Cat Breed

A cat breed is an infrasubspecific rank for the classification of domestic cats. A cat is considered to be of a certain cat breed if it is true breeding for the traits that define that breed. Various cat registries around the world record and certify the pedigrees. Only three percent of owned cats belong to a cat breed, and an even smaller percentage of those are suitable as show cats. A registration certificate proves that a cat belongs to a cat breed by showing the cat's pedigree back to at least four generations. The whole concept of cat breeds is a relatively new one. Two hundred years ago there was no such thing, however today there are almost a hundred cat breeds. Varieties of domestic cat can also be identified by characteristics other than breed. Since millions of cats are put to sleep in shelters in the US each year, and since many others die homeless on the street, there is a growing movement against cat breeding.
See selective breeding for more in-depth detail on purebred animals.

The following is a list of cat breeds recognized by various cat registries.
Cats can also be grouped by type according to appearance or function.

Longhair and semi-longhair:
Asian Semi-longhair (or Tiffanie)
Balinese
Birman
British Longhair
Chantilly/Tiffany cat
Himalayan (USA) or Colourpoint (rest of world).
Javanese
Maine Coon
Nebelung
Norwegian Forest Cat
Oriental Longhair
Persian
Ragdoll (and Ragamuffin)
Siberian
Turkish Van
Turkish Angora

Shorthair:
Abyssinian
American Shorthair
Australian Mist
Bombay
British Shorthair
Burmese
Burmilla
California Spangled Cat
Chartreux
Colorpoint Shorthair
Egyptian Mau
European Shorthair
Exotic
Havana Brown
Korat
Ocicat
Oriental Shorthair
Russian Blue
Russian
Siamese (and Traditional Siamese or Applehead Siamese)
Singapura
Snowshoe
Sokoke
Somali
Tonkinese

Breeds based on mutations:
American Bobtail
American Curl
American Wirehair
Cornish Rex
Cymric
Devon Rex
German Rex
Japanese Bobtail
LaPerm
Manx
Munchkin
Ojos Azules
Peterbald
Pixie-bob
Selkirk Rex
Scottish Fold
Sphynx

Breeds derived from crosses with wild felids:
Bengal
Chausie
Cheetoh
Savannah
Serengeti
Toyger

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cat_breeds"