How to distinguish a truly purebred cat from “fake” ones?

If in dogs the breed can be seen at first glance, then some purebred cats are identified only by minor signs. Therefore, a kitten taken from the street can easily turn out to be of “noble blood.” But it makes no sense to determine the breed of a kitten, because with age its color can change radically. Therefore, the question of how to determine the breed of a cat remains open.

How to determine the breed of a cat

The animal is fully formed at one year of age. Then it’s time to figure out how to determine the cat’s breed. It will be difficult for anyone who is not very familiar with cats and does not consider themselves to be professional breeders to determine the breed of the pet. However, this can still be done after analyzing all external signs and his behavior. But is this necessary if the cat is already loyal and loved?

How to find out the cat breed: classification

Phenology clubs are responsible for assigning breeds to cats. Each breed is documented by certificates and meets basic standards.

The first priority in determining the breed is the appearance of the pet. Many factors are assessed, including body build, color, shape of ears and paws. It is the combination of these factors that influences. Thus, Russian Blue and British cats have similar colors, but different exteriors: the former are more refined, with an elongated body, and the latter are strong and massive.

Despite the lists of breeds, it is hardly possible to track their exact number

Now in the world there are about 60 breeds and 200 varieties of cats. It is almost impossible to accurately count their number, even despite the clear gradation by characteristics. The generally accepted classification divides all cats into 5 groups.

Table 1. Classification of cat breeds

If, after lengthy examinations and manipulations, it was not possible to find out the breed, you should contact a veterinarian, professional breeders, or chat with cat lovers on specialized forums. In any case, it is worth knowing exactly the breed of your pet.

A veterinarian can also help determine the breed.

Thoroughbred vs mongrel: distinguish by test questions

Sometimes it is not enough to look at a photo to find out whether a cat is purebred or not. It is necessary to carefully study the pet and find answers to questions that will allow you to think about the true nature of the pet.

So, consider your pet and ask yourself:

1. Is the size of the cat smaller or larger than the rest of his furry brothers?
2. Does your pet's color look unusual or is it at least somehow different from the color of ordinary cats?
3. Are there differences in the hair structure – waves, small curls, too long hair or other features?
4. How developed are the limbs, ears, and tail? Are there any noticeable differences?
5. Are there any other details in appearance that distinguish your pet from the neighbor's mongrel cat?

Sometimes the pedigree of cats lies “on the surface”, sometimes it does not have clearly defined identifying details

If you answered “yes” to at least 1 question, then your cat is special. To accurately determine its noble breed, it is necessary to delve into the details. So let's get started.

The main differences between purebred pets and domestic ones

A purebred cat always has one or more distinctive characteristics that allow it to be classified as a particular breed. This could be an interesting color, unusual ear structure, iris color, etc.

These qualities are fixed by the standard, so representatives of the same breed are quite similar to each other. But the differences between cats of different breeds can be dramatic.

Non-pedigree cats differ much less from each other in appearance. They can be identified by the following unifying characteristics:

• medium-sized, high-set triangular ears sticking straight up;
• regular shaped round head;
• elongated, graceful body of correct proportions;
• muscular, long paws with soft pads and sharp claws;
• well-set round eyes;
• an energetic and agile long tail that well expresses all the cat’s emotions.

Exhibitions: how to get there and why?

Purebred cats and cats of noble breeds receive the right to participate in exhibitions. People gather at these events for various reasons: some people win prestigious titles with their pets, some simply want to communicate with passionate cat lovers, and some want to find a purebred pet for themselves.

WCF Direct Member Certificate

The largest international organization of cat lovers is the World Cat Federation (WCF). It includes 540 clubs from all over the world. WCF holds an average of 300 cat shows annually, a third of which are in Russia.

What does it take to get to a cat show?

Anyone can come to the cat show, but you can only take part with a pet that is already 3 months old. In order for your pet to be included in the list of participants, you need to prepare the following documents:

• a certificate with notes on vaccinations and antiparasitic treatment;
• certificate from a veterinarian in form No. 1 for a period not older than 3 days or in form No. 4.

