Cat Breed Profiles
All Cat Breed Profiles
Browse 41 cat breed profiles with visual identification markers, temperament traits, and health notes. Compare coat, body shape, ears, eyes, and tail clues to narrow your match.
A profile gives you useful clues, not a pedigree result. Many cats are mixed-breed or domestic shorthair / domestic longhair cats, so a familiar pattern may not point to one named breed.
Popular Breeds
41 breeds
Norwegian Forest Cat
A large, sturdy cat built for cold northern winters — thick water-repellent double coat, triangular head, friendly but independent. Originally working farm cats in Norway, they climb, hunt, and remain deeply loyal to their families without being fussy about it.
Key Markers
- Thick, uneven double coat
- Triangular head with a straight profile
Abyssinian
One of the oldest cat breeds, the Abyssinian wears a uniquely ticked coat — each hair striped with alternating bands of color. Slim, muscular, and endlessly curious, these cats stay kittenish well into old age. They bond deeply with their people and hate being left alone.
Key Markers
- Ticked coat (agouti pattern)
- Medium-sized, wedge-shaped head with a gentle curve from forehead to nose
Russian Blue
A blue-gray short-hair with a shimmering silver sheen and vivid green eyes. Russian Blues are reserved with strangers but deeply affectionate with their own people — quiet, gentle, and sensitive. The breed’s double coat stands up from the body, giving the cat a plush, velvety feel that cat breeders call "the smile under the hand."
Key Markers
- Short, dense double coat in a clear even blue-gray
- Wedge-shaped head with a flat skull and a long straight nose
Scottish Fold
A sweet-faced cat with ears folded forward and down, giving the head a round, owl-like silhouette. Calm, adaptable, and teddy-bear soft — Scottish Folds live up to their appearance. The folded ears trace back to a natural dominant mutation first found in a barn cat in Scotland in 1961.
Key Markers
- Ears folded forward and downward in a tight cap-like crease against the skull
- Round, wide head with full cheeks, a short nose, and smooth contours
Persian
The quintessential lap cat — famous for its luxurious long coat, large round eyes, and sweet, placid temperament. Persians are the most popular pedigreed cat breed worldwide, prized for their serene, gentle nature and unmistakable flat-faced (brachycephalic) profile.
Key Markers
- Round, wide head with a short snub nose, full cheeks, and a visible stop
- Large, round, vivid copper or deep blue eyes set wide apart, giving a sweet, open expression
British Shorthair
A sturdy, round-faced cat with a dense plush coat and a calm, undemanding personality. The British Blue — a solid blue-gray coat with copper eyes — is the breed’s most recognized look, but British Shorthairs come in many colors and patterns.
Key Markers
- Round head with full cheeks, short nose, and a visible stop between forehead and nose
- Large, round copper or gold eyes (eye color depends on coat color)
Maine Coon
Wondering how to tell if a cat is a Maine Coon? One of the largest domesticated cat breeds, known for its rugged appearance, friendly personality, and dog-like loyalty. Maine Coons are often called "gentle giants" for their affectionate nature despite their imposing size.
Key Markers
- Ear tufts (lynx tips)
- Large, rectangular body
Siamese
One of the oldest and most recognizable cat breeds, the Siamese is famous for its striking color-point pattern, vivid blue almond-shaped eyes, and vocal, people-oriented personality.
Key Markers
- Color-point pattern: pale body with darker ears, face, paws, and tail
- Vivid blue, almond-shaped eyes
Ragdoll
A large, semi-longhaired cat breed known for its striking blue eyes, color-point coat, and remarkably relaxed temperament — they often go limp when picked up, hence the name "Ragdoll."
Key Markers
- Large, muscular body with a broad chest and substantial bone structure
- Stunning blue, oval-shaped eyes
Bengal
A striking, wild-looking domestic cat breed developed from Asian leopard cats. Bengals are known for their distinctive spotted or marbled rosette coats, athletic build, and highly energetic, adventurous personality.
Key Markers
- Distinctive rosette/spotted coat pattern (reminiscent of wild cats)
- Golden, green, or glittered coat with high contrast markings
Birman
A color-pointed longhair with deep blue eyes and pure white paws — the "Sacred Cat of Burma." Calm, affectionate, quieter than most breeds. Forms close bonds without being demanding.
