Exotic Cat Breeds

Above: Mary a Savannah on the left and her Serval mother, Callie; two very exotic cats. This photograph sums up this group of cats. It is all there; no need for words but you'll get 'em anyway... Photograph copyright Helmi Flick

This is a groups of cats that is becoming increasingly popular. And this group of cats is becoming increasingly large as a result. First things first, though. What does the word exotic mean? It means strange, unusual, anything of foreign origin, foreign and exciting connotating beauty and wonder.

Secondly, it is worth reminding ourselves that the word "exotic" can be used in the cat fancy in variable ways. This is due to slightly different ideas on the cat breeds from association to association, which in turn is at least in part due to differences from country to country.

In a general sense exotic cat breeds means cats that step out of the mainstream. Wildcat/domestic cat hybrids naturally fit the bill. This group of cats are meant to be different and exciting and they often are, especially the early generations. The early F1 and F2 (F stands for "fillial") generations are more like their wildcat parents or grandparents. As the wildcat chosen for the breeding program is by definition exotic, the early offspring will be too. When, however, the breeding enters F5 offspring generations the cat becomes less exotic particularly if the breeding is not that good and the cat starts to lose some if her wildcat features and if the coat becomes less contrasty. A contrasty coat pattern is desirable as it makes more of a statement that this cat is like a wild cat.

Although it is probably cheating a bit, it is probably correct to say that the most exotic cat breeds are the tamed wild cats. These are the Safari and Serval. These cats require special handling both for the sake of the person and more importantly the cat. There is no chance of these cats being indoor cats. You'll need space, time, money and compliance with the local authorities legal requirements in keeping a wild animal no matter that she has been trained to be domesticated.

One down from this lofty height are the F1-F2 Savannahs and Chausies. The former a Serval wildcat/domestic cat hybrid and the latter a Jungle cat/domestic cat hybrid. The demands on the human go down a bit but are still high. These are alpha cats. They form close bonds to humans which is nice but this carries a necessary burden in terms of demands on time and input.
Going further from the wild we have the original exotic cat breed the Bengal Cat. There are some fabulous Bengal cats and some that are not so inline with the required "type". Some may even be misdescribed. These are truly domestic cats but they are sometimes more inquisitive, active, intelligent with some wild blood which comes through in their character and behavior. I don't think Bengals are indoor cats.

However at the other end of the spectrum a cat with the name "Exotic Shorthair" does (to a high degree) have the requirements for permanent indoor living which is widespread in the States, less so in Europe and the UK. The Exotic Shorthair however is not part of the group of exotic cat breeds. She is though rather strange looking having the ultra flattened face of the extreme Persian and the sold body conformation of the American Shorthair. She is a short haired Ultra Persian Cat. A search in one of the photography websites such as Flickr for "exotic cat" will most likely produce a lot of Exotic Shorthairs of various degrees of quality (in terms of type).

One set of cats that I think should fall into the group of exotic cat breeds are the designer cats. These are not wildcat hybrids but domestic cats through and through but made to look like wildcats by extremely careful breeding. I am thinking initially of the Toyger a stunning looking cat when breed to type and photographed brilliantly by Helmi.

The designer cats attract some criticism because people argue that there are enough cats and that there is too much focus on appearance and not enough on character. The real beauty comes in character. A lesser known and very rare designer cat is the California Spangled. She has no wild blood.

There is a clear overlap of terminology. It is far to argue that all exotic cats are designer cats. But it seems to me that the term "designer cats" is best used for cats that are breed with a particular group of people in mind (designed for a certain market) and the breeders of the Toyger make it clear that their cat is just that.

Another cat that has exotic wildcat looks is the Serengeti. Her name supports that assessment. This cat has no wild blood either. Another cat that has the look of a wild cat is the Egyptian Mau but this cat does not fall into this categeoy in my opinion.

There are other cats that are rare such as the dwarf cat Kinkalow but the term "exotic" conjures up strange and foreign lands and the dwarf cats do not give the impression that they come from strange far off lands and so don't fall into the exotic cat breeds group.

Exotic Cat Breeds to the Serengeti cat

Tabby Cat Breed

Tabby cat with white - Photograph copyright tanakawho (see below)

A tabby cat breed is a breed of cat that a considerable number of people think exists but does not. It is easy to get into this mode of thinking as we hear about tabby cats a lot. We hear about them in the same way that we hear about genuine cat breeds.

A tabby cat is a cat with a certain type of coat. In fact it is the most common type of coat. It is a coat that has it's origins in wild cats and is clearly seen in wild cats such as the Scottish Wildcat and the American Bobcat. The Egyptian Mau an exotic looking naturally spotted cat and a tabby cat is thought to be a domesticated African wild cat, which of course is also a tabby cat.

