How to understand what breed a cat is. How to recognize a cat breed: distinctive features. Shape, color and setting of the eyes

To determine the breed of your new family member, there are several steps to remember. They are also an algorithm, so to speak, for identifying a kitten. Professionals use dozens of signs that can be used to determine the breed of a kitten or an adult cat.
For non-professional breeders, there are several signs to look out for.

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Signs of a kitten breed

Kitten physique. If its head is larger than that of its ordinary relative, and has a distinct round shape, and its body is massive and stocky, then most likely the kitten belongs to Persian looking. More often they are called exotics ( exotic cats with short hair). But, if the kitten has an elongated head and muzzle, a narrow body and graceful thin legs, then it can be safely classified as a Siamese breed, as well as Oriental, Angora and Balinese.
Wool. Kittens' coats can be divided into five groups: short-haired, long-haired, wavy-haired, rough-haired, and hairless (hairless). But you should look carefully, if you have wilted a kitten, and there are continuous bald patches on his body, you should not be happy that he is a Sphynx breed, you need to have him checked by a veterinarian.
Color. Depending on the breed, you can determine 3 types of coat color in cats:
- Plain and colored (white, red, black, gray, cream, chocolate);
- Tortoiseshell color (quite rare);
- Tabby coloring – two completely contrasting coat colors.
Eye color. Although at a young age, all kittens have bluish or blue eyes. It changes with age; this factor can help in determining the breed only from about 5 months of a kitten’s life.
Undercoat. It will be enough to hold it against the fur line with your hand. It is rare in southern breeds, since in hot countries wool is not important to them. But northern breeds are distinguished by a thick undercoat, which is immediately noticeable by its fluffiness.
Character. Pedigree cats have clear leadership traits. They may have special habits. Non-pedigree ones behave like most of their relatives.

How to identify popular breeds

Most often, owners are interested in the following breeds of kittens: Maine Coon, Fold, Siberian, Scottish, British.

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Fold kitten or not, you can find out already 4 weeks after he was born. The ears should be pressed firmly to the head, the eyes should be widely spaced from each other, and the muzzle itself should be round with small cheeks. As for the physique, the kitten itself should be wide. We must not forget about lop ears - this is main criterion assessments of this breed.
Maine Coon visible immediately. Its distinctive features are: a head elongated in length and narrow in width, prominent cheekbones on the muzzle, large ears, at the end of which there are woolen tassels, like a squirrel, a long body, a tail equal to its length. Externally, Maine Coons resemble a lynx. In childhood, a kitten is already distinguished by its size, but this does not prevent them from being one of the most active breeds.
Kittens British breed can be recognized by their short fur, round ears and cute round face. Also distinctive feature considered a short, rounded tail. Outwardly, they resemble a fluffy ball with big eyes. With age, their body changes - the legs become unnaturally long, and the body lengthens and expands. The common gray color has green or Brown, and white ones are bright blue. The behavior of the British is purely aristocratic - their gait is stately, imposing, as is their gaze.
Siberian kittens They are initially born quite large. They have a powerful body, noticeable muscles, and large legs. Siberian kittens are distinguished from other breeds by the tufts of hair between their claws. They are quite noticeable. The Siberian kitten has a thick undercoat around its throat, which is also present on the rest of the body, even on the tail. When washing a kitten, you may notice that the fur will not get wet well and will hardly absorb moisture. The main color of this breed is camouflage with brown, white, and cream colors. The kittens have a large head, ears with tufts, and large cheeks.
In Scottish From a young age, a kitten has a large build and a short neck. Due to the massive body, the legs appear short. The muzzle is oval in shape, the eyes are large and widely set. Outwardly, kittens resemble small children with an innocent look. There is a small depression at the base of the nose, and the muzzle itself is short in length. The ears are far apart and large in size. As for the coat, their undercoat is thick and lies tightly to the body. The wool is soft to the touch. Scottish kittens can have a wide variety of colors: gray, blue, red, black, even tortoiseshell or tabby. The eyes are usually a bright amber color.

