Domestic Cat Varieties
The number of cat breeds (see cat pictures) is quite
large: many cat registries recognize between 35 and 70 breeds of cats, and
even more are in development, with one or more of new breeds being recognized
each year on average, having distinct features and heritage. Owners and
breeders of show cats compete to see whose animal bears the closest resemblance
to the "ideal" definition of the breed (see selective breeding). But due to common
crossbreeding in populated areas, many cats are simply identified as belonging
to the homogeneous breeds of domestic longhair and domestic shorthair, depending
on their type of fur. In Australia and the UK, non-purebred cats are
referred in slang as moggies (derived from "Maggie", short for Margaret, reputed
to have been a common name for cows and calves in 18th-century England and
latter applied to housecats during the Victorian era). In the U.S.,
non-purebred cats are sometimes referred to as an alley cat, even if it
is not a stray.
There are lots of varieties of cat coat patterns. Some of the most common are: Cats also come in several different body types which range between two extremes - oriental and cobby: |