Cat breed rankings
The Most Common Cat Breeds in the US
Depends what you are counting. In the general cat population, no pedigree breed comes close to the random-bred domestic shorthair. Among pedigreed cats, the CFA's official ranking puts the Maine Coon at number one, based on 2024 registrations. Below is the official top 10 with the visible markers that identify each one, plus why every "most common" list on the internet disagrees with the others.
The top 10 pedigreed breeds
CFA's "Most Popular Breeds for 2025" list, ranked by calendar-year 2024 registrations. Each row carries the fastest visual clue for that breed, because a ranking tells you what is common, and the markers tell you whether the cat in your kitchen is one of them.
| # | Breed | Fastest visual clue |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maine Coon | Huge frame, shaggy water-resistant coat, ear tufts |
| 2 | Ragdoll | Large semi-longhair, blue eyes, points with four white legs |
| 3 | Persian | Flat face, long flowing coat, copper or deep blue eyes |
| 4 | Exotic Shorthair | The Persian face on a short plush coat |
| 5 | Devon Rex | Curly wavy coat, huge ears, elfin muzzle |
| 6 | Abyssinian | Ticked coat with dark eyeliner, athletic and lean |
| 7 | British Shorthair | Round face, dense plush coat, copper eyes |
| 8 | Siberian | Powerful build, triple coat, rounded hindquarters |
| 9 | Sphynx | Hairless with suede-warm skin and big lemon eyes |
| 10 | Russian Blue | Blue double coat with silver sheen, emerald eyes |
Source: CFA, "Most Popular Breeds for 2025" (published March 2025, based on 2024 registrations). The Maine Coon took the top spot from the Ragdoll, which had held it in earlier years. Registration counts measure pedigree popularity, not how many cats of each kind actually live in American homes.
The most common cat is not on the list
Every registration-based list shares the same blind spot: most American cats have no papers. The random-bred domestic shorthair outnumbers any single pedigree breed by a wide margin, and the domestic longhair comes next. Neither is a breed. They are labels for cats whose ancestry is unrecorded, which is exactly why they never appear in a registry ranking.
So when a list claims to rank "the most common cat breeds" and puts the domestic shorthair at number one alongside the Maine Coon, it is mixing two different measurements: population counts and registration counts. Both are honest numbers. They just answer different questions, and you deserve to know which one you are reading.
Is tabby the most common?
Tabby is a coat pattern, not a breed, and it is genuinely the most common look in the general cat population. The brown mackerel tabby you meet on the street carries the same pattern as the wild ancestors of every domestic cat, which is why the pattern never left the gene pool. A tabby can be a random-bred domestic shorthair, a Maine Coon, an Abyssinian (ticked rather than striped), or any of dozens of breeds. The tabby pattern guide breaks down the four variants.
What about stray and shelter cats?
The most common "stray cat breed" is the same answer as above: random-bred domestic shorthairs, mostly tabby-patterned, dominate street and shelter populations. Purebreds do end up in shelters, but rarely. What shelters do see constantly are mixed breed cats with echoes of popular pedigrees: a Siamese-style point coat, a Maine Coon-size frame, a Persian-flat face. The breed is in the mix, but the paperwork never was.
Think your cat matches the list?
Common breeds are common for a reason, and their markers are the easiest to check. Upload a photo and Furriq scores 40+ visible traits, coat and ear tufts to eye color, against profiles of the 61 breeds we cover, including all ten above. Guests get one free scan, no sign-up required, and every result reads as clues, not proof.
No cat photo handy?
Scan a sample, one tap:
Only cat photos are recognized — non-cat images will return meaningless results
Example results
Maine Coon
~92%
Large frame, ear tufts, rectangular body
Siamese
~87%
Blue eyes, pointed coat, triangular face
British Shorthair
~85%
Dense coat, round face, copper eyes
Frequently asked questions
What is the most common cat breed in the US?
Among pedigreed cats, the Maine Coon: it took the number one spot in the CFA's 2025 ranking based on 2024 registrations, moving ahead of the Ragdoll. In the general cat population, no pedigree breed leads, because random-bred domestic shorthairs outnumber every registered breed combined.
Is a tabby the most common cat?
Tabby is the most common coat pattern, not a breed. The striped or ticked pattern descends directly from the wild ancestors of all domestic cats, so it dominates street and shelter populations. Many pedigree breeds also come in tabby.
Why do "most common cat breeds" lists disagree?
Because they count different things. Registry lists like the CFA's rank registrations, which measure pedigree popularity. Surveys from pet services rank what owners self-report, which mixes in random-bred cats and guesses. A list that puts the domestic shorthair at number one is answering a population question; a list topped by the Maine Coon is answering a registration one.
What is the most common stray cat breed?
None, strictly speaking: most strays are random-bred domestic shorthairs, mostly tabby-patterned. Shelter cats frequently show physical echoes of popular breeds, Siamese points, Maine Coon size, Persian flat faces, but the most common stray carries no pedigree at all.