Depending on how you got your cat, you might be unsure about its breed. Cat breeds may be challenging to identify if you don’t know what you are looking for. Evaluating your cat’s physical characteristics and behavior can give you a very good idea about its origins and help you determine what breed your furry friend is.
If you’re still in doubt after reading common breed descriptions, the easiest ways to determine the breed of your cat are by consulting with a vet or giving your cat a feline DNA test.
Let’s go ahead and dive into the things you need to learn to help you determine the breed of your feline friend on your own.
Table of Contents
Behavior and personality
A cat’s behaviors may include being calm and quiet, very vocal, shy, energetic, bossy, or even water-loving. This part is easiest t for you to determine yourself because you have observed your cat’s behavior more than anyone else by spending a great deal of time with them.
Mild and friendly
Some of the most friendly and gentle breeds of cats are:
- American Shorthair
- Sphynx
- Siamese
- Burmese
- Maine Coon
Intelligent felines
Intelligent cats can figure out how to do surprising things, follow commands, and may even be capable of learning tricks. Some of the most intelligent cats are:
- Persian
- Abyssinian
- Bengal
- Ragdoll
- Japanese Bobtail
Affectionate and vocal
Some cats are very vocal and enjoy having company, as well as getting attention. The most common breeds of vocal, loud, and active cats are:
- Siamese
- Balinese
- Oriental
Loud and bossy
Some cats have very bossy tendencies and love to make a scene to get attention. Some breeds that behave this way are:
- Somali
- Singapura
- Colorpoint Shorthairs
Fur patterns and colors
One of the best ways to identify your cat breed is by looking at its fur color and pattern. You could also discover whether your cat is a purebred, crossbred, or mixed breed. Some of the most common fur patterns are:
Solid-colored cats
Solid refers to a single-colored fur that could be white, black, cream, brown, and red. The most common breeds of cats with solid colors are:
- Chinchilla Persian
- Havana Brown
- Korat
- Turkish Angora
- Tiffany
Tabby
Tabby-colored furs are a blend of two different colors, with one color more dominant than the other. They usually have stripes, swirls, or dots on their coats. Tabby colors are split into four subcategories: Mackerel- narrow, parallel stripes. Spotted- speckles distributed across the body. Classic -typical botched or bold markings. Patched -patches of color.
Some tabby breeds of cats are:
- American Shorthair
- American Wirehair
- California Spangled
- Egyptian Mau
- Savannah
Tortoiseshell
This pattern is a mixture of two different colors and resembles a tortoise shell. The difference between a tortoiseshell and a tabby cat is that the former is exactly a mixture of two colors while the latter is mainly patches or blotches. A mix between a Tortoiseshell and a tabby is called a “Torbie.”
Some common tortoiseshell cat breeds are:
- British shorthair
- Oriental longhair
- Birman
Calico
Calico cats are domestic cats that have larger parts of white fur and large patches of orange or black fur. They are usually composed of a rainbow of cat colors (vivid orange, black and white, blue-gray and white).
- Siberian cat
- Japanese Bobtail
Pointed
Pointed color in cats is when they have darker colors on their paws, ears and face. It is most common in Siamese cats, although not all pointed colored cats are Siamese. It results from a combination of genes for partial albinism and a mutation to the gene that affects the enzyme controlling fur color.
Some of the most common breeds of pointed cats are:
- Siamese
- Himalayan
- Ragdoll
- Ragamuffin
- Javanese
Length of the tail
Aside from giving us signs whether they are mad or happy, a cat’s tail can also tell us what breed they are. The most common length of a cat’s tail is 30 cm; however, it can be shorter or longer depending on the cat’s breed.
Long tail felines
Some of the long-tailed breeds of cats are:
- American Shorthair
- Balinese
- Chartreux
- Cornish Rex
- Egyptian Mau
- Maine Coon
- Nebelung
- Scottish Fold
- Siberian
Short tails
Some cat breeds with short tails:
- American Bobtail
- Pixie Bob
- Japanese Bobtail
- Highlander
- Mekong Bobtail
- Manx
- Kurilian Bobtail
Cat size
It’s essential to know your cat’s size. Whether your cat is small, medium or large, the size of your cat will also be an indication of which breed it belongs to.
Small-sized cats
Small cat breeds often weigh ranging from 5 to 10 pounds, both male and female.
Some small breeds of cats are:
- Singapura
- Munchkin
- American Curl
- Cornish Rex
- Devon Rex
- Siamese
- Balinese
- Dwelf cat
- Japanese Bobtail
- Laperm
Medium-sized cats
Medium-sized cats normally weigh between 10 to 15 pounds
Cats that are medium-sized include:
- Bengal
- Bombay
- Burmese
- Egyptian Mau
- British Shorthair
- Siamese
- Turkish Angora
- Sphynx
Large-sized felines
Large breeds of cats can weigh up to 15 pounds or more when they are male. Although female cats are smaller, they are still considerably larger and heavier than medium-sized cat breeds. Some of the large cat breeds are:
- Maine Coon
- Persian
- Savannah
- Norwegian Forest
- Birman
- Ragdoll
- Ragamuffin
- Chausie
- Siberian
- British shorthair
Shape of the face
Square faces
Square-faced cats usually have big, solid bodies. This type of face shape is usually seen in the breeds of Maine Coon and Norwegian Forest cat. They also have large ears and generally big bodies. They are also believed to be affectionate.
Triangular faces
Some theories say that cats with triangular faces are busy, curious, and vocal and thrive in active households. Some of the cat’s best-known breeds having triangular faces are Oriental Bicolor, Balinese, Abyssinian, Sphynx and Siamese.
Round faces
According to cat behaviorist Arden Moore, cats with round faces tend to be more shy, unenergetic, quiet, and submissive. Cats with round faces have circular heads, large eyes, and flatter faces. They are also generally big in size when it comes to the proportion their head size to their bodies.
Common round-faced cat breeds include: Burmese, Persian, British Shorthair, and Scottish Folds.
Note: If you still doubt your own observations and judgment regarding your cat’s breed, the best option is having its DNA sample harvested for a test.
Common questions regarding cat breeds
What is the most common house cat?
The most common house cats in the US are Domestic Shorthairs. They account for 90 to 95% of all pet cats in American homes. Domestic cats have been existing with humans for centuries and this can go back as far as thousand years ago. They come in all sizes, colors and coat-lengths.
What is the most common cat color and pattern?
Brown or brown/grey tabby is the most common color and pattern of a cat. Tabbies also can come in a wide array of colors such as grey, orange and cream. Tabby patterns can be either spots, stripes or any random pattern. However, coat colors and patterns vary depending on the cat’s breed.
What is the biggest cat breed?
In several reports, the Maine Coon is always dubbed as the largest breed of cats. They can weigh up to more than 20 pounds. They often have long bodies and heavyweight. As a matter of fact, Barivel, a Maine Coon was the Guinness Book of World record holder for the longest cat, measured an impressive 3ft. 11.2 in.
Final thoughts
It is a good idea to learn the origin and breeds of our cat, not just so that we can share them with our friends, but also to give them the appropriate care that they need, since some breeds might need extra attention and care. All cat breeds deserve the same amount of love, care, and appreciation since they are equally adorable, unique, and special in their own little furry ways.