The tabby coat is the most natural looking coat and provides the best protection in terms of being camouflage. It also can produce an appearance that is does not look like camouflage at all but is in fact well suited to forest light. I am talking about the Tiger. There is also perhaps the fact that this big wildcat is so dominant that he or she does not need to be camouflaged in the same way as the smaller wildcats.

Some cat breeders are doing their best to replicate the ubiquitous but remarkable markings of the Tiger in a domestic cat called the Toyger (toy Tiger). The Toyger's appearance is based around the tabby mackerel coat but very refined and carefully bred to resemble the Tiger. The Toyger is a designer cat and very distinctive. If there was a tabby cat breed this cat would be at the top of the list of examples, perhaps.

Update: There is another post on the tabby coat with some of Helmi Flick's pictures of tabby cats. I also discuss the genetics behind the tabby look in this post. The linked post is actually very comprehensive and I would recommend a look as it covers genetics and the various types of tabby cat coats.

In the domestic cat there are several types of tabby coat patterns including Abyssinian (ticking), mackerel (stripped), mackerel spotted (Bengal arrow head or rosettes for example) and blotched (Bengal marbled pattern).


Mackerel Tabby -- cat a fine mixed breed cat photo copyright Helmi Flick

Cat coat genetics are not only extremely complicated but as as far as I am aware are still being researched. Often there is an interplay between various genes to produce a coat that on first sight cannot be pigeon holed into a cat coat category. An example might be lynx pointed cats. You wouldn't have thought the tabby pattern could be found in a pointed cat. We think of Siamese cats as pointed cats and cannot initially see a connection between the tabby pattern and color points. But cat breeders have developed various types of points and one is a pointed pattern where the dark extremities are broken by the gene that produces the tabby pattern. You can see a lynx pointed cat in this post.

The tabby pattern is cuts across cat breeds and is found most commonly in cats of mixed ancestry (mixed breed cats or Moggies). In fact, not only does this coat pattern cut across breeds it is found equally in domestic and wild cats. The tabby coat is seen is so many different cat breeds that it would be impossible to consider a tabby cat breed in any event.

The classic brown tabby is well known and looks not dissimilar to the Scottish Wildcat referred to above. This is to be expected as the domestic cat's origins are in the wildcats.

The splendid Maine Coon often has a tabby coat. A TICA champion Maine Coon of great distinction has a tabby pattern. The beautiful and wonderful looking Maine Coon cat called Daisy at the top of this page also has a tabby patterned coat. Daisy lives with Dani Rozeboom who photographed Daisy. Dani is a fine cat photographer.

Photograph at top of this page on tabby cat breed: This is a tabby and white cat photographed by a well known and talented photographer who publishes his photographs on Flickr called tanakawho. We know about you now.

Tabby Cat Breed to Maine Coon cats.

Facts About Cat Breeds

Photo copyright tanakawho (see below)

What Kind of Facts About Cat Breeds is the average person looking for? On the Pictures of cats website I try and focus on, you guessed, pictures of cats. I tend to keep the facts to a summary form. However, I always check information from a number of sources so that it is a true and balanced summary of the most important and relevant information for people interested in cats.

This site and its parent site are really designed for people who are not in the cat fancy, meaning people who keep cats but are not cat breeders. That is because this is the biggest market.

I always cover the same facts about cat breeds, for each breed. These are the origin and history of the breed, the appearance and character, any health issues and finally I list some breeders.

Of these four groups, "facts" in relation to origin and history are often not facts at all and I make this clear on the relevant page of the site. There are several reasons why the origins and early history of domestic cat breeds is hazy. It is worth noting that this haziness only relates to "natural breeds". Breeds that have been created by mating one breed with another (a hybrid) will be a fairly recent and well documented event and therefore accurate. This type of "breed creation" and development has only come about in the latter part of the 20th century during the expansion of the cat fancy.

The problem of accuracy arises for cat breeds that have been "discovered". I'm going to be cynical here. It is more interesting for a cat breeder who wishes to develop a cat breed to declare that they have discovered a long lost, unusual and rare cat breed that has evolved all on its own by natural selection. People don't react that kindly sometimes to the idea of "creating" yet another breed of cat. There are enough, already, some people think. The trouble is the discovery stories are by their nature vague. If I was being really cynical I'd say deliberately vague. If the stories are true then they are bound to be hazy because no one was tracking the early (undiscovered) development of a discovered cat breed. So when you see slightly conflicting stories about the early history of a new natural cat breed you might treat the information with some caution.

