How to Know Your Cat’s Breed?

Cats are curious creatures and stunning in their ways, which makes them one of the most lovable pets. Some are tender, some love their freedom, some are furry, some are hairless, and some are friendly, but cats can be your best companion.

Look at the variety of cats you can find in the world. Each one is different and has its own distinct physical and behavioral traits.

Each cat breed’s behavioral and physical traits are often attributed to environmental factors and genetics. The Himalayan cat, the Savannah cat, the Chausie, the Khaomanee, the Bengal Cat, American Cur, Toyger, Archangel Blue, Laperm, Maine Coon, Egyptian Mau, Peterbalds, Scottish Folds, Himalayan Cats, Norwegian Forest Cats, each breed looks different, and the list seems endless.

Whatever their breed, each cat is unique in their physical attributes and has special qualities that make them fascinating to humans.

The International Cat Association (TICA) recognizes almost 73 cat breeds. So, there are lots of different cat breeds. But, when you try to find out which breed your cat may be, it becomes a little bit complicated for anyone. It is easier to identify Persian cats or Siamese from their physical attributes. However, for all other cat breeds, the job is a little difficult.

The physical attribute and behavior of cats can provide clues about their breed, but the result is not always accurate. Maybe you have rescued the cat, adapted it from a shelter, it is a stray cat, or a gift from someone- in these cases, you will receive no documentation about its breed or character traits.

However, knowing the lineage does not help much. Cats often do not resemble their parents making it more complex to tell their breeds.

How to find out which breed your cat is?

Sometimes, it is possible to determine the cat’s breed based on its physical traits. By checking the coat color, coat pattern, tail size, length, and fur hair, it is sometimes possible to deduce the particular breed of your cat.

Coat Color and Pattern

There are a great variety of cats with different coat colors and patterns. Siamese and Himalayan breeds of cats have faces, tails, ears, and paws that have a different shade of color than their body. On the other hand, Bengal and Egyptian Maus coats are marble patterned.

However, coat colors and patterns can overlap for different breeds and can be seen in mixed-breed cats. So, coat colors and patterns cannot be the only determinant for knowing the cat breed. You have to consider other features that may be helpful.

Read Also: How to Introduce a Dog to a Cat?

Size

While an average cat weighs around 11 pounds, the Maine coon can be around 20 pounds. There are smaller breeds also that weigh much less, like the Singapuras. When it is about size, medium-sized cats (weighing 9-15 pounds) are commonly found in households. In this category alone, many breeds fit in.

Russian Blue, Siamese, Burmese, Abyssinian, American shorthair, Sphynx, Manx, Ocicat, and many more. It is impossible to guess only from your cat’s size and body type which breed it belongs to.

Length of the hair

Besides the color and pattern, the length of fur hair varies for different cats. It can be long, short, curly, or with no hair. As long hair, curly or no hair, is the result of mutations, the coat fur can be helpful to indicate the cat breed.

Tail size

Most of the cats’ tails are of the same size. So, it becomes difficult to tell by the tail size what breed your cat is. However, only a few breeds of cats have short tails. These are Japanese Bobtail, American Bobtail, Cymric, Highlander, American Lynx, and Manx.

The shape of the ears

In a few breeds of cats, the shape of the ear is quite distinctive, which makes them distinguishable from others. The ear can be folded, curled, or tufted. Highlander, Elf, and American Curl have curled ear types. And Scottish Fold, Foldex, and Ukranian Levkoy have folded ears. Cats with curled and folded ears may develop certain health issues.

Can different cat breeds have different personalities?

The personality of each breed of cat is different. Few cats exhibit some typical characteristics that help you understand the breed. Some of the common traits are quiet, inquisitive, reserved, devoted, affectionate, playful, active, social, and intelligent.

You need to check online which personality traits are dominant in a particular variety of cats. Thus, you can be sure that your cat belongs to that breed.

Is my cat purebred or mixed breed?

If your cat is a pure breed, it will be easier to understand the traits as they are well-defined and know about its ancestry. Pure-breed pets are normally acquired from breeders and represent only a small percentage of the feline population.

Domestic cats are usually mixed breeds. However, it becomes difficult for mixed breeds to tell their lineage as they show different features that can be misleading.

Are there any tools to determine cat breed?

If learning the physical traits and personality does not help you much to deduce the breed of your cat and you are eager to find it out, there are a few tools that can be helpful:

An app like Cat Scanner can help you identify your feline friend’s breed. You need to upload a photo or video of the cat in the app, and you will get to know the breed within a few seconds.

There are many quizzes online in which you can participate to narrow down the breed of your cat. It also helps you to select the best suitable breed if you are planning to bring home a kitten.

DNA testing is the certain way that tells you about your cat’s breed. There are many different types of DNA tests available in the market. But none of them is cheap.

Read Also: 10 Reasons Why Cats Run Away from Home & How to Deal with It

Is it important to know the breed of cats?

Knowing the lineage of your cat is not important. Sometimes, it is just for fun that many pet parents like to know the breed of their cats. Others want to know the characteristics and genetics of particular cat breeds to know their pet better.

But cats are different from dogs; hence, most cats are either adopted or rescued. Hardly they come from breeders, which makes it hard to identify their pedigree. Another challenge is that most cats can be a mix of two or more breeds; therefore, they usually show mixed traits.

Conclusion

So, when adopting or rescuing a cat without wasting much more time and money knowing about the cat’s breed, invest your energy in keeping the cat healthy and happy. Look for any kidney and heart problems in your cat.

Maintain a healthy diet and weight and take help from the veterinary to understand your pet better. Whatever their breed may be, cats are such loving companions, which is truly rewarding for the owners.