How many breeds of cats are there at the moment? How many recognized cat breeds are there How many types of cats are there on earth

The progenitor of all cats in the world was a steppe species (according to another version, a forest one), which began to be domesticated 12,000 years ago. Since then, selection has been born, during which the animal acquired certain traits that are beneficial to humans, and lost others. Now it is difficult to answer how many breeds of cats exist in the world, but you can understand this issue.

The uncertainty in the number of breeds is due to the fact that there are 3 largest felinological organizations in the world at the same time:

• WCF is the World Federation, the most numerous and authoritative at the moment. It was founded in 1988 in Rio de Janeiro, has more than 540 clubs.
• FIFe is one of the participants of the World Felinological Congress. Created in 1950 in Belgium.
• TICA - International Association, founded in 1979 in the USA, but later acquired an international format.

The main difficulty lies in the fact that these organizations do not register and recognize breeds at the same time. Most often this happens with a time interval, but sometimes a species recognized by one organization is not confirmed by the rest. In addition, several breeds are constantly being prepared and documented.

Each organization applies its own criteria and parameters to determine the purebred. Most often these criteria are:

• body shape and body proportions;
• eye color;
• temperament and character;
• features of wool;
• health characteristics, etc.

At the moment, the most varieties are registered in the WCF: about 74, 9 of which are newly registered. FIFe and TICA claim 51 and 73 varieties respectively.

Classifications

The main classifications of cat species are distributed according to 4 main criteria:

• by physique;
• on the coat;
• by color;
• by drawing.

By physique

According to this parameter, cats are divided into 6 main groups:

• Animals with a powerful physique (heavy type). These include the largest representatives. They have the thickest and strongest tail, powerful steady paws and a large short neck. Maine Coons or Siberian cats are considered typical representatives.
• Cobby (chunky). They have a dense and stocky physique. The skeleton is characterized by a wide chest, a large head with a short and wide nose, placed on a shortened neck, which sometimes seems almost absent. Usually the legs are not very high, and the tail is short with a blunt ending. An example would be exotics or manxes.
• Oriental. They have a graceful structure with high paws. There is a graceful neck and a narrow long tail. The head and muzzle are always tapered towards the nose. Typical Orientals are Javanese and Balinese, as well as Siamese cats.

• Foreign. Flexible body with pronounced musculature. High paws and long tail, wedge-shaped head, oval or almond-shaped eyes. The ears may be elongated. Abyssinians are an example.
• Semi-foreign. Those with average parameters are more common than others. Representatives are American Shorthair or Russian Blue.
• Half cobby. Slightly stockier breeds than the previous type. A typical representative is the British Shorthair.

By coat

According to this parameter, cat breeds are divided into 5 varieties:

• long-haired with wool up to 15 cm long (Burmese, Siberian, Persian cat);
• shorthair (Egyptian Mau, Chartreuse, Russian Blue);
• curly wool (German Rex, Cornish Rex);
• Wirehaired (American Wirehaired);
• without wool (, bambino, sphinx).

By color

There are a huge number of colors, but they are all divided into the following main types:

• monochrome (korat, havana);
• two-color (Norwegian forest, ragdoll);
• motley (color-point, angora);
• with specks (Persian chinchilla or American shorthair cat);
• multicolor or tortoiseshell (bobtail, sphinx, persian).

according to drawing

The main variants of drawings that form the breed:

• solid pattern (red, black, brown, gray, etc. breeds);
• zonar color (striped, marble or spotted tabby);
• white spotting (mostly a whole color with spots of different colors);
• solid white;
• color-pointed (light body and dark limbs);
• silver (smoky, silver, chinchilla and cameo).

Some of the drawings can be viewed in the gallery:

Description of the main breeds

The main types of cats were derived from the earliest, but not always the most common, breeds. And now breeders continue to experiment with these species, achieving new results.

