There are more cat breeds out there than anyone would ever have thought, and knowing your cat’s breed can go a long way towards understanding their nature.
Each cat breed has its own special habits, and some cat breeds are known for being quiet while others have voices that can stretch over several octaves and command an entire room – and often do.
“Why is my cat yelling?” is a common question that can sometimes be answered just by the type of breed: Yes, some cats just happen to be noisy – and no, you can’t do much about it.
The same way, there are different habits and traits to every breed, and you have to understand the breed of your cat before you’ll understand just why they act the way they do.
Here are 15 smart and affectionate cat breeds that you should know and a little more about the characteristics that make each of them unique.
1. Egyptian Mau
The Egyptian Mau is considered one of the most ancient cat breeds, and pure Mau cats are exceptionally rare – in fact, less than 200 pure Mau’s are registered every year, and there are just under 7, 000 of them currently registered.
They hail from Egypt and the Middle East, though today they can be found in many parts of the world – even intermingled with other breeds. One of what makes this cat breed unique is the spots – and the letter M displayed on the forehead.
Mau’s are sensitive to heat, and prefer hotter climates or direct sunlight and will tend to shy away from colder weather. Their front legs are shorter.
They also have one of the longest gestational periods for any cat, so if your cat has been pregnant for what seems like a week too long, there’s a strong possibility that they could be a Mau.
2. Burmese Cat
The Burmese cat originates from Thailand, and technically all Burmese cats can trace their origins back to the DNA of a single cat that goes back to the 1930’s when breeding with this unique breed was first started.
There are considered to be two standard breeds of the Burmese, depending on where they were bred – usually there are some small differences in the British and American varieties.
While Burmese cats are pretty small, most of their owners report that they feel heavier than they look. Burmese cats are usually short-haired, and usually their eyes range between green or gold with their coats a dark brown tint – though today many variations on this pattern exist.
They’re known as a very playful, fun breed to have around – and they’re one of the breeds that are the most people-friendly and can stick close to their owners for life. Rarely, they really love people!
3. American Curl
The strongest characteristic of the American Curl cat is right in the name; their ears are what makes this special cat breed stand out, and their ears will form a literal “curl” that you won’t see in any other cat breed.
It’s one of the few cats that are listed as both long and short-haired varieties, and they come in several shades of coat – but always with the characteristic curly ears that go along with it. They’re usually one of the smaller cat breeds that you’ll find. They’re known for having a deep purr, and they’ll even love most other cats.
These cats are usually in excellent health and don’t have a long list of health issues like some other cat breeds, but they do require some special care when it comes to their ears, which will need a pretty careful clean or repeated ear infections or injury are common.
4. Russian Blue
The Russian Blue is one of the rarer cat breeds, and if you ever encounter a pure Russian Blue you can surely count yourself lucky to have met one. They’re usually only available in the long-hair variety, and the characteristic of a true Russian Blue is the blue eyes that usually manifest when they’re a kitten and don’t change to something else when they’re grown up.
They’re most commonly silver or grey – and, of course, hail from Russia. They’re one of the few cat breeds that are considered entirely hypoallergenic, which makes them popular – and a popular breed to strengthen the genetic lines of others as has been done in history before.
The Russian Blue is also known for having what’s known as a double coat, giving them literally two times the amount of hair to shed, and will need regular brushing or you’re going to have (at least hypoallergenic!) cat hairs everywhere.
5. Persian Cat
The Persian Cat is one that goes by many names, and you might encounter it as an Iranian cat. It’s one of the few cat breeds that have been with humans for so long that it can be found in ancient Hieroglyphs.
It’s also listed as one of the second most popular cat breeds in the United States – and this is probably just because of their long history and the fact that they really happen to like people. They even get along with most other cats.
Some Persian cats have been bred to accentuate the flatter nose, though this has become less prevalent since it causes overall sinus issues for this breed – today, the usual doll-face Persian is bred as a long-haired cat without having to accentuate these features that can cause health problems in the breed later on.
Most associations discourage the over-accentuation of features such as the nose.
