Domestic Cat Breeds and Everything that Makes them Special

On this planet, there are well over 500 million domestic cats, existing happily with their human owners, all over the planet. As for the number of domestic cat breeds that exist, some cat enthusiast groups have counted and recorded somewhere in the range of 42-44 breeds of domestic cats out there. Not to mention billions of colors, color combinations, and even fur patterns of all of these different breeds of domestic cats. 

Black and White Cat Breeds

There are several breeds of cats that can be found sporting a black and white fur color mixture.

These breeds include, but definitely are not limited to, the Cornish Rex, the Munchkin, the Persian, and of course, the giant cat: The Maine Coon. and the Oriental Shorthair. Some of these domestic breeds are long-haired while others have short hair. 

A black and white cat, of most any breed, can also have a tabby pattern to their fur within the black and white colors. Typically, when you see a cat breed that is black and white, the pattern of their colors is pretty similar across most breeds. You’ll notice that their nose, chin, and chest/stomach are white while the rest of them is black. Their paws or even just one or two of their paws are white. 

This is where the nickname “tuxedo cat” came from because they do look like they’re all dressed up and ready to go to a formal gathering. But of course, there can be other color variations of black and white cat breeds. You may find one that is essentially a reverse tuxedo cat or might have spots like a miniature cow. 

Orange Cat Breeds 

An important fact to know about orange cats is that all of them are considered Tabbies. That's right, any orange cat that you come across is a Tabby cat of whatever their breed is. You can typically find orange cats breeds such as the Devon Rex, the Scottish Fold, the American Bobtail, and the Exotic shorthair.

Being that all orange cats are tabby, you will never find a naturally solid orange cat, just like Garfield, the famous Persian tabby cat. They all have some sort of striped pattern or have their orange mixed in with other colors like brown and black. 

Another interesting fact about cat breeds that tend to turn out a lot of orange cats is that the males outnumber the females. You are far more likely to find a male orange cat than you are to find a female. One statistic tells us that male orange cats make up 80% of the orange cat population. 

Giant Domestic Cat Breeds

Who wouldn’t want to own a giant, fluffy cat that just loves to lay around and interact with you? There are a few domestic cat breeds that are much larger than the rest. Most of their size has to do with their voluptuous fur coat, but proportionally they are much larger breeds of cats. 

These giant cat breeds begin with a favorite, the Maine Coon. Their fur as well as their overall size makes them out to be a rather large cat in comparison to many other breeds.

A few other breeds of cats that grow pretty big are Persians, the Turkish Van, the Norwegian Forest Cat, and the Bengal. 

Smallest Domestic Cat Breeds

Just like how there are a few breeds of cats who tower over the rest, as far as their size goes, there are also some breeds that stay as tiny as can be for their entire life. The Munchkin cat is a given. Just going by the name of this breed you know they are going to be a tiny cat. The American Curl, the Siamese cat, and the Devon Rex are a few other breeds of domestic cats that tend to stay on the more “compact” side even as they grow older. 

Conclusion

With over 40 breeds of domestic cats out there in the world, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that there are so many color and size variations among them. These unique qualities among the different breeds of domestic cats are what makes them so extra special. 

The colors of domestic cats don’t just stop at black and white or orange tabby. Cats can be all black or all white, or even a combination of all three colors and then some. There are even cats that are considered to be a shade of blue or purple out there as well. However, you will more commonly see black and white, or orange cats in most cat-owning households. No matter their size or color, domestic cats are a special edition to any family home. 

How many cat breeds are there?

As of 2018, The Cat Fanciers Association, the owners of the world's most vast cat registry, has accounted for forty-four different breeds of cats. This doesn’t include any of the newer breeds of cats that have come from years of cross-breeding and have yet to be accepted into any of the world’s larger registries of cat breeds. Such as the one mentioned above.

What is the biggest cat in the world?

Barivel, a Maine Coon cat, has earned the title in the Guinness Book of World Records as the “longest cat” in the world. Maine Coon cats, by nature, are already built rather large. Between all of their fluff and their bulkier stature, Barivel takes the cake when it comes to being the largest cat. He measures in at a jaw-dropping 3 feet and 11.2 inches long.

How many species of cats are there?

There are over 40 species of domestic cats on the planet, ad counting. Their direct ancestors all link back to Africa or Asia. In total, there are over 500 million domestic cat breeds out there in the world, living happily with their humans in the world.

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