• British. They became the ancestors of two main lines: British Longhair and Shorthair, the older of which is the Shorthair. Both species are characterized by an ideal coat, which is very easy to care for: it does not roll and does not shed as actively as other representatives of the cat world.
• . In color, they resemble wild rabbits, for which they received their first name - “rabbit cats”. Very accommodating, with a good disposition and graceful body.
• Scottish. There are 2 main forms - straight and lop-eared. The base was straight-eared, and the lop-eared was the result of genetic experiments, during which it was possible to fix the gene responsible for the regression of cartilage tissue.
• American Curl. The main distinguishing feature is the ears, which are bent inward or backward at different angles. The inner surface of the auricle is densely pubescent. American Curls are very active animals, playfulness and activity remain with them until old age.
• European Shorthair. Experts believe that this breed was formed with minimal human participation. It is quite difficult for a non-professional to distinguish these cats from ordinary yard cats, since they are as close as possible in terms of genotype and appearance.
• Angora. There is an opinion that she became the predecessor for all long-haired thoroughbred groups. A distinctive feature is the absence of undercoat and a thick collar around the neck.
• Egyptian Mau. Of all the species currently known, Mau is the most ancient. For the first time her image was drawn 3 thousand years ago. Her eyes look very unusual: they seem to be lined with eyeliner, and a pattern in the form of the letter “W” is visible between the ears.

It would seem such a simple question: how many breeds of cats exist in the world? However, it can cause a huge amount of controversy. Why?

To find the answer to this question, first of all, you need to find out who exactly is involved in the registration of existing breeds, the description of their standards, and the inclusion of new names in the list. Not every person can cross two cats and claim that he has invented a new breed!

A truly thoroughbred animal can only be considered a cat that has a pedigree.

Pedigrees are issued by special clubs of cat lovers. Clubs unite into felinological organizations. Each pedigree cattery must be registered with one or more of these organizations.

It is important to understand the difference between a club and an association of felinologists. Clubs and nurseries are mainly engaged in breeding animals, improving their breed qualities - exterior, color, character. Sometimes they breed new breeds or color variations, but they must be approved by the large organization to which this club belongs.

These large organizations determine which breeds can be recognized as existing, how to evaluate cats belonging to them. All parameters that the animal must meet are also described by felinological associations. In addition, they are in charge of all cat shows, the time and order of their holding.

The difficulty lies in the fact that there are not one or two such organizations - there are many of them.

In addition to a dozen international ones that enjoy honor and respect in any country, there are many more small, “self-made” associations that build their work mainly on deceiving newcomers. Therefore, it is better for nurseries and buyers to cooperate with well-known associations.

That is why it is difficult to unequivocally answer the question of how many cat breeds there are in the world - each association has its own views on this, its own list of recognized breeds.

If we talk about the most prestigious organizations, then WCF has about 70 cat breeds, and CFA - a little over forty. In addition, there is a significant difference in the colors of various breeds, which are recognized somewhere more, somewhere - a smaller number.

The emergence of new breeds is a laborious task, since it is necessary not only to achieve the stability of the obtained signs, but also to wait for recognition in prestigious cat associations, and they are distinguished by a certain conservatism. Oddly enough, it is the American systems that turn out to be more strict in this matter, although otherwise they keep up with the times.

Unfortunately, playing on human gullibility and lack of information, many scammers pass off ordinary yard cats as true aristocrats. For example, they offer to buy a "kitten of the rarest color - Abyssinian platinum." If you decide to get a truly thoroughbred pet, first carefully study the standards, make sure that you distinguish a purebred animal from a fake.

Of course, love is not measured by the purity of blood, but by buying the so-called kittens of a rare breed (in fact, non-existent), you support scammers who do not hesitate to throw unsold kittens into the trash, and continue this death conveyor for their own benefit.

A real, passionate breeder takes care of his pets, monitors their life in new homes, is always ready to give advice and help. Such people are doing a wonderful job - they improve breeds and create new ones, delighting all cat lovers.

How many breeds of cats are there on Earth?

How beautiful is nature! Who could say how many colors and tones cat hair can be? Not to mention shapes and patterns!

How many types of cats are there?