The same can be said sometimes about health. Highly accurate facts about cat breeds in respect of health can be difficult to come by sometimes. Take for example genetic disorders. Two cats come to mind, the Maine Coon and Bengal, both can succumb to heart disease (HCM). Cat breeders know that it is not uncommon (in the Maine Coon about 30% I am told), but the genetic markers are yet to be located and "pinned down". In other words research continues. This is the same story for other cat breed genetic disorders. These have only relatively recently come about to the extent that breeders have to deal with them. In respect of the Bengal cat HCM has very recently become an issue but (and you can't blame them) breeders will tend to keep things quiet to protect their business. This serves to damage the cat breeding business generally in the long term and is "short termism" at its worst and more importantly unethical in respect of the cats involved. It also places a barrier in the way of cat health and sound information about the most important aspect of domestic cat breeds, their health.

There is one area of facts about cat breeds that is totally transparent, the appearance. The cats that you see on the Pictures of cats website are all high quality cats, some of them are show champions of extremely high quality. So you can be sure that you are looking at a true representative of the cat breed in question. Sometimes though you will see, say, a Bengal cat that is certainly not a purebred Bengal cat although the cat was probably "sold" as purebred.

There is a wide spectrum of standards amongst breeders and of course a purebred cat that has been adopted and not neutered (almost all are neutered, I believe, before being sold) can breed with mixed breed Moggies. You'll get Bengals but not the original purity. So even in respect of appearance you'll get less than accurate facts about cat breeds on occasions.

See probably the best pictures of cat breeds and carefully summarized facts on the main website and start with the three pages dealing with all the cat breeds in alphabetical order at the top of the navigation bar.

Picture at head of post. This is a calico temple cat taken by a well known Flickr photographer who is very talented. You can see more of his work and the work of two other talented Flickr photographers on this page. A Calico cat is not a cat breed. Calico describes the nature of the cat's coat, which is tortoiseshell and white.

Facts About Cat Breeds to Pictures of cats

Bombay Cat Breed

Photo copyright Brother O'Mara

The Bombay Cat Breed is one of many modern cat breeds designed to satisfy a domestic cat market for exotic cats. There are quite a few others. One of the classic all domestic cat designer cats is the Toyger (toy Tiger), designed to resemble a Tiger. The objective of the Bombay cat breeders is to produce a cat that somewhat resembles a black panther another large wild cat. The process started in 1953. See a cat history time line of the starting point of the cat breeds.

Some of the exotic cats are closer to the wild than others. An example is the Savannah, particularly the early generation cats as they are wildcat hybrids. These cats really do have wild blood in them.

The Bombay is all domestic cat being a cross between a Sable Burmese cat and a Black American Shorthair. Add to the mix some careful breeding and you have a jet black cat resembling a Black Panther. The breed was created in 1953. The Bombay Cat Breed is not recognized in the UK. She received full Cat Fanciers Association (CFA) recognition in 1976 (full status).

Some people (perhaps a growing number, I don't know) don't like the idea of breeding designer type cats when there are very many cats in rescue centers some of whom are pedigree or purebred cats. There are also too many feral cats. These were once homed domestic cats. What happened? Well the question of feral cats has very little to do with cat breeders, the vast majority of which are very caring and professional. It is the responsibility of cat keepers.

As I understand it the Bombay cat carries a genetic disorder that results in some kittens being born with head defects. These kittens are killed. This defect comes from the American Burmese (contemporary Burmese) cat not the UK Traditional Burmese. When you add this disappointing deficiency in breeding to the idea (which is behind this breed) of creating cats almost as objects and you have a less than ideal situation.

I wonder whether the cat associations do enough to manage the catteries? And the various cat associations sometimes, it seems, pull in slightly different directions, which makes overall management harder to come by. Am I correct?

Anyway this is a difficult cat to photograph Helmi Flick says. This is because this cat breed is both shy and black. Shyness makes it more difficult to create poses through cat wrangling (Ken Flick does this). And the silky smooth black coat makes lighting and focus harder for the photographer.

This breed can be confused with a mixed breed black cat as on the face of it there is little difference. One difference will be the coat; very silky for the Bombay. I discuss the black cats generally and some genetics on this page: Black cats.



Bombay Cat Breed to Bombay Cat (for more on this cat).

Top 10 Cat Breeds

Are the Top 10 Cat Breeds the most popular breeds or are they the best breeds in terms of key factors such as character, health and appearance?

The two concepts are linked and probably produce very similar results. A breed cannot be popular if the cats from that breed suffer a major genetic defect. Neither can that cat breed be one of the top 10 cat breeds in terms of objective criteria.

Maine Coon. A top breed 2021. Photo: Helmi Flick.

The top cats in terms of popularity are likely to be more middle of the road and good "all-rounders" to appeal to a wider audience. A good example of this is the over-development through selective cat breeding of the modern oriental shaped Siamese. Breeders in general prefer this slender cat to the more normal traditional Siamese. But people prefer the old fashioned and genuine Siamese, now called the "Applehead".