Key Markers
- Four pure white paws (called "gloves" on the front, "laces" on the back)
- Deep vivid blue, almost round eyes set wide apart
Sphynx
A hairless cat with a warm suede-like skin, oversized bat ears, and a personality that demands your attention. Sphynx cats are intensely social, dog-like in their loyalty, and need human company more than most breeds.
Key Markers
- Hairless body covered in fine peach-fuzz down
- Wedge-shaped head with prominent cheekbones and a visible whisker break
Devon Rex
A pixie-faced cat with oversized bat ears and a short wavy coat that feels like soft lamb’s wool. Mischievous, people-oriented, and endlessly energetic — the breed was discovered in Devon, England in 1960 when a stray cat gave birth to a curly-coated kitten.
Key Markers
- Large, bat-like ears set wide and low on the head
- Short, soft, wavy coat with a distinct marcel wave pattern
Siberian
A large, powerful forest cat from Russia with a water-repellent triple coat and a gentle, dog-like personality. Famous for lower Fel d 1 enzyme levels than most cats, some Siberians are tolerated by people with mild cat allergies — though individual response varies widely.
Key Markers
- Triple coat that naturally repels water
- Round, broad head with full cheeks, a short blunt muzzle, and a gentle curve from forehead to nose with a visible but soft stop
American Shorthair
A sturdy, even-tempered working cat breed descended from European cats that crossed the Atlantic with early settlers. Known for a dense protective coat, a round full face, and a quiet adaptable personality — the breed standard prizes longevity and robust health above all.
Key Markers
- Dense, short coat that lies flat against the body
- Round, full face with a short muzzle, well-developed whisker pads, and a gentle curving profile with a visible stop
Cornish Rex
A slender, curly-coated cat with a whippet-like silhouette — long legs, arched back, and a deep chest. The Cornish Rex coat has only an undercoat — no guard hairs — giving it a short, tight wave of fur that feels like warm silk. Active, people-oriented, and endlessly curious, the breed stays kittenish well into old age.
Key Markers
- Short, tight, uniform marcel wave covering the entire body
- Egg-shaped head that is longer than it is wide
Exotic Shorthair
A Persian in a short plush coat — same round face, cobby body, and sweet temperament, but with a dense medium-length coat that needs far less grooming. Exotics are calm, gentle lap cats who adapt well to any quiet household and get along with everyone.
Key Markers
- Round, massive head with a short snub nose, full cheeks, and a prominent break between the eyes
- Large, round vivid copper or deep blue eyes set wide apart, giving a sweet, open doll-like expression
Turkish Angora
A graceful, medium-sized cat with a fine silky coat that shimmers with movement — elegant, athletic, and surprisingly firm under all that fluff. Turkish Angoras are playful, social, and form strong bonds with their people. One of the oldest natural cat breeds, originating in the Ankara region of Turkey.
Key Markers
- Fine, silky single coat that lies flat against the body
- Small-to-medium wedge-shaped head formed by two flat planes
Burmese
A compact cat with surprising heft — dense muscular body, a satin-like short coat, and large expressive gold eyes. Burmese are famously people-oriented, maintaining kitten-like energy and playfulness well into adulthood. Often described as "a brick wrapped in silk" for their solid weight and glossy coat.
Key Markers
- Short, fine, satin-like coat that lies close to the body with a glossy sheen
- Medium-sized, rounded wedge-shaped head with a short muzzle, full cheeks, and a visible nose break
Chartreux
A sturdy blue-gray cat from France with a woolly double coat, copper-gold eyes, and a quiet, dog-like personality. Chartreux are known for their "smiling" expression, lightning-fast reflexes, and rare voice — one of the oldest natural breeds, prized since medieval times for their hunting ability.
Key Markers
- Medium-short, slightly woolly double coat that breaks like sheepskin at the neck and flanks
- Rounded, broad head that is "not a sphere" per the CFA standard
Egyptian Mau
The only naturally spotted domestic cat breed — a medium-sized, muscular cat with a distinctive scarab-marked forehead and gooseberry-green eyes. Maus are the fastest of all domestic cats, capable of reaching 30 mph. Athletic, loyal, and reserved with strangers, they form deep attachments to their people and remain playful throughout life.