Combinations of the most unthinkable colors and tones create patterns, fantastic shapes, bizarre contours on cat coats. The color of the cat's coat is stunningly diverse: it can be snowy white, reddish and orange, almost red, it can be smoky gray, ebony black or brown, moreover, we can even meet blue cats! And these are just colors and tones: a cat coat can also be plain, spotted, polka dot, striped, the coat can be smooth or wavy, very short or long and silky. And cat eyes! Green, yellow, orange, blue, dark ... The color of wild cats sooner or later becomes similar to their habitat. Cats living in the steppes and in desert areas have a sandy color, and in European forests, brown cats can be found in most, and the skins of cats living in tropical forests are spotty, orange tones. Camouflage plays an important role in obtaining food, that is, in survival.

Praise belongs to breeders

The unique color, pattern, coat type and features of different types of cats are accentuated only if a person deliberately breeds them. Breeding purebred cats for the first time they began to practice in Asia, at that time in Europe they did not pay much attention to this, cats were used only for catching mice. Compared to dogs purebred cats very little. The difference between breeds in the case of cats can be smaller than, for example, between a German Shepherd and a Miniature Poodle. Cats began to be bred solely for decorative purposes, so today they are distinguished not by what tasks they can perform, but by their appearance. In contrast, dogs perform different functions depending on the breed, so the difference between individual groups of breeds is clearly highlighted: guards, hunting dogs, shepherds, decorative, etc ...

Not only the skin is important

In all countries there are special clubs that breed officially recognized cat breeds. Each breed has its own characteristics and standards. The most important feature that distinguishes one breed from another is the color and length of the coat, as well as the shape of the head. For a specialist, the length of the tail and ears, their shape, location, color and position of the eyes are no less important. Cat breeds along with their physique, they also characterize unique features, as well as temperament. For example, it is well known that Siamese cats are frisky, intelligent, excellent companions, and their voice is uniquely sharp. On the other hand, Persian or long-haired cats are a little phlegmatic, a little lazy, catching mice is not their specialty, at the same time they are modest, calm and very polite. Ragdolls have a unique feature: if you pick them up, they relax your muscles, like a ragdoll (hence the name).

How many cat breeds are there?

No one can give an exact answer to this question, since each club and community has its own rules regarding both color and pattern, temperament and features. But what is certain is that there are about a hundred officially recognized and registered cat breeds, and each of the breeds has almost seven hundred subspecies that have different external data and a unique temperament.

Guys, we put our soul into the site. Thanks for that
for discovering this beauty. Thanks for the inspiration and goosebumps.
Join us at Facebook and In contact with

There are more than 250 breeds of cats in the world: bald and fluffy, wayward and friendly, affectionate and freedom-loving. But there is something that unites them all: they are incredibly beautiful. Anyone who wants to make a meowing friend can take a kitten from a shelter, or buy one from an elite cattery.

We are in website got interested in how much the rarest breeds of cats cost, and, frankly, were surprised. We invite you to find out the prices for the most exotic representatives of the cat world.

norwegian forest cat

The ancestors of this cat were bred by the Vikings 2,000 years ago. Cute and fluffy, this cat can withstand severe cold and is an excellent hunter. The price of a kitten varies from $600 to $3,000.

Himalayan cat

This breed is very similar to the Persian, but differs in blue eyes and color-point color (light body with a dark muzzle, paws, ears and tail). This breed was bred in 1950 in the USA. Himalayans are affectionate, obedient and friendly cats with a calm disposition. A kitten of this breed will cost $500-1,300.

Scottish lop-eared

The visiting card of this breed is cute ears that do not stick up like ordinary cats, but hang. Such an unusual detail of their appearance is the result of a gene mutation. These are smart cats that get along with all family members and are never averse to playing. Another distinctive feature of this breed is that they can stand on their hind legs and look at what interested them. A kitten costs from $200 to $1,500.

