This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Meet the Breeds - But Not the Ones You Expect

There's a whole world of pedigreed felines who would love to meet you

When talking about pedigreed animals of a particular breed, not everyone first thinks of a cat.  But the world of pedigreed cats is, while not quite as varied as the dogs, very dramatically distinct.  One of the first things to know is that cats aren't quite what they're stereotyped to be - especially pedigreed cats, which are often bred with a specific eye toward replicating a particular temperament.

The Cat Fanciers' Association is the oldest cat registry in the United States and recognizes 41 breeds in Championship status.  That's 41 different kind of cats - probably a surprise to many.  Each breed has its own unique written standard, based on the physical structure of the cat, but they each also have very distinct and varied personalities. Some have been developed and maintained over centuries; some are relatively new breeds that are created by hybridization; all have been maintained by the careful and diligent work of responsible breeders worldwide.  

Most think of cats as aloof, uninterested, standoffish - any number of words that really mean, they don't come when you call them, they do whatever they want, whenever they want, they're untrainable, and view humans as just another thing in their home.  While there may be some truth to the last one, the others are quite a different story. I hope to introduce you to these varied breeds, along with their variations in physical structure. I'll also share information on caring for each particular breed, as their needs will be as different as their appearance.

Find out what's happening in Emmauswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

I'll start with the number one cat in registrations with CFA, the Persian.  The Persian comes in seven different divisions, based on their colors, because there are so many of them.  The solids are cats of one color. The smokes are cats with two colors on a single hair - so that going one way, the hair is colored, and going the other way, it's white.  Shaded and Chinchilla are the barely tipped with color cats - most well known from the Fancy Feast commercials. Tabby are just what you'd think - tabby patterns without white. Particolor are the torties; bi-colors are any color on part of the cat, and part of the cat white; and Himalayan, which are colored like Siamese with color only on their legs, face, ears and tail.

What catches most people offguard about Persians is that they don't have the most cat-like appearance.  These short-muzzled cats have been bred for centuries, originating in the Middle East but through outcrossing to other breeds, developing the short head and luxurious coat we see today. Prospective owners need to know that coat requires maintenance - if you're not going to clip the hair, you need to comb completely through their fur with a wide toothed comb preferably twice daily.  Their eyes also often need to be cleaned due to the facial structure, but that part isn't time consuming or difficult, and should be done at least daily.

Find out what's happening in Emmauswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

All that said, the work is worth it.  This is a cat that just wants to snuggle, so if you're retired or work from home it might be right up your alley.  Raised properly, they don't mind the grooming part of life at all - in fact since most of the time they make more of a mess of themselves, and can get hairballs from ingesting the long hair that's too long for their tongue to roll off when self-grooming, it's easier for them to have you do it.  Thankfully you don't have to maintain a show-length coat on a pet Persian, so you can always trim any trouble areas. 

The breed loves nothing more than to sit with you and just be there in everything you're doing. They will greet you at the door and have a small, adorable meow that they don't use too frequently.  A Persian is also a large, heavy boned cat, but luckily for the collectors of varied breakables out there, a Persian is a "low" cat that likes to have their feet on the ground and don't much concern themselves with what's on your counter tops.

A friend of mine once described Persians as deliciously dumb, and I can't agree more. They may not be solving complex tasks any time soon, but for a family willing and able to invest in the coat maintenance, they are an adorable, loving pet that will always be by your side.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Emmaus