Some cat breeds are just too extreme looking to appeal widely. An example would be a Sphynx cat, which is probably too extreme in appearance with a bony wedge head and long limbs. Sphynx cats are great cats, actually. They are intelligent and active, but on appearance she will put too many people off to be truly popular.

Today there appears to be a trend back to cats with more normal appearances. One type of cat that has gradually, over the preceding 20 years of so, become more and more popular is the exotic cat. These are cats that combine good character with stunning looks. They are almost bound to be popular. An example is the Bengal (perhaps better to say "was" as this cat is now more mainstream through breeding) and the Toyger a designer cat (designed for people who like exotic looks). The Toyger though is not a wildcat hybrid and a vary rare breed still.

Maine Coon - Zak - the top cat breed

However, some people find the concept of designer cats and wildcat/domestic cat hybrids plain wrong.  Although they can be stunningly beautiful and big. People like big domestic cats! The truth is the mixed breed cat is the most popular and probably the best cat companion. A lot of people don't need to live with a cat that has special looks. That said, some mixed breed cats are stunning and all cats are lovely as far as I am concerned. There is a particular beauty in a "lowly" Moggie who is utterly normal and reliable and a long-lived companion.

A mixed breed cat is not a cat breed. They can be shown at cat shows however as "household pets" (CFA terminology). Which of the cat breeds are the Top 10 Cat Breeds?

Photo above: (Andrew) is a fine Flickr photographer. I guess he lives with his Aby cats. He lives in Sheffield UK. The picture heading this post is also by Andrew. Andrew takes great photos of his Abys. I am assuming that they live with him.

This is my list based on popularity votes from the Picture of cats website and my knowledge of the cats as at early 2008. This alters of course over time but is now more settled.

Top cat breeds per poll 2008

1. Abyssinian. Voted most popular cat breed with the Siamese (as at early 2008). Not only does the "Aby" look good in a fairly normal way; she is good too. Her ticked coat has a connection in appearance to the wildcats in that it is good camouflage. Most wildcats have coats that provide camouflage. I like this connection with the past. She is athletic and has a slightly wild look. A nicely balanced body with nothing too extreme. All of this can be seen in the picture above of Blue in a Hawthorne tree.

2. Siamese. This cat goes back a long way and has been popular for a long time. She is currently voted most popular with the Abyssinian. Obviously the votes will change over time but the Siamese will remain in the top 10. There are two types (or really many types ) of Siamese, the Modern and the Traditional. It is a shame the cat fancy ended up with two. The public overwhelmingly prefer the Traditional Siamese according to votes. You can vote and see the results on the Traditional Siamese page of the Pictures of cats web site.

3. Maine Coon. This cat is just a lovely looking cat. Everything about a great long haired cat is there. What lets this breed down is health issues, which I find tragic as I am sure that when she was a mouser cat living in barns in Maine USA during the 19th century, she did not have specific health issues such as a high incidence of heart disease. This is probably due to careless breeding. I cannot see any other reason. Wrong? Tell me. She is still in the top 10 for popularity despite this genetic disorder. I wonder if the breed should be in the Top 10 Cat Breeds though? I think all cat breeds with genetic disorders should not qualify for top ten position as health comes first. See Maine Coon cat health.

4. British Shorthair. Basically a nice normal looking cat with a dense cuddly coat. That's what we are looking for.

5. Persian. I am going to be a bit naughty here and say we still love this cat despite breeders turning a lovely sweet faced cuddly cat into a kind of monster (sometimes) with the overbredthe top of this page.

6, 7, 8. The next three I am going to bundle together, the Bengal, the Egyptian Mau and the Savannah. They are similar, they have spotted coats :-). Of course more than that they are exotic looking. The first and last in this group are wildcat hybrids and the Mau is not (but looks very much as he could be). I think these should be in the list as there is a ground swell of opinion in favour of cats who look like these; domestic cats that look like wild cats. The Savannah is a cat apart from the others, though. Often people adopt the earlier generation Savannahs and these are big, alpha cats that demand input from their human companions and plenty of space. You'd better have a big house in America with a couple of acres of land for this gorgeous cat. These three should be in the Top 10 Cat Breeds. Although some Bengal cats suffer from a genetically based a heart disease (HCM). See HCM in Bengal cat.

9, 10. That leaves the last two. The Turkish Van and the Norwegian Forest Cat. Of these two I have a fondness for the Norwegian FC. I made a video using Helmi's pictures, which is top of the league if you do search for "Norwegian Forest Cat". It's a plain and honest video about a not so plain but very honest and distinguished cat. The Van is lovely too. All the cats selected are voted the most popular by visitors. The public is the best judge of which cats should be in the Top 10 Cat Breeds.

Top 10 Cat Breeds to Abyssinian Cat