Types Of Cats

Cats belong to the family Felidae of class mammalians, the same family to which tigers and loins belong. Although the cats are carnivorous just like their cousins, they are nowhere dangerous and can be tamed and kept as pets.

In facts cats are, after dogs, the most popular pets in the world. Not only are they adorable, they are friendly and are great as pets.

There are many different types of cats in the world, depending on what basis used for their classification. One classification divides the cats according to their hair. Based on this classification there are two types of cats:

• Long hair cats
• Short hair cats

The second classification is based on their habitats according to which there are two types of cats:

• Wild cats, the cats that roam around freely.
  
  These cats are usually large and aggressive and are difficult to train.
• Domestic cats, which are smaller harmless cats made to be trained and kept at homes as pets.

The third classification is on the basis of their color, according to which there are three types of cats:

• Single colored cats
• Bi colored cats
• Tri colored cats

In general cats bearing two or more than two color patterns are called Calico cats.

The colors may be present in stripes, swirls, mosaic or any other pattern.

The fourth and the most common classification of cats is based on the breed of cats.

There are hundreds of breeds of cats today out of which some are pure, some are due to natural hybridization, some are made by artificial breeding and some are made by genetic modifications.

The common breeds of cats include:

The Siamese cats are perhaps the most popular breed of cats in the world.

They are not only very popular but they are also the oldest breed of domestic cats.

It is believed that these beautiful cats originated thousand of years ago in Southeast Asia.

They are said to be descended from the temples of cats in Siam hence the name Siamese.

In general the Siamese cats are tall heavy boned and round cats which are very friendly and have the most beautiful blue eyes in the world.

They are mostly long furred and are black or white in color. Mostly they are bi colored. There are three types of Siamese cats:

• The Traditional Siamese Cats: They are round faced, muscular and have a rounded body. They are very friendly
• Classic Siamese Cats: They are big boned and slightly more elongated than the traditional ones. They have a slight triangular face.
• Modern Siamese Cats: They are very elegant and have a fine bone structure as compared to the above two. They have a sharp triangular face.

The Russian blue cats are breed of cats which are considered as highly intelligent and extremely friendly.

They are single colored short haired cats and have a silvery blue coat.

They are very playful and make a great companion.

They are very friendly with the people they know but are shy around strangers.

They have great personalities and are considered as ideal pets. They are also called foreign blue cats.

The tabby cats are very beautiful and friendly cats with a bi or a tri colored coat.

They are recognized by the patterns on their coats and a typical “M” shaped mark on their foreheads.

The patterns on their coats are usually stripes and swirls.

The stripes on their bodies can be of different colors.

The beauty of these cats lies in the unique color patterns of their coats. They are indeed one of the most beautiful cats in the world.

The American short haired cats are one of the most popular domestic breeds of cats.

They are short haired and mostly bi or single colored.

They are called the pedigree cats.

It is believed that the American short haired cats are the descendants of the British short haired cats.

The tuxedo cats are bi colored Calico cats with black and white fur arranged like a tuxedo on their bodies.

Most place the tuxedo cats amongst the tabby cats, but due to their unique pattern and the absence of the “M” mark, they are placed in a separate group.