Peterbald

Peterbald, or St. Petersburg Sphynx, was bred in Russia in 1994. These elegant cats have a slender body, long head shape and large ears set apart. The body may be bald or covered with down. The nature of cats is affectionate and sociable, they are easy to train. Such a kitten will cost $400-1200.

Egyptian mau

The appearance of these cats has changed little over 3,000 years - since ancient Egypt. The spotted color of this breed is manifested not only on the coat, but also on the skin. To become the owner of an ancient Egyptian cat, you need to spend $500–$1,500.

Maine Coon

This is one of the largest cat breeds. Representatives of this breed can weigh from 5 to 15 kg, and the body length of an adult Maine Coon can reach 1.23 m. But despite their formidable appearance, they are affectionate, gentle and playful animals. The price of a giant kitten varies between $600-$1,500.

LaPerm

This is one of the most unusual breeds that appeared in 1980 in the USA. In addition to curly hair, cats of this breed have another feature: they are hypoallergenic, so they are perfect for families with allergies. A kitten of this breed costs $200–$2,000.

Russian blue

Serengeti

This breed was bred in 1994 in California. It belongs to large cats: the weight of an adult Serengeti is 8–12 kg. They have a strong build, large ears, spotted coloration and very long legs. You can buy such a cat for $600-2000.

Elf

This young cat breed was bred in the USA in 2006. Elves are very friendly, intelligent, mischievous, sociable, inquisitive and loyal creatures. Those who wish to purchase such a unique pet will have to pay a rather large amount - $ 2,000.

Toyger

This large cat breed resembles a tiger in color, which is why it got its name. The creator of the breed claims that the toyger was bred in order to inspire people to care about the conservation of tigers in the wild. You can get inspired to save tigers for $500-$3,000.

american curl

This breed originated in California in 1981. Newborn kittens are difficult to distinguish from ordinary cats, but by the 10th day of life, their ears turn back like small horns. This feature touches hundreds of thousands of people around the world. You can join curl fans for $1,000-$3,000.

Bengal

This breed was developed by crossing an Asian leopard cat with a domestic cat. These cats are very fond of swimming, and, despite their impressive size (4–8 kg), they often climb onto the shoulders of their owner. You can buy a mini leopard for $1,000–$4,000.

Safari

This rare breed was created by crossing an ordinary domestic cat and the South American wild cat Geoffroy. The first representatives of the breed were bred in the United States in the 1970s to study leukemia. The weight of an adult cat is an average of 11 kg. You can become the owner of a domestic predator for $4,000–8,000.

If a cat's whiskers are removed, it may have poor orientation in space, for example, hunt poorly and generally feel insecure. The whiskers help the cat determine if it will fit through the hole!

The scientific name for mustaches is vibrissae, which is why they are often called simply vibrissae in Russian-language literature. The mustache really vibrates. If the cat's whiskers look forward, it is very interested in something. Or in skirmishes he wants to scare the opponent. If the whiskers look back - the cat is scared, she avoids touching.

How many cats are there in the world?

Cats wag their tails when faced with a choice, one desire blocking another. For example, if a cat is standing in a doorway and wants to get out, and it is raining outside, the tail will wiggle due to internal conflict. The cat wants to go out, but doesn't want to get wet. As soon as she makes a decision (stay at home, or go out into the rain), the tail will immediately stop swinging.

flying cats

If the cat or cat is not sterilized, then it is necessary to monitor the windows in the apartment, especially after the onset of heat. It is best if the windows have bars or nets. There should not be free access to the balcony railings and window sills, because the animals, jumping out into the air, unable to stay at a height, fall down.

If it was not possible to secure your pet, and he fell, you should immediately seek help from a veterinarian. Contrary to popular belief, falls are dangerous for cats, especially between the second and fifth floors.

Most often, internal organs are injured, the owners take the painful behavior of the animal as a shock and do not rush for help. This is a mistake, after a fall, it is necessary to urgently hospitalize the animal, either take it personally, or urgently call good veterinarians who will carefully treat the animal.

There were cases when, having stopped the bleeding, doctors released the animal without checking the condition of the internal organs.