average weight is between 13 and 20 pounds for males with some growing as large as 25 pounds. Average weight for females is 7 to 11 pounds. They take longer to grow into their full size than most cats as they don't usually reach full size till age 3 to 4 years.

Maine Coons are one of the oldest natural breeds in North America having originated from domestic cats brought over from Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. These cats were faced with extremely cold conditions in New England and only the strongest survived. Through natural selection the cats we know as Maine Coons today developed.

There is a myth that Maine Coons originated from the offspring of a house cat with a Raccoon but this is genetically impossible. Most cat breeders today believe that the Maine Coon breed originated from preexisting domestic short haired cats mating with long haired cats from overseas. While Maine Coons are similar in appearance to Norwegian Forest Cats this is believed to be because both species faced environments that were much alike thus through natural selection processes that mirror each other similar characteristics developed.

Maine Coons are known for their intelligence, their dexterity, and their playfulness. They use their paws more like hands than most cats. They can easily learn to open cabinet doors and turn on faucets. They can even pick up small objects and often eat from their paws rather than the bowl when eating. Their high intelligence makes them one of the easiest cat breeds to train. They are more dog like in their behavior and will even play fetch just like a dog.

Here's a Maine Coon playing with and drinking water from a water faucet:



Here's a Maine Coon opening up a door:



Here's a Maine Coon playing with a straw:



A Maine Coon kitten playing:

Labels: cat breeds

Native to northern Europe, the Norwegian Forest Cat has adapted to the very cold conditions of Norway. In Norway Norwegian Forest Cats are known as "Skogkatter" or "Skaukatter."

They are large cats with the males usually weighing in at between 13 and 22 pounds. The females are not as large at only about half of that size on average.

Their behavior is comparable to Maine Coons. They are intelligent and playful cats. They love being out doors, they are very well suited to cold conditions, and they are fantastic hunters.

Norwegian Forest Cats also enjoy being with people and can be indoor cats as well. They are usually very patient and thus do well with children. They enjoy climbing up trees if in the outdoors or climbing up whatever you have around the house if they are indoors! They like to be high so they can see everything around.

The Norwegian Forest Cat was first introduced in the United States in 1979. They are sometimes called "Wegie" in the US.

Norwegian Forest Cat Photos:

Labels: cat breeds