Key Markers
- Randomly spotted coat pattern
- Characteristic scarab "M" marking on the forehead
Himalayan
A Persian bred to carry the color-point gene — round flat face, long silky coat, deep blue eyes, and the color-point pattern of a Siamese. Calm, gentle cats who want a quiet home, regular grooming, and not much else. One of the most popular longhaired breeds worldwide.
Key Markers
- Color-point pattern
- Round, massive head with a short snub nose, full cheeks, and a prominent break
Oriental Shorthair
A Siamese freed from the color-point restriction — same wedge-shaped head, large ears, athletic body, and vocal personality, available in over 300 color and pattern combinations. Developed by crossing Siamese with other short-haired cats to introduce new colors while preserving the Siamese body type. Curious, demanding, never boring.
Key Markers
- Long, tapering wedge-shaped head forming a triangle from the nose tip to the ear tips
- Large, wide-set, almond-shaped eyes slanted toward the nose
Tonkinese
The middle ground between a Siamese and a Burmese. Aqua-blue eyes, a soft mink coat pattern, and a friendly, playful nature that splits the difference between the two parent breeds. Tonkinese are social cats who want to be part of everything happening in the house.
Key Markers
- Mink coat pattern
- Large, expressive aqua-blue eyes
Bombay
A Burmese in black patent leather — the Bombay was bred to look like a miniature black panther. Solid black from nose to tail-tip, with striking copper-gold eyes and a surprisingly heavy, muscular body packed into a medium frame. Affectionate, playful, and people-oriented, Bombays are attention seekers who form deep bonds with their humans.
Key Markers
- Solid black coat from nose to tail-tip
- Large, round copper to deep gold eyes set wide apart
Korat
A blue-gray cat from Thailand with a heart-shaped face, luminous green eyes, and a silver-tipped coat that shimmers like rain clouds. The Korat is one of the oldest naturally occurring cat breeds, cherished in Thailand as a "good luck cat" for centuries. Intelligent, loyal, and sensitive, Korats form deep bonds with their families and dislike living in homes where people are gone for long hours.
Key Markers
- Short, fine single coat in a clear silver-blue
- Heart-shaped head
Somali
The long-haired Abyssinian — same ticked coat pattern and athletic build, but with a full ruff around the neck and a fox-like brush tail. Somalis are active, playful cats that stay kittenish well into old age. They bond closely with their people but are less demanding than the Abyssinian.
Key Markers
- Ticked (agouti) coat with medium-long, fine, silky texture
- Fox-like brush tail
Japanese Bobtail
A cat with a rabbit-like stub tail held upright, a slender athletic body, and a centuries-old history in Japan as a symbol of good fortune. The Japanese Bobtail is intelligent, social, and communicative with a distinctive song-like voice. Active and people-oriented, they form strong bonds and want to be part of everything happening in the house.
Key Markers
- Short, bunny-like tail 2–4 inches long held upright
- Sleek, muscular, medium-long body
Selkirk Rex
A heavily boned, round-faced cat with a dense curly coat that feels like sheepskin — the result of a spontaneous mutation in a Montana shelter cat in 1987. Selkirk Rex cats are calm, patient, and tolerant, with a laid-back personality that sets them apart from the more high-strung Rex breeds. The coat is plush with loose individual curls, not the tight uniform wave of the Cornish Rex.
Key Markers
- Dense, plush curly coat with loose individual curls
- Round, wide head with full cheeks, a short blunt muzzle, and prominent whisker pads
Ocicat
A spotted cat that looks wild but has no wild blood — the Ocicat was developed from Abyssinian, Siamese, and American Shorthair crosses to create a domestic cat with the appearance of a wild ocelot. Athletic, confident, and social, they follow their owners around the house and greet strangers like old friends. The thumbprint-style spots along the spine are the breed's signature.
Key Markers
- Spotted coat with thumbprint-shaped spots along the spine
- Large, modified wedge-shaped head with a visible stop and defined whisker break
Manx
A tailless cat from the Isle of Man with a round cobby body, a short back, and a prominent rounded rump. The Manx is one of the oldest natural cat breeds, with the tailless mutation dating back centuries on its island home. Intelligent, playful, and dog-like in their loyalty, Manx cats form deep bonds with their families and are known for their powerful hind legs and surprising jumping ability.