Important! The exhibition organizers may require additional documents, so for each exhibition the set of papers should be clarified in advance.

Tail

The most characteristic feature after physique, as it is susceptible to mutations. You can determine the breed of an animal by its woolly fringes and tail length. Oriental cats have long and thin tails.

Wool fringes are also long, sparse, and often form a feather. Taillessness in these pets is achieved by genetic characteristics, and not by docking, as in dogs.

If your pet's tail is completely absent, then you are dealing with a Cymric or Manx. Their front legs are shorter, and when walking they bounce slightly, compensating for the lack of a rudder such as a tail.

A very short and medium-length tail is observed in bobtails of various types and pixie-bob cats, which look like a tiny lynx.

The 20 most common cats in the world

Every year, the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) compiles a ranking of the most popular cat breeds. It is based on the volume of official registrations of purebred cats. So, according to the latest data, more than 2 million individuals are registered with the CFA, belonging to 42 breeds recognized by the corporation.

This time the ranking consists of 20 breeds, which are listed in the table below from last to first place.

Table 2. The most popular purebred cats according to CFA

Signs of thoroughbred

You can determine the breed of a street cat by its external characteristics. To do this, you need to arm yourself with photos and descriptions of representatives of common cat breeds. Each of them is characterized by a certain body structure, color and type of fur, shape and shade of eyes, height and weight. Knowing these characteristics, by comparison you can with a high degree of probability understand what breed an ordinary-looking pet belongs to.

Features of the body structure (shape of the skull, ears, limbs, tail, etc.)

You can determine a cat's breed by body type:

Kurilian Bobtail

• Stocky with a rounded skull, dense bones, shortened limbs. Bobtail, American and British cats have these features.
• Muscular with a slightly rounded skull and paws of medium length. If your pet has this build, it may be a Maine Coon, American Curl, or Turkish cat.
• Flexible with a rather thin body, a narrow or wedge-shaped skull and long thin limbs. These features are characteristic of Angora and Siamese cats.

Scottish fold

Ears, tail and limbs will also allow you to recognize the breed of the animal. Thus, ears tilted forward are an undoubted sign of a Scottish fold, while ears bent back are a sign of curls. Siamese cats have a long and straight tail, while bobtails have a broken tail. With shortened front legs and a jumping gait, Cymrics have no tail at all. Munchkins and minskins have disproportionately short limbs compared to the body.

You also need to evaluate the width and shape of the skull, forehead, cheeks, degree of expression of the chin, bite, and bridge of the nose. Exotics and Persians can be identified by their flattened nose, graceful Siamese and Javanese by their elongated muzzle.

"Elite" color

Siamese cat
Color in some cases serves as a determining factor in establishing the breed trait. This concept includes the color of the coat and its saturation, as well as possible patterns (tabby, agouti, etc.). Representatives of the Siamese breed are characterized by color point - a combination of a dark muzzle, paw tips, ears and tail with a lighter coat on other parts of the body.

Smoky, blue and silver colors are typical for Nibelungs, British, Scottish and other cat breeds, striped-spotted for Bengals, Savannahs, Safaris, sand for Abyssinians and Somalis, brown for Havana Browns and Chantilly Tiffanys. However, you should not completely rely on this factor when establishing the breed, since many domestic felines are colored similarly.

Eye color and shape

Muzzles of cats of different breeds

When establishing the breed of a pet, you need to look at the shape and color of the animal’s eyes. Thus, in British cats they are light brown, and in Siamese cats there is often congenital strabismus of varying degrees of severity. Turkish Angoras and Vans have heterochromia (multi-colored eyes). Among the owners of white coats of Orientals, Javanese and Persians there are blue-eyed ones. Snow-white Turkish and Scottish cats have yellow eyes with an amber tint.

