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10. Norwegian Forest cat
The Norwegian Forest cat (Norwegian: Norsk skogkatt or Norsk skaukatt) is a breed of domestic cat originating in Northern Europe. This natural breed is adapted to a very cold climate, with top coat of glossy, long, water-shedding hairs, and a woolly undercoat for insulation. Although this is uncertain, the breed’s ancestors may have been a landrace of short-haired cats brought to Norway by the Vikings around 000 AD, who may also have brought with them long-haired cats, like those ancestral to the modern Siberian and Turkish Angora breeds. During World War II, the breed became nearly extinct until efforts by the Norwegian Forest Cat Club helped the breed by creating an official breeding program. It was registered as a breed with the European Federation Internationale Feline in the 970s, when a local cat fancier, Carl-Fredrik Nordane, took notice of the breed and made efforts to register it. Currently, the Norwegian Forest breed is very popular in Norway, Sweden, Iceland and France.
It is a big, strong cat, similar to the Maine Coon breed, with long legs, a bushy tail and a sturdy body. The breed is very good at climbing, since they have strong claws. The lifespan is usually 4 to 6 years, though kidney and heart diseases have been reported in the breed. Specifically in this breed, complex rearrangements of glycogen branching enzyme (GBE) can cause a perinatal hypoglycaemic collapse and a late-juvenile-onset neuromuscular degeneration in glycogen storage disease type IV.
9. British Shorthair
The British Shorthair is the pedigreed version of the traditional British domestic cat, with a distinctively chunky body, dense coat and broad face. The most familiar colour variant is the “British Blue”, a solid blue-gray with copper eyes, but the breed has also been developed in a wide range of other colours and patterns, including tabby and colorpoint.
It is one of the most ancient cat breeds known, probably originating from European domestic cats imported into Britain by the invading Romans in the first century AD. In modern times it remains the most popular pedigreed breed in its native country, as registered by the UK’s Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF).
The breed’s good-natured appearance and relatively calm temperament make it a frequent media star, notably as the inspiration for John Tenniel’s famous illustration of the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland. In the more modern era, a blue British Shorthair is the subject of the original “I Can Has Cheezburger?” image, credited with popularising the lolcat phenomenon.
8. Turkish Angora
The Turkish Angora (Turkish: Ankara kedisi, Ankara cat) is a breed of domestic cat. Turkish Angoras are one of the ancient, natural breeds of cat, having originated in central Turkey, in the Ankara region. The breed has been documented as early as the 7th century and is believed to be the origin of the mutations for both the coloration white and long hair. The breed is also sometimes referred to as simply the Angora or Ankara cat.
7. Abyssinian
The Abyssinian is a breed of domestic short-haired cat with a distinctive “ticked” tabby coat, in which individual hairs are banded with different colors.
It is named after Abyssinia (now called Ethiopia), the empire from which it was first thought to have originated; more recent research now places its origins somewhere nearer the Egyptian coast. It has become one of the most popular breeds of short-haired cat in the United States.
6. Russian Blue
The Russian Blue is a cat breed that comes in colors varying from a light shimmering silver to a darker, slate grey. They develop close bonds with their owners and are sought out as pets due to their personalities, beauty and coat. It is their short, dense coat which has been the hallmark of the Russian breed for more than a century. The dense coat stands out from the body and you can draw patterns in the coat that will stay until you smooth them out again.
5. Maine Coon
The Maine Coon is the largest domesticated breed of cat.
It has a distinctive physical appearance and valuable hunting skills. It is one of the oldest natural breeds in North America, specifically “native” to the state of Maine (though the feline was simply introduced there), where it is the official state cat.
No records of the Maine Coon’s exact origins and date of introduction to the United States exist, so several competing hypotheses have been suggested. The breed was popular in cat shows in the late 19th century, but its existence became threatened when long-haired breeds from overseas were introduced in the early 20th century. The Maine Coon has since made a comeback and is now one of the more popular cat breeds in the world.
The Maine Coon is a large and sociable cat, hence its nickname, “the gentle giant”. It is characterized by a robust bone structure, rectangular body shape, a silky flowing coat and a long, bushy tail. The breed’s colors vary widely, with only lilac and chocolate disallowed for pedigree. Reputed for its intelligence and playful, gentle personality, the Maine Coon is often cited as having “dog-like” characteristics. Professionals notice certain health problems in the breed including feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and hip dysplasia, but reputable breeders use modern screening methods to minimize the frequency of these problems.
4. Savannah
A Savannah cat is a cross between a domestic cat and the serval, a medium-sized, large-eared wild African cat. The unusual cross became popular among breeders at the end of the 990s, and in 00 the International Cat Association accepted it as a new registered breed. In May 0, TICA accepted it as a championship breed.
A Bengal breeder, Judee Frank, crossbred a male serval, belonging to Suzi Woods, with a Siamese (domestic cat) to produce the first Savannah cat (named Savannah) on April 7, 986. In 996, Patrick Kelley and Joyce Sroufe wrote the original version of the Savannah breed standard and presented it to the board of The International Cat Association. In 00, the board accepted the breed for registration.
3. Cymric
The Cymric is a breed of domestic cat. Some cat registries consider the Cymric simply a semi-long-haired variety of the Manx breed, rather than a separate breed. Except for the length of fur, in all other respects the two varieties are the same, and kittens of either sort may appear in the same litter. The name comes from Cymru, the indigenous Welsh name of Wales, though the breed is not associated with Wales, and the name was possibly given as an attempt to provide a “Celtic”-sounding name for the breed. The breed’s Manx bloodline originated in the Isle of Man, though Canada claims to have developed the long-haired variant. The breed is called the Longhair Manx or a similar name by some registries.
2. Khao Manee
The Khao Manee cat, also known as the Diamond Eye cat, is a rare breed of cat originating in Thailand, which has an ancient ancestry tracing back hundreds of years. They are mentioned in the Tamra Maew, or Cat Book Poems. Khao Manee cats are pure white with a short, smooth, close-lying coat. They can have blue eyes, gold eyes or odd eyes with one of each colour. The odd eyed Khao Manee is the rarest variety. They are muscular, athletic cats of moderate foreign type and are reputed to be active, communicative and intelligent.
Although the breed is well known in its native land it has only recently been adopted by Western cat breeders, gaining “registration only” status from TICA in May 009. On September 0, the breed was promoted to “Preliminary New Breed”, effective from May 0, and on 0 August 0 the breed was promoted to “Advanced New Breed”, effective immediately.
On January 4, 05 the Khaomanee breed was advanced to Championship level in TICA, efecctive May st, 05.
On 8 September 00, at the meeting of the GCCF Executive Committee, the Khao Manee was granted breed name in GCCF, and was approved for exhibition only. The Khao Manee Cat Club was granted GCCF pre-affiliation at the Council meeting on 6 October 0.
1. Toyger
The toyger is a breed of domestic cat, the result of breeding domestic shorthaired tabbies (beginning in the 980s) to make them resemble a “toy tiger”, as its striped coat is reminiscent of the tiger’s. The breed’s creator, Judy Sugden, has stated that the breed was developed in order to inspire people to care about the conservation of tigers in the wild. It was recognized for “Registration only” by The International Cat Association in the early 990s, and advanced through all requirements to be accepted as a full Championship breed in 007. There are about 0 breeders in the United States and another 5 or so in the rest of the world.