Cat Breed Facts and Tales

Here is a collection of cat breed facts as well as some speculation about our feline friends for you to ponder. Only a very small percentage of domestic cats are purebreds, and only pedigreed cats can be entered in shows.

1. With males weighing in at 15 to 20 pounds, the Ragdoll cat breed is the largest of all domestic cats.

2. Althought the Ragdoll is said to be the largest domestic cat breed, the largest cat on record is actually a member of another breed - the Maine Coon.

3. The breed to take "Best Cat" in the first cat show ever held in the US was a Maine Coon cat.

4. If historians are correct, and cats were first domesticated in Egypt, then the Egyptian Mau might be the oldest cat breed.

5. The tuxedo cat breed is not really a breed at all.

6. The calico cat breed is also not really a breed either, but a coat color. Because the genes responsible for certain colors in the coat are sex related, calicos are almost always female. Male calicos are sometimes sterile.

7. The Norwegian Forest cat is a natural breed that is said to have accompanied Vikings on their long journeys at sea. If this is true, then they are (or descended from) one of the oldest breeds.

8. The Maine coon may share some ancestry with Norwegian Forest cats. If Vikings landed in North America, then it just may be that they brought the Norwegian Forest cats and left a few behind.

9. According to Americanhumane.org, the Persian cat has been the most popular breed in the United States since 1871.

10. Siamese cats have two large dark smudge marks on their backs. These are called "temple marks" and legend has it that they got there when a holy being picked up a Siamese and left the impression of his hands there forever.

11. Some sources have claimed that at one time, the Siamese cat was the number one breed in the US. Perhaps these statements have been made by meezer lovers.

12. Maine coon lovers have also claimed supremacy in the battle for most popular cat breed.

13. Larger cats are sometimes the least aggressive. The Main coon cat is referred to as a "gentle giant." Persians are said to be the most gentle of all breeds, but the Ragdoll may take that honor as it has an aversion to conflict. Ragdolls often play fight with claws retracted.

14. The Balinese cat breed is a natural long haired mutation of the Siamese cat.

15. Both the Balinese and Siamese are among the most intelligent of the domestic cat breeds.

16. There are both "traditional" and "modern" versions of a number of breeds, including the Balinese and Siamese. The traditional versions have different characteristics from the modern versions, such as coat length, and the size and shape of the body, head, and ears.