Purebred breeds & pedigreed

A cat whose ancestry is formally registered is called a pedigreed or purebred cat. Technically, a purebred cat is one whose ancestry contains only individuals of the same breed. A pedigreed cat is one whose ancestry is recorded, but may have ancestors of different breeds.

The list of cat breeds is quite large: most cat registries actually recognize between 30 and 40 breeds of cats, with one or more new breeds being recognized each year on average, having distinct features and heritage. Owners and breeders compete in cat shows to see whose animal bears the closest resemblance to an idealized definition, based on breed type and the breed standard for each breed.

Because crossbreeding is common in populated areas, many cats are simply identified as belonging to the mixed types of domestic long-haired and domestic short-haired cat, depending on their type of fur.

Long-haired & short-haired

Long-haired cats are mentioned in historical records long after the cat was domesticated, and in Europe they are mentioned only in the 17th century when it is recorded that Pietro de Valle imported the long-haired cat to Italy from Persia in 1620. At the turn of the century, the Frenchman Nicholas Fabri de Peiresc brought the long-haired cat from Turkey to France, and the first long-haired cats described in Europe were named after Angora cats; they were named after the capital of Turkey – today Ankara – because these cats seem to have been known there for centuries.

Short fur is normal for cats living in the wild. Only in extreme cold in areas such as Siberia, home to the Siberian tiger, do wild cats have longer fur. Short fur is much easier to clean and rid of parasites and tangled hair, and is also genetically dominant. There are many types of short-haired fur in cats, from silky-soft, fine fur like a Rex cat, to thick hair like a Manx cat.