It is quite possible to determine the breed of your kitten using this algorithm and characteristics, but remember that only a specialist can confirm the origin of your pet. They understand not only external signs different breeds kittens, but also in their characters and habits. If the origin is confirmed, then your kitten will have official documents, which will give you access to exhibitions and shows, where you can communicate with other breeders and already breed and sell your own kittens.

Why do you need to know the breed?

So why do you need to know the cat breed, because you won’t be able to enjoy any privileges, but your pet, regardless of origin, will remain your faithful, devoted and affectionate friend? Firstly, by getting a kitten and determining its identity, you can understand how big it will grow and what its behavior will be. Of course, the character of an animal is individual, but there are still traits inherent in certain species.

Secondly, you will be aware of possible genetic diseases and you can take it on time preventive measures. Thirdly, knowledge of the breed is important when selecting a mating partner.

Signs

Most cats look the same. Their chest and rump are of medium width, and their head is round in shape. You can determine the breed of a cat from a photo based on the remarkable features of its appearance:

size (large or small);
ear defect (rolled ears, deformed cartilage, unusual shape);
tail (presence/absence and its length);
paws (regular or short);
unusual coat (very long, short/long curly) or lack of hair;
non-standard color (blue, Siamese, chocolate, etc.).

Size

Regular domestic cats grow up to 50-75 cm in length, their tail length is about 30 cm, and their body weight is 4-6 kg in males and 2.3-4.5 kg in females. Some species, and there are over a dozen of them, have a much larger mass: up to 15-20 kg. Below is a list of the largest breeds:

American Bobtail - its ancestors are wild representatives of the cat family living in North America;
Kurilian Bobtail is a Russian cat bred on the Kuril Islands;
British cat;
Maine Coon is the largest domestic cat;
Norwegian forest cat – males reach a weight of 10 kg;
pixie-bob is an American cat that looks like a red lynx;
ragdoll - these animals look like rag dolls;
savannah;
Siberian;
Turkish Van cat;
Chartreux is a dog-sized French cat.

So, what breeds of cats are small:

Munchkin - has short legs, often serves as the basis for breeding other breeds;
bambino - its ancestors are the hairless Canadian sphinx and the short-legged munchkin, reaches a weight of no more than 2.2 kg;
Napoleon - these animals were bred by crossing Persians and Munchkins, the weight of an adult does not exceed 2.5 kg;
Skookum - the ancestors of this variety are small munchkins and laperms with long and wavy hair;
Dwelf - a 3-kilogram hairless cat, whose ancestors were three species (Munchkin, American Curl and Canadian Sphynx);
kinkalow - the most rare cat, barely reaches 1.3 kg;
lambkin - a cat with curly hair, similar to a lamb, lower weight limit - 1.8 kg;
Minskin - a small hairless cat;
Singaporean - was bred in Singapore, then brought to the USA and Europe;
Scythian-tay-don (taybob, toy bobtail) is the world's smallest representative of the cat family.

Ears

We determine whether an animal belongs to the aristocracy by its ears:

curved back up to 180° – characteristic of the American Curl;
rolled up - in cats of the Ukrainian Levkoy breed;
deformed cartilage folding auricle half Scottish fold cat;
huge and patterned - elf cat, bred by American breeders.

Tail

As is known, some purebred dogs docked tails. In cats, the presence of a short tail or its absence is an innate characteristic of the species. Let's list cats with tail features:

kimrik - a tailless cat with short front legs, giving it a peculiar jumping gait;
Manx - these animals either have no tail at all, or, on the contrary, it is too long;
pixie bob is a domestic miniature lynx, has a tail 2-15 cm long;
American Bobtail - its tail is no longer than the base of its hind legs;
Kurilian bobtail – selected in Russia, its ancestors are the Siberian cat and the Japanese bobtail;
Japanese Bobtail – has a curled tail up to 12 cm long.

