Cats vary far less in size and shape than dogs, but, as with
their canine cousins, each of the pedigree cat breeds has its own special
personality and physical characteristics.
The registration process for pure-bred cats is similar to that
used for dogs, and most countries have one or more organizations responsible
for registering breeds and setting show standards. When pedigree kittens are
born, the breeder or owner registers them with the relevant organization and
receives in return a certificate confirming the breed and the ancestry of the
kitten. This will show its parents, grandparents and often earlier generations
as well, so it will be an important document if you plan to breed from your
kitten in the future.
Turkish Angora
Long hair appeared as a mutation among cats in central
Turkey centuries ago, and this ancient breed is named after the Turkish city of
Angora (now Ankara). By the 16th century travellers had taken
Angoras to France, from where they spread to the rest of Europe. However, after
playing an important part in the development of the Persian breed, these cats
gradually became scarce and were only saved from extinction by a breeding
programme based at Ankara zoo in the 1960s. At the same time, an artificial re-creation
of the breed began in the UK, using Oriental shorthair stock (these cats are
now known simply as Angoras).
The Turkish Angora is a graceful, slender, silky-coated cat
without the fluffy undercoat of the Persian. White is the traditional breed
colour, but a much wider range of colours is now available. This cat has a
playful, friendly nature.
Turkish Van
The Turkish Van has a white body, usually with a cream or
auburn tail and similar areas of coloration above the eyes. The eyes themselves
may be either blue or amber, or a combination of the two. This is an active cat
which – unusually – enjoys swimming. Its home is on the shores around Lake Van
in the east of Turkey.
Maine coon
This is an old American breed, whose name is thought to have
come from its racoon-like bushy tail. It has short legs with a squat body and a
square head. Originally a tabby, the Maine coon is now bred in a range of
colours, with the coat becoming much less profuse during the warmer months of
the year.
This cat often displays an independent streak, but is also
affectionate towards its owners and people in general.
Persian longhair
This cat can be recognized by its stocky body type and flat
face. The legs are comparatively short, the head is quite rounded with small
ears placed well apart, and the fur is long and silky with a thick undercoat.
The Persian is placid by nature and makes an excellent companion, but it
requires dedicated grooming; its face will also need gentle washing from time
to time if the hair becomes stained with food.
Persian longhairs are available in a vast range of colours.
Self-coloured varieties (when the cat is just one colour) include white, black,
blue, chocolate, lilac, red and cream. Bi-coloured cats are a combination of
white with one colour (for example, white and red). There are many patterned
longhairs, such as silver tabby, brown tabby and red tabby. Parti-coloured
varieties are also available, including tortoiseshell (a combination of red and
black) and tortoiseshell and white; as in other cats, these are usually
female-only varieties. The chinchilla is particularly attractive, and has a
white coat with each hair tipped with black. A stronger degree of black tipping
on the hairs produces the grey effect that is described as smoke.
White Persians have varying eye coloration. In some cats
both eyes are blue, in others they are orange, and in odd-eyed whites there may
be one of each. In common with most other blue-eyed adult cats, a congenital
problem means that these white Persians are usually deaf. In the odd-eyed
white, deafness is restricted to the ear on the same side of the face as the
blue eye.
Norwegian forest cat
The Norwegian forest cat is similar to the Maine coon in
appearance. It is an old breed originating from Scandinavia, where its woolly
undercoat gives good protection against the cold. Bi-coloured tabbies are
common in this breed.
Birman
This is similar in appearance to the colourpoint longhair,
but has characteristic white ‘gloves’ on all four feet and comes in just four
colour varieties – seal, chocolate, blue and lilac. It is known as the Sacred
Cat of Burma and, according to legend, the first Birman was a temple cat in the
ancient south-east Asian kingdom of Khmers. It belonged to a saintly priest
whose soul migrated into the cat when he died, whereupon his god gave the cat
white feet as a mark of blessing.
Balinese
This is a long-haired version of the Siamese, with a similar
lithe body shape; it is bred in all the same colour patterns. The coat lacks
the thick undercoat of the Persian.
Colourpoint longhair
This is a Persian with the patterning of a Siamese cat; in
the USA it is better known as a Himalayan. The members of this breed are
usually friendly cats and make good companions.
NON-PEDIGREE CATS AND PET-TYPE PEDIGREES
Over many generations cats have been bred in a variety of
coat lengths and colours, often with little thought given to their parentage.
As a result, pure colours – such as blue (actually a dilute form of black) –
are very rare in ordinary non-pedigree cats, but are usually broken by tabby
markings and often by pure white areas too. Selective breeding has been carried
out to eliminate the markings, but even some show animals have hints of
undesirable dark tabby stripes.
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