Expressive almond-shaped eyes with black eyeliner are a distinctive feature of representatives of oriental breeds. Orientals, Abyssinians, Kao-Manis, Thais and Balineses have an elongated eye shape. In addition to their round, wide muzzle and thick coat, nature has endowed the Persians, Scottish Folds, Britons, Exotics and Rexes with large round eyes.

Type of fur or lack thereof

Bombay cat

The type of coat is one of the main characteristic properties of cats of noble blood. The Siamese, Singaporean, Oriental, Tonkinese, Bombay, Burmese, Abyssinian, Russian Blue, American, British, Carthusian and Exotic cats have a short length, while the Balinese, Norwegian Forest, Persian, Siberian, Somali, Turkish, Welsh, Burmese, Maine Coon and ragdoll - long. If the pet is hairless, it is probably a Sphynx, Peterbald, Minskin or Ukrainian Levkoy.

Cornish, Devon and German rexes are distinguished by curly short hair. Laperm, Selkirk and Bohemian rexes have curly and long fur. American cats have a fur coat consisting of short, hard and elastic curls.

Height and weight

These parameters can also be used to distinguish representatives of some cat breeds from others. If the cats are large and heavy, this may be:

• American or Kurilian bobtail;
• Turkish van;
• pixie bob;
• Norwegian Forest, Carthusian, Siberian, British cats;
• Maine Coon;
• savannah;
• ragdoll

Ragdoll

If your pet is too small compared to a normal cat, he may be one of the following small breeds:

• munchkin;
• minuet;
• lambkin;
• Skookum;
• bambino;
• skiff-toy-bob;
• Dwelf;
• minskin;
• Singapore.

How to properly care for a purebred cat?

Any pet, whether outbred or noble blood, needs decent care. The following procedures will be relevant for all breeds:

Nail trimming and combing

We trim the claws. Nails should be trimmed using a veterinary nail clipper. The most important thing is not to damage the living part of the nail. The vessels on the transparent claw are easily visible. You need to step back 2-3 mm from them and cut off the tip.

Tips for trimming cat's claws

The animal will struggle, so the procedure must be carried out with an assistant. We comb the pet. Cats with luxurious long hair need to be brushed twice a day, and pets with medium-length hair need to be brushed every 3-4 days. The voluminous coat is combed out with a slicker brush and combed with a simple comb.

Hygiene

The list of regular hygiene procedures for cats includes:

1. Teeth cleaning. Your pet's teeth should be brushed at least once a week using a cat brush/finger brush and veterinary toothpaste. It is better to instill in your kitten a love for this process from an early age;
2. Water procedures. It is not necessary to wash cats often, as water causes them great stress. Bathing is recommended only if the cat is very dirty or before a show. Use special shampoo from a pet store. You can read more about how to wash a cat on our portal.

   Some breeds love water and enjoy bath time.

3. Eye wash. If discharge appears near your pet's eyes, you need to rinse the eyes with warm water and a cotton swab. If the discharge is cloudy, you need to show the cat to a veterinarian;
4. Ear cleaning. The ears should be regularly inspected and wiped with a special solution if dirt appears. Otherwise, serious illnesses may develop.

Wool

Pedigree cats have a wide variety of coats. Long-haired, short-haired, hairless - this is not the entire list of nuances that should be taken into account when caring for the coat of your “aristocrat”. Different breeds have different hair structures, so each of them requires an individual approach. Basic tips for caring for your pet's fur are presented below.

Hair care for purebred cats

How much will a lynx cost?

The price varies from 40 to 60 thousand rubles and depends on a lot. First of all, it depends on age and habituation to hands and the toilet, on the method of breeding and on the attitude of those who breed them.

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Coat type

According to the structural features of the wool fiber, cats are also divided into three types - hairless, smooth-haired and long-haired animals. The easiest animals to identify are those that have hair that is partially or completely absent.

Bald cats include different types of sphinxes, whose skin is partially or completely covered with folds, greyhounds and minskins with fur fringes on the face, ears, and the inside of the paws.