Japanese Bobtail

Paws

Most cats have medium-length paws. But among the purebreds there are representatives with short legs. These include Skookums, Dwelfs, Munchkins, Napoleons, Minskins, and Bambinos. At first, breeders were afraid that short legs would cause inconvenience to the small predator, but this disadvantage is compensated by the mobility of the spine.

Wool

Pedigree cats have different coat lengths:

shorthair - Siamese, Singaporean, Oriental, Tonkinese, Bombay, Burima, Abyssinian, Blue, Corkt, American, Burmese, European, Chartreuse, Exotic;
longhaired - Balinese, Maine Coon, Norwegian Forest, Persian, Ragdoll, Siberian, Simrik, Somali, Turkish;
hairless - Sphynx, Ukrainian Levkoy.

At the same time, almost all types of Rex - Cornish, Devon and German - have curly short hair. Long-haired curly-haired cats include Celerix Rexes and Bohemians. Representatives of the American Shorthair have a coat consisting of hard, elastic curls. Also all cats have different structure bodies: some have a strong constitution, others have an average constitution, others have a slender constitution.

Color

If a cat has an unusual color that differs from the color of the fur of domestic cats, there is a possibility that he may be a descendant of a purebred animal. Look at the color and compare it with the breeds:

predominance of black color in the area of the muzzle, paws and tail - Siamese, Nevka, Thai or Balinese;
the predominance of black color in the area of the muzzle, paws and tail, and the socks are white - signs of a ragdoll, snow show or Burmese;
blue or smoky gray color - Nibelung, British or Russian blue cat;
a sandy tint is a sign of a Somali or Abyssinian;
bright spots or stripes - characterize savannahs, safaris, Egyptian Mau and Bengals;
brown wool - Tiffany Chantilly or Havana Brown.

Even if your kitten has several different characteristics, it is still more likely to be a mestizo, but having inherited some aspect factor or behavioral trait from its purebred ancestors. This often happens when breeds are mixed, especially if the animal is found on the street or adopted from a shelter.

But no matter how hard you try, only a specialist can accurately identify a cat’s breed from a photo: a veterinarian or a breeder. If your pet doesn't turn out to be a fluffy Thai or a cute Norwegian, there's nothing to worry about. If you love an animal and take care of it, in your eyes it will look no worse than an aristocratic Briton, an independent Siberian or a proud Maine Coon!

Perhaps you can recognize the breed of your cat from the photos collected in this video:

People ask the question of how to determine the breed of a cat if they find a kitten on the street or receive it from friends as a gift. It happens that you bought an animal, but with age it shows signs of a certain breed: you want to know what to expect in the future, whether the seller deceived you by handing you a cross with an outbred cat.

Differences between purebred cats and outbred cats

No one doubts that outbred kittens - Good friends people who can become devoted family members and favorites of others. In beauty, they are also often not inferior to their famous brothers. But still there are differences:

To belong to certain breed will allow you to determine the characteristics in advance: size, color, habits. Of course, each animal is individual, but common features tend to persist.
Purebred pussies are more susceptible genetic diseases, and it is better to know this in advance in order to prevent development by engaging in prevention.
The appearance is very different: the attributes of purebred animals are long or short fur, an unusual shape of paws, ears, nose, head or tail.
The possibility of mating depends on belonging to a particular breed - you need to select a partner taking into account physiological characteristics.

This is interesting! There are only 2% in the world purebred cats, all the rest often turn out to be crossbreeds or non-purebred kittens.

How to determine the breed of a cat, what to do for this

How to find out the breed of a cat? Most a clear sign- appearance. Carefully examine the animal, note the presence of features of the fur, paws, eyes, head, and other parts of the body. Grab a cat guide with photos (it won't be hard to find one) and start comparing. Surely your pussy will look like some kind of kitten.