Key Markers
- Complete or near-complete lack of tail
- Rounded, prominent rump distinctly higher than the shoulders
Singapura
The smallest cat breed — full-grown adults weigh 4–8 pounds. Singapuras have a ticked coat, large hazel-green eyes, and oversized ears for their head size. Active, curious, and demanding of your attention. The breed originated from street cats in Singapore, recognized in the 1970s.
Key Markers
- Ticked (agouti) coat in warm sepia-brown
- Smallest of all domestic cat breeds
American Bobtail
A short-tailed cat with a wild, untamed look and a gentle, adaptable nature. The American Bobtail carries a naturally occurring short tail, a substantial rectangular body, and a dense coat in short or long variety. Developed in the 1960s from a domestic bobtailed cat crossed with other breeds, it looks wild but acts sweet.
Key Markers
- Short, broad tail 1–4 inches long, carried above the back
- Large, rectangular, substantial body
LaPerm
A cat with a soft, wavy coat that feels like fine human hair — the LaPerm carries a dominant rex gene that produces loose curls, especially around the neck, belly, and tail. The breed started with a spontaneous mutation on a farm in Oregon in 1982. LaPerms are gentle cats that bond closely with their families.
Key Markers
- Soft, wavy, loose curls covering the body
- Modified wedge-shaped head with a gently rounded skull, a short muzzle, and prominent whisker pads
Burmilla
A silver-shaded cat with a soft, sparkling coat, dark-rimmed green eyes, and a gentle outgoing personality. The Burmilla was created by accident in the UK in 1981 when a Chinchilla Persian and a Burmese were bred together. The result is a cat with the Burmese's compact body and the Persian's shaded silver coat.
Key Markers
- Silver-shaded or silver-tipped coat
- Round, softly contoured head with a short blunt muzzle, full cheeks, and a visible stop
Snowshoe
A color-pointed shorthair with four white paws, a white V-shaped blaze on the face, and deep blue eyes — the Snowshoe looks like a Siamese wearing white boots. Developed in the US in the 1960s from Siamese and American Shorthair crosses. The symmetrical white markings are the breed's trademark.
Key Markers
- Color-point pattern with four white paws (gloves) and a white inverted-V blaze on the face
- Large, vivid deep blue eyes
Turkish Van
A large, semi-longhaired cat from the Lake Van region of Turkey, nearly all white with color confined to the head and tail. Its coat has no undercoat, which makes it water-resistant enough that the breed is famous for swimming. Athletic, energetic, and slow to mature, Vans take 3 to 5 years to reach full size.
Key Markers
- Van pattern
- Semi-long, silky, single-layer coat with no undercoat
Balinese
A longhaired Siamese: the same wedge head, vivid blue almond eyes, and colorpoint pattern, wrapped in a silky coat with no undercoat. Longhaired kittens appeared in Siamese litters in the US in the 1940s and 1950s, and breeders developed them into their own breed. Agile, vocal, and devoted, the Balinese keeps Siamese personality in a softer package.
Key Markers
- Colorpoint pattern
- Medium-long, fine, silky single coat with no undercoat
American Curl
The American Curl is the cat whose ears arc backward in a 90 to 180 degree curve, a natural mutation that appeared in a stray kitten on a doorstep in Lakewood, California, in 1981. Every Curl is born with straight ears that start curling within days and fix in place by four months. Beyond the ears, it is a moderate, friendly, medium-size cat in every coat color and length.
Key Markers
- Ears arcing backward from the face in a 90 to 180 degree curve
- Ear structure
Munchkin
Short-legged cats were noted in a 1944 British veterinary report, but the modern Munchkin traces to 1983, when a music teacher in Louisiana found a pregnant short-legged stray named Blackberry. TICA admitted the breed to its new breed program in 1994. Small, playful, and magnetic, Munchkins run, climb, and chase on legs about a third shorter than normal, and welfare concerns mean several registries still refuse to recognize them.
Key Markers
- Legs
- Body
Ragamuffin
A large, slow-maturing cat bred out of the Ragdoll in the 1990s, when breeders crossed into a wider gene pool and opened up every color except pointed. Full size and the plush, rabbit-soft coat take up to four years to arrive, and males can reach 20 pounds. Sweet-tempered, heavy, and utterly relaxed in the arms, the Ragamuffin is the teddy bear of the cat world.
Key Markers
- Dense, plush, semi-long coat with a rabbit-fur texture
- Large, rectangular body with a broad chest, heavy boning, and a substantial belly