Important! Cats that lack a tail are more susceptible to diseases of the reproductive system and musculoskeletal system, since the nerves that control the functioning of the back of their body emerge from the spine, not covered by the cartilage of the tail. Therefore, any minor injury to the posterior part of the body can lead to temporary or permanent immobility, incontinence and chronic pain. Beautiful short hair with a wavy sheep-type structure is observed in all Rex cats - outwardly their coat looks like a short astrakhan fur

If the coat is curly, but long, it is still the same Rex: Bohemian with Persian ancestors, Silkirk and La Perma with luxurious wavy feathering on the tail and chest

Beautiful short hair with a wavy sheep-type structure is observed in all Rex cats - in appearance, their fur coat looks like a short astrakhan fur. If the coat is curly, but long, it is still the same Rex: Bohemian with Persian ancestors, Silkirk and La Perma with luxurious wavy feathering on the tail and chest.

The very long, straight hair of animals of the following breeds can reach twenty or more centimeters. Caring for her is difficult, but the effort is worth it.

Cats of the Himalayan, Norwegian, Turkish, the already mentioned Neva Masquerade, Napoleons with their famous childish expression on their faces, Maine Coons and Burmese animals with a special charm are insulated for winter.

The test is not for weaklings: guess the cat from the photo!

Do you consider yourself a real connoisseur of cat breeds? Prove it to yourself and your friends by sharing your test result!

Write a comment!

I was sure that I understood cats much better! But the test made me tense up

I didn't expect this from myself. It seems like a small thing, but it’s nice.

6 out of 17 I’ll probably go into dog breeding

17 of 17 ... But I still love dogs more, sorry, funny fluffies who are already hungry at five in the morning, and are ready for breakfast at seven in the morning

Surprised. I am a cat lover. I leafed through one book about cats to guess who could become the father of my cat, because... her blue British mother gave birth to 5 completely black kittens. I made a mistake 2 times.

7 out of 17. I thought that I understood cats better - it turns out that I still have to study and study.

Sizing

When answering the question of how to find out the breed of your cat by size, take into account that most ordinary domestic cats have a body length ranging from 50 to 75 cm. The length of the tail usually does not exceed 30 cm, and the weight is 4-6 kg in cats and 2−4.5 kg in cats. However, sometimes the breed characteristics of animals are manifested in the increased dimensions of their bodies. This sign helps determine the pet’s breed.

Thus, the largest species of animals include:

• Kuril Bobtail (domestic breed bred on the Far Eastern islands of Iturup and Kunashir);
• pixie bob (an artificially bred species in the USA, the representatives of which resemble the red lynx in appearance);
• Turkish Van (one of the most ancient breeds on Earth);
• American Bobtail (bred from wild cats in North America);
• Chartreux (French breed, known in its homeland as “dog-cat”);
• forest Norwegian (the body weight of males of this species can reach 10 kg);
• British;
• Maine Coon;
• Siberian;
• ragdoll;
• savannah.

There are breeds of cats whose weight is less than that of most domestic animals. The most common of them:

• Munchkin (a breed that was often involved in crossbreeding to develop new varieties);
• bambino (the result of crossing a munchkin and Canadian hairless sphinxes, whose weight does not exceed 2.5 kg);
• skookum (obtained from a cross between munchkins and laperms, have wavy long fur);
• Singaporean (bred in Singapore, then exported to the USA and Europe);
• kinkalow (the rarest type of cat, representatives of which weigh about 1.3 kg);
• Napoleon (the result of crossing Persian cats and munchkins, weighs about 2.5 kg);
• lambkin (animals with curly hair, like lambs, weigh about 1.8 kg as adults);
• Dwelf (a breed of animals without hair, obtained as a result of crossing Munchkins, American Curls and Canadian Sphynxes, weighs about 3 kg);
• Minskin (small and light cats without hair);
• Scythian-tay-don (the smallest cats in the world, better known as “toybob”).