Note! In your search, you should remain realistic: the chance of meeting an expensive, outlandish breed is significantly lower than any common one, especially if you just picked up a baby. However, even such a situation occurs.

If your independent search does not lead to success, then you should visit a veterinarian, post a question on cat owner forums, visit breeders or a club for lovers of these animals. Often the animal is not purebred, but retains the characteristics of its parents. In any case, it is possible and necessary to determine the cat’s breed.

What signs can be used to determine the breed of a cat?

There are a number of ways to determine the breed of a cat. All of them include a thorough examination of the pet, which will reveal common signs of belonging to one type or another.

How to determine by color

If your pet's fur coat stands out as something unusual, this may indicate an exotic origin. For example:

Black muzzle, paws, tail - a typical sign of the Siamese color is found in Siamese, Himalayan, Balinese, Neva and Thai pussies.
A similar color, but with white socks, is found in Snow Shows, Ragdolls, and Burmese.
The uniform mousey, blue type is a sign of the British, Russian Blue, Korat, Chartreuse, Nibelung.
Sandy - Somali and Abyssinian.
Spots and stripes are found in Bengals, Egyptian Mau, Siberian, Safari, Savannah.
Brown coat of Havana Brown, Tiffany Chantilly.

It is not possible to determine the breed of a cat on your own in all cases: it is better to entrust this matter to specialists, conduct a test, and find out the opinions of people who have been breeding for many years.

Many people pick up a kitten on the street and bring it into the house. Such animals are automatically classified as mestizos or outbreds. But it is quite possible that a street pet may turn out to be a representative of blue blood. Below we will tell you how to determine the breed of a cat by external characteristics.

When a kitten appears in the house, which was brought from the street, you can try to find out its breed. Knowing which species an animal belongs to will allow you to determine the following points:

what size will the pet grow to;
what character the animal will have. Each cat has an individual character. But their temperament always contains common behavioral traits of the breed;
propensity to certain ailments. Some varieties due to physiological characteristics predisposed to certain diseases. They require special care and regular visits to the veterinarian;
what is preferable to feed;
the optimal time for mating and producing healthy offspring.

Video "Cat Breeds"

From this video you will learn what breeds of cats exist and what distinctive features they have.

Main distinguishing features

Externally, cats have approximately the same appearance. These animals have a rump and chest of medium width, and a rounded head. Representatives various types Some aspects of their appearance, thanks to selection work, receive some features. These include:

body size;
the structure of the auricle (unusual shape, deformed cartilage, inversion, etc.);
limbs (short, regular, elongated);
wool;
hair color.

Using these parameters, you can determine whether your pet belongs to a particular species. Let's look at them in more detail.

Body size and structure

Regular domestic cat grows up to 75 cm in length. Their tail is about 30 cm long. Standard males weigh 4-6 kg, and females weigh 2.3-4.5 kg. Some breeds weigh much more, their body weight can reach 20 kg.

The largest cat breeds include:

American Bobtail;
Kurilian Bobtail;
Maine Coon;
British cat;
Norwegian forest cat;
ragdoll;
pixie bob;
savannah;
Turkish Van cat;
Siberian;
Chartreuse.

There are also small species whose weight does not exceed 2.5 kg. These include bambino, napoleon, dwelf, kinkalow, lambkin, minskin, skiff-tay-don, etc.

Paws

Most cats have limbs of medium length. But many purebred animals have short legs. By this feature, you can easily distinguish representatives of blue blood from ordinary yard animals. Short-footed animals include Napoleons, Minskins, Dwelfs, Skookums, Bambinos and Munchkins. Small paws are compensated by the mobility of the spine. Such a spine will help pets move without difficulty with short limbs.

