Cats have always been one of the favourite pet animals for human beings. Even the long history of civilization shows cats as lucky and unlucky animals and even Godly living creatures. Well, if you are a cat lover and planning to pet one, this article can be of your help.
Here, you can learn about the different ways to identify your cat’s breed. So, reading the entire article, you can easily get an answer to the question – what kind of cat do I have. The best you can do apart from knowing about the breeds is to talk with a person who pets cats. Even a vet can help you choose the suitable cat variant as per your preference. For now, look at the points given below:
What Is Cat Breed?
Cat breed is the way a cat is born. It relates to the method it takes birth as it carries some common genetic traits from both parents. Generally, cat breeds are of two types. They are purebred and mixed breed. Brief definitions about both are as follows:
Pure Cat Breeds: The purebred cats get such a name as they are born from parents who both belong to the same specific breed. They have distinct genetic traits, and you can identify them easily.
Mixed Breed Cats: The Mixed breed cats are born from parents who both belong to completely different breeds. In most cases, you can see a mixed breed cat showing a physical, genetic trait of one of its parents. So, in the case of cluster birth, each mixed breed cat looks different from the other.
Today, several cat breed identifier apps are present online that help you correctly get an answer to the question what kind of cat do I have. Otherwise, you can also take the traditional way which .
Identification Of Cat Breeds
There are many ways by which you can identify the breed of the cats. If you are curious about ‘what kind of cat do I have’, then take a look at the points given below to understand:
Breed Determination By Size
You can judge by size to understand what breed my cat is. Generally, there are three types of sizes in which the cats are divided. They are large, medium, and small. Check the details given below about each, and you can understand.
Large Cats: Large cats are called so due to their size and weight. The highest weight of a large cat can be 30 pounds. Well, 25 pounds is a normal weight. Some large cat breeds are Ragdolls. Burmese Cat and Bengal Cat.
Medium Cats: Medium cats can weigh up to 15 pounds and are mostly found in domestics. You can pet such a cat too. The Singapura, Cornish Rex, and American Curl are some medium cats.
Small Cats: All small cats actually experience dwarfism. So, both their height and weight are less. A small cat can weigh only up to 6 to 8 pounds. The Bambino and Kinlakow are such cats.
Breed Determination By Colour And Fur Patterns
In the case of all mixed breed cats, you would need to observe their colour and fur pattern to identify their breed. When you try to identify the cats with colour and fur, make sure to look into the following things:
Fur Type: There are a lot of fur types that can help you understand the breed of your cat. They are solid color, tabby color, tortoiseshell, pointed, calico, etc.
Hair Type: All cats have mainly two types of hair. They are long and short. Moreover, there is curly fur in many cats. Generally, breeds like British Longhair, Persian, and Marine Coon have long hair. On the other hand, Russian Blue, Bengal Cats, and Tonkinese have Short Hair. Similarly, the American Wirehair, Devon Rex, LaPerm have curly hair. There are also some hairless cats you can pet, such as Elf Cat, Bambino, and Sphynx.
So, now you can quickly tell what breed is my tuxedo cat. All you have to do is keep a scientific approach in determining the breed of your cat.
Breed Determination By Face Shape
When it comes to face, you can observe three variations within the cats. They have flat faces, pointed faces, and tufted faces. So, you should observe a cat’s face to determine its breed.
Moreover, you can also see the difference in the ear type. Some cats have curled ears, while others have flat or tufted ears. The best you can do is rush to the vet with your cat to determine its breed or straightaway use the identifier app.
When it comes to breeding determination, you can also observe the tail of the cat. While most cats have long tails, you can find cats with no tails at all. Some breeds of cats having no tail at all are Cymric cats, Kurilian Bobtail cats, Pixiebob and Manx.
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Breed Determination By Behavior
Finally, you can identify a cat’s breed by looking deeply at its behavior. There are five types of distinct cat behaviors that you can check out. They are friendly, calm, vocal, intelligent, and bossy. Now, look at some breeds that fall into each section:
- Friendly- Birman cat, Burmese cat, Siamese, LaPerm, Ragdoll, etc.
- Intelligent- Turkish Van, Ocicat, Ragdoll, Bengal cat, Manx, Devon Rex, etc.
- Quiet Calm cats- Ragdoll, Manx, British Shorthair, and American Shorthair
- Vocal- Balinese cats, Oriental, Tonkinese, Siamese, etc.
- Bossy- Colorpoint Shorthair, Singapura, Somali, Oriental, Balinese, etc.
Well, these are only a few cat breed types in each section, so you might not find your one in the list. The best you can do is study about the cat you want to take. It will be best to talk with the breeder if you want to pet a pure-breed cat. Again, you need to keep in mind how to tell what kind of cat do I have is if your pet is a mixed breed one. Remember that it’s easy to pet a mixed breed cat.
Using DNA Tests to identify what kind of cat you have
If you think that going through the above mentioned cat breed identifiers to satisfy your curiosity regarding what kind of cat do I have is a lot of hassle, then fear not. You can also do a DNA test to determine your cat’s breed. Using DNA testing kit is one of the most reliable way of satisfying one’s curiosity regarding ‘what kind of cat do I have.’ You can use any one of the cat DNA test kits available in the market to learn more about your cat’s breed.
To do so, you first need to take the swab provided with the test kit to collect a sample of your cat’s DNA. Use it to swab the inside of your cat’s cheek then store it as instructed on the test kit box. Once you have properly stored the DNA swab, you can send the sample to the company you have bought the test kit from.
There are several different DNA test kits of cats available in the market such as Basepaws, Orivet, and Optimal Selection by Wisdom Panel. But fair warning, these tests dont come cheap. They cost somewhere around $100 to $500. Alternatively you can also ask your vet to take a blood test to identify your breed.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Can I Identify What Breed My Cat Is?
There are several traits by which you can understand the breed of your cat. Some of them are body type, fur type, behavior, color, and vocality.
How Can I Tell What Breed My Cat Is From A Picture?
You can determine the breed of your cat from a picture by looking at its color and face type.
What Breed Is A Basic House Cat?
The house cats are basically domestic short-haired cats.
What’s The Rarest Cat?
The Sokoke Cat is the rarest of all cats in the world.
Final Words
As you now know the basics about the breeds of the cat, you can easily determine if one is purebred or mixed and will be able to tell What breed is my cat. So, you can now reach out to the breeders to bring home a kitten of your choice. Or you can also opening up your home to a stray kitten.
Additional Reading:
- Why Is My Cat Not Eating Much but Acting Normal?
- Why Does My Cat Bite Me and How to Stop Them?
- When Can Kittens Eat Dry Food: A Guide For First-Time Cat Parents
