CFA List of Cat Breeds

Here's a list of cat breeds from one of the largest breed registries in the world, the CFA. There are a number of organizations and governing bodies of the cat fancy worldwide. Each has its own requirements and breed standards, thus making the lists from the various organizations different.

From time to time, new breeds will be recognized. Sometimes, it's a matter of recognizing a variant of an existing breed. Sometimes is just a matter of a coat color or length that was previously not allowed.

The Javanese, for example, is a colorful version of the Balinese. The CFA breed standard is the same for the two cats, except for the colors that are allowed for competition. The Somali is essentially a longhaired Abyssinian.

Other times, breeders will create a new breed. It takes time for the breed to develop, and even more time for the characteristics to be considered stable from generation to generation. Then, an association has to accept the breed and subsequently, the list of breeds for that particular association is added to.

The Cat Fancier's Association (CFA) is the "World's Largest Registry of Pedigreed Cats" and recognizes 40 breeds. None of the breeds in the CFA registry are hybrid cats, and there is a lot of controversy surrounding hybrids. This is a noticeable difference between the CFA and The International Association of Cats (TICA).