Tail

Cats usually have a long tail. But some varieties have a short tail, which is a congenital trait and not the result of a surgical procedure. By this sign you can easily recognize purebred animals. However, you need to check whether the short tail is the result of injury. Breeds that have unusual tails include:

Kymrik - a cat without a tail and with short forelimbs. Because of this, he has a jumping gait;
pixie-bob is a miniature lynx. The tail length is only 2-15 cm;
Manx - tailless animals or with a very long tail;
American Bobtail - the length of the tail is no more than the base of the hind legs;
Japanese bobtail - the tail is curled and is about 12 cm long;
Kurilian bobtail.

Even the rarest breeds can be easily recognized by the structure of the tail.

Ear shape

Outbred pets have a normal ear structure. Aristocrats' ears often have an unusual appearance:

curved up to 180 degrees back - American curl;
with deformed cartilage that folds the ear in half - Scottish fold cat;
rolled up - in representatives of the Ukrainian Levka variety;
patterned and large sizes - elf cat.

Other aristocratic breeds will have ears similar to one of the types described above.

Coat type and color

The definition of a purebred animal is always based on the coat and its color. All aristocratic varieties have their own characteristic hair colors.

Breeds differ in coat length. Short-haired varieties include Tonkinese, Siamese, Abyssinian, Singaporean, Corkt, Bombay. Maine Coon, Simrik, Persian, Balinese, and Ragdoll have long hair. There are also hairless species - the Ukrainian Levka and the Sphynx.

Curly short hair is found in almost all varieties of Rex: Germanic, Devon and Cornish. Hippopotamus and Selling Rex are considered curly-haired long-haired species. American Shorthair breeds have a coarse coat with elastic curls.

It is necessary to understand that the presence of an unusual color in a street kitten already indicates the presence of aristocratic relatives.

Varieties such as the Thai, Nevka, Balinese and Siamese have dark colored paws, muzzle and tail. The Ragdoll, Burmese and Snowshoe have white toes and a black tail, paws and muzzle area.

The Russian Blue, Briton and Nibelung are characterized by a smoky gray or blue color. Abyssinians and Somalis have a sandy coat color. Bengals, Egyptian Mau, Safari and Savannah cats are characterized by bright stripes and spots. Havana, Brown or Tiffany Chantilly have brown wool.

Mestizos can have characteristics of several breeds at once. This is a common occurrence when species are mixed. Despite the differences listed above, only a breeder or veterinarian can accurately determine the breed.

Based on the above parameters, you can roughly determine whether your cat is purebred or not. Whatever the pet turns out to be, it needs balanced diet, proper and timely care and your love.

According to the latest data, there are more than a hundred cat breeds in the world, and this list is updated from time to time.

Despite the fact that the majority of domestic cats belong to the outbred group, many cat owners, having picked up another kitten on the street or taken from a nursery, try to discern breed characteristics in it and assign it one or another origin.

Sometimes breeders can help in this matter. They examine the animal, make a verdict regarding the breed and, if your pet is indeed a representative of one of the official breeds, issue a certificate of the beginning of the pedigree in the first generation.

Such animals can be used for breeding. If you don’t have the opportunity to visit the breeders, but find out the breed pet If you want, try following the following tips for identifying the breed.

Color

When determining the breed of a cat, first of all, pay attention to distinctive features animal, since it is they who distinguish one breed from another. Cats for the most part are built typically - not like dogs, in which breed diversity is determined by differences in height, weight, size and other parameters.

Important! There is no clear division according to breed characteristics in cats, since it is almost impossible to achieve uniform color and linear forms, based on the characteristics of their genetics. There are certain factors due to which an animal can be culled for exhibition or breeding work, but in general the characteristics of the breeds are quite vague.

There are certain groups into which animals are divided according to the type of coat color. The light-colored coat with dark tan marks on the face, paws and tail classifies the animal as a Siamese group.

Animals with a wild pedigree have a massive and very respectable appearance - these are Norwegian forest cats, savanna cats and Siberians. The Ragdoll, a soft and affectionate creature, also gains weight up to twelve kilograms due to its gigantic size.

