Cats

The breeding of the domestic cat (Felis cattus) involves basic principles of heredity, with consideration of dominant and recessive traits. It was in England that this breeding first became serious enough that so-called "purebred" cats were displayed at shows and a system of authenticating the genetic lineage was begun by issuing pedigree certificates. Special associations were established to regulate the validation of cat pedigrees and to sponsor the shows.

Cat breeds can be categorized as either long-haired or short-haired. Within each group, the breeds are distinguished by their color and pattern, head and ear shape and size, body shape, hair color and length, eye color and shape, and special markings like stripes and color variations on the feet, tail, face, and neck.

More than a hundred different breeds of domestic cats are recognized, subdivided into five broad groups. One group includes Persian longhairs, another the rest of the long-haired cats, a third the British short-haired cats, a fourth the American short-haired cats, and a fifth the Oriental short-haired cats.

The Persian cat, highly prized among cat fanciers, has a rounded body, face, eyes, and head, with a short nose and legs. Its fur is long and woolly, and its tail is fluffy and bushy. Persian cats vary from black to white, cream, blue, red, blue-cream, cameo, tortoiseshell, smoke, silver, tabby, calico, pewter, chocolate, and lilac. Other popular long-haired cats include the Balinese, the ragdoll, the Turkish angora, and the Maine coon cat. Among the short-haired cats, the Manx, British shorthair, American shorthair, Abyssinian, Burmese, and Siamese are popular. One breed is hairless: the sphynx, bred from a mutant kitten in 1966, does not even have whiskers.

The domestic cat is rivaled only by the domestic dog as a household pet, and in recent years has outnumbered the dog in urban areas. Cats are more self-sufficient than dogs in that they self-groom, need little if any training to use a litter box, and don't have to be walked. Cats are generally quiet and aloof, but will display affection to their owners. They have a reputation of being fussy eaters, but will usually adapt quickly to a particular kind of food.