Cat Owner's Manual › Chapter 1: Choosing a Cat › Cat Varieties ›

Cat Varieties

Throughout the cat's thousands of years of service, its physical template has remained largely unaltered. Only in the last hundred years has it been substantially modified by selective breeding. Today there are three body designs: muscular (Fig. A—the standard, traditional shape seen in the typical shorthaired house cat); cobby (Fig. B—stumpy legs and broad body, as in Persians); and lithe (Fig. C—extremely slim body and limbs, and a wedge-shaped head).

Cat Varieties

Felines bred to participate in cat shows often look markedly different from cats bred as domestic companions. For instance, "competition quality" Siamese have extremely angular faces and thin, lithe bodies. However, in many cases Siamese bred for home use retain their more powerful-looking "standard" body and sport a less angular face.

As the years go by, more and more cat varieties are becoming available, some of which depart quite radically from standard feline design parameters. Recent innovations include the Devon and Cornish Rex, which both sport wavy-haired coats; the Sphynx, which has almost no hair at all; and the Scottish Fold, with distinctly folded ears. However, the majority of the world's felines still adhere to the traditional body shape.

Comments (1)

Chapter 1: Choosing a Cat

Comments for This Page (1)  |  Post a Comment

female only

purred by Faye Clark on Jun 13, 2008 AT 9:52 am PDT
Helpful? Y / N    Report this Comment

Post a Comment for This Page

Please log in or register to post a comment.

Email
Password:

Quirk BooksThe Cat Owner's Manual is a basic guide to cat care.
The book was written by a celebrated veterinarian and an acclaimed author. It provides cat owners with well-researched and helpful information presented in a lighthearted manner. The creators chose to write the book in a style similar to what you'd find in "operating instructions" for a car or computer. Of course they--and we--respect the fact that our beloved pets are not products or machines!