Did you know? Some people have a tendency to psychological illness called ailurophilia. It manifests itself in too much adoration for representatives of the cat family. However, such affection does not harm health - cat owners reduce their likelihood of suffering a heart attack or stroke by as much as thirty percent by keeping their furry pets at home. This is some fluffy therapy.

Small cats, due to their genetic characteristics, rarely gain more than three kilograms of weight. Tiny cats and babies grow up to a maximum of twenty centimeters.

Among them are the charming munchmins and lambkins with short legs, hairless bambinos, which are very difficult to care for because of their hairless skin, Asian girls from Singapore and Dwelf with sphinx blood.

Exterior features suggest the division of cats into three categories. Just like people, these animals can be muscular, tightly built or stocky, thin or flexible.

By characteristics such as a dense, strong physique - one that is distinguished by short legs, a round head, a wide back and a thick tail - one can identify the breed of bobtail, British and American cats, as well as rex.
Thin cats are distinguished by long thin limbs, a pointed muzzle with graceful features, a thin tail and a flexible body with beautiful lean muscles. This includes animals of Asian breeds - Balinese and Thai cats. They are graceful and graceful.

As for muscular sporting animals, they give the impression of strong animals. Average, undistinguished linear body dimensions, such as a rounded head, strong paws, medium roundness rib cage and normal back length, are found in animals of Turkish origin, Maine Coons and Americans with wavy hair.

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.
Hairless cats include different types, whose skin is partially or completely covered with folds, lefties and minskins with fur fringes on the muzzle, ears, inside paw

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 - 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.

American wirehair cats are not rex cats, but they even have curled whiskers, since the gene responsible for the wavy structure of the coat is dominant in them - it is not difficult to recognize the breed of such a cat from a photo.

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.

The following breeds of cats are insulated for winter: 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.

Muzzle

The features and shape of the muzzle are determined by the shape of the skull. Modern breed standards allow different head shapes within the same breed.

The best proof of this is Siamese cats, which for a long time were exhibited with round muzzles, and over the past fifteen years, through the efforts of breeders, they have acquired sophisticated features. Desire to achieve extremes appearance the animal is not welcomed among cat breeders, since the cat must be harmonious.

Facial features can improve, as happened with the Persians. Their head rounded, so their muzzle flattened even more, and their ears also became rounder and smaller.
There is a so-called roundness factor. It starts at ten, and as it decreases, the cats' faces become longer. All kittens, as well as exotic cats, can be distinguished from ordinary animals by their round heads and flat muzzles, since the structure of the skull determines the features and shape of the muzzle.

Ears

Unusual placement of the ears on the head - characteristic feature breeds with mutations. Scottish Folds have forward-hanging ear tips, and they droop in kittens at three weeks of age. The British and exotics also show off their ears down.

Graceful - the owners of ears curved back, this feature is not manifested in any other breed. Ears especially large sizes are observed mainly in Abyssinian cats, sphinxes (those without hair) and orientals.

All cats of Asian origin have big ears Attached is an elongated muzzle with subtle, expressive features.

Did you know? In the small town of Talkeetna, which is located in the state of Alaska, for twenty years the mayor was a domestic cat. His name was Stubbs, and he held this honorary post from April 1977 to July 2017- all his long cat life.

In most cases, the similarity of their pets to expensive breeds noticed by owners is far-fetched. Unlike dogs, cats are quite typical; linear dimensions rarely differ between individuals, with the exception of particularly characteristic mutated breeds.

True, there are cases when a “nobleman” found on the street or taken from a nursery turns out to be a high-breed animal. Then its owner has the opportunity to obtain a certificate from the evaluation commission and establish a pedigree line in the first generation.

To do this, you need to compare the external parameters of your pet with the above standards and classify it as a particular breed, and then seek advice from professionals.

However, even if your pet is classified as a simple domestic cat, do not be upset. He loves you, and will love you no matter what happens - that's what makes domestic cats so valuable.