Items16The creator’s order
  1. 1Maine CoonMaine CoonMaine’s long-haired farm cats were established before a show standard pinned down their appearance. A brown tabby named Cosey won Best Cat at a New York show in 1895. Its collar and medal survive, a tangible link between the old farm-cat type and what became a registered North American breed.0
  2. 2Norwegian Forest CatNorwegian Forest CatThe Norwegian Forest Cat takes its name from a long-haired type of cat known in Norway. Look for the heavy ruff and a dense undercoat beneath the longer, water-resistant outer hair. Those are practical features in a wet winter, and the breed standard records the difference between the two layers.0
  3. 3Siberian catSiberian catSiberians come from a Russian population of sturdy long-haired cats. Their dense coat has three layers, and the breed took a much longer route to American show halls than to Russian farms. The first breeding imports reached the United States in 1990, putting a recent date on one part of a much…0
  4. 4ChartreuxChartreuxSome of the earliest recorded Chartreux breeding began with local blue-gray cats on Belle-Île off the coast of France. The Léger sisters used cats found around the island’s hospital in the late 1920s. That local colony gives the modern breed a documented starting point.0
  5. 5European ShorthairEuropean ShorthairSwedish breeders developed the registered European Shorthair from ordinary domestic shorthairs in the 1940s. The breed standard preserves a sturdy build and colors already found in local cats. A familiar-looking tabby or solid coat makes sense here because the point was to keep a regional type…0
  6. 6Manx catManx catThe short-tailed Manx is associated with the Isle of Man, where the trait occurred before cat shows. Individual Manx cats can have different tail lengths. The same genetic change that shortens the tail can also affect spinal development, so the short tail is more than a difference in appearance.0
  7. 7Japanese BobtailJapanese BobtailShort-tailed cats appear in old Japanese art, centuries before the first Japanese Bobtails were brought into the United States in 1968. Look at the bend in the tail and the fur that makes it look like a pom-pom. The particular shape can vary from cat to cat within the breed.0
  8. 8Kurilian BobtailKurilian BobtailThe Kurilian Bobtail comes from short-tailed cats found on Sakhalin and in the Kuril island chain. Watch for the rounded, tufted tail and the substantial body beneath either coat length. The island population supplied the tail trait before it became the feature emphasized in the show name.0
  9. 9Turkish AngoraTurkish AngoraThe Turkish Angora takes its name from Ankara, formerly Angora. A preservation program at the Ankara Zoo concentrated on white long-haired cats, and two of its cats helped start an American breeding program in 1962. The silky coat predates that effort, and the breed now includes colors beyond white.0
  10. 10Turkish VanTurkish VanThe modern Turkish Van breed traces back to cats two travelers brought from Turkey in the mid-1950s. Their color concentrated on the head and tail became the registered breed’s signature. Local cats around Lake Van can have a different appearance, including an entirely white coat.0