Do you ever find yourself looking at your cat and wondering what makes it so unique? Perhaps it’s the ears, the tail, the eyes, or even its color. These attributes might tell you the breed of your cat even without knowing the breed of its parents.Determining the breed of your cat can actually be an interesting project to work on right from your home. Even though appearance alone doesn’t guarantee that your cat is purebred, there are certain physical characteristics that you can use to determine the cat’s breed. You just have to observe it thoroughly.
Here are five physical characteristics of your cat that will help you determine its breed.
1. Examine the Coat Length and Pattern
There are many features that one may be able to observe in his cat, however fur can definitely be considered one of the most prominent ones. When evaluating this feature, pay attention to such characteristics as hair length, hair texture, coat thickness, fur patterns.Long-haired cats belong to such breeds as Persian, Maine Coon and Norwegian Forest Cats. The coat of short-haired cats can be similar to such breeds as British Shorthair, American Shorthair and Siamese.
Coat patterns could be another way to guess about the breed. They include:
- Solid color coat
- Tabby patterns
- Tortoiseshell coat
- Calico coat
- Color point coat
- Markings and shading
Color point coat pattern normally refers to Siamese and related breeds. However, you cannot use only coat color and patterns for breed identification, because mixed breeds look almost the same.Coat texture also could give some hints for breed identification. It might be plushy or silky, depending on the particular breed.
2. Look at Your Cat’s Body Shape
The shape of the cat’s body is another useful sign. Each cat breed differs in its proportions – some breeds are more slender and sporty, while others are more stout and muscular.For instance, Siamese cats are normally known for their elongated body and slender legs. British Shorthairs are quite stocky cats with wide chests and strong bodies. And Maine Coons stand out with their giant size and elongated body.
While examining your cat pay attention to:
- body length
- chest width
- leg length
- paw size
- muscle mass
- overall proportions
Try to consider the entire body and not only the size. A large indoor cat is not necessarily a Maine Coon, and a small one is not necessarily a certain breed either.Age is also an important factor that may influence the appearance of a cat. For example, kittens are still growing and developing, which changes their proportions significantly.
3. Study the Shape of the Face
The facial structures of cats are frequently one of the first things people notice about different breeds. Be sure to observe the shape of the head from both the front and the side views.While some breeds have wide, round heads, others have elongated or angular heads. Persians generally have short facial structures, whereas Siamese cats commonly have long, wedge-shaped heads.
Consider such characteristics as:
- Forehead shape
- Cheek width
- Muzzle length
- Nose shape
- Overall head shape
- Eye size and position
In general, a short, wide face indicates certain breeds, and a narrow, wedge-shaped face suggests others. However, there may be great variations in the facial structures of animals that belong to one particular breed, so it is better to consider several characteristics at once.
4. Check the Ears and Eyes
The cat’s ears and eyes may also provide you with additional visual information that may not be obvious at first glance. There is much variation in the size and form of the ears depending on the breed, which can be helpful when you want to identify your cat’s breed. The cat may have large pointed ears or small rounded ears. For example, Maine Coon cats are famous for their large ears and visible tufts of fur.Another aspect that should be taken into account is the position of the ears on the cat’s head. There are those with relatively high-set ears and those with ears having different tilt or unusual structure.One more characteristic is the eye color of the cat. It may have green, gold, copper, blue and even some other colors of eyes. The blue eyes are typical for color-pointed cats, including Siamese cats and breeds related to them.However, these factors cannot serve as a proof of the cat’s breed. They become most informative if you consider them in connection with other features of the animal.
5. Pay Attention to the Tail
The other factor which should be taken into consideration while evaluating the characteristics of your pet against the breed standards is the tail. The length, thickness, shape and furriness of the tail may provide useful information when taken together with the other physical characteristics of the cat.Thus, some of the felines have long thin tails, while some breeds are distinguished by short and/or thick or exceptionally fluffy tails. There are even some breeds with naturally short and peculiarly shaped tails. Thus, Maine Coon and Norwegian Forest Cats usually have long bushy tails, but the Manx has a natural shortness of tail and even a lack of it. On the contrary, Japanese Bobtail normally has short tails.
While evaluating the tail, consider the following factors:
- length
- thickness
- furriness
- shape
- presence of any curves
- natural shortness of the tail
This characteristic will come particularly helpful if it is considered together with the other traits described in this article. For instance, a large sized cat with a long body, tufted ears and long fluffy tail may probably be associated with some characteristics of the Maine Coon.
Use a Cat Breed Scanner for Extra Insight
Even after you’ve studied the physical characteristics of your cat, there may still be some doubt as to which breed they resemble. Fortunately, technology can provide you with another way to narrow down the choices for your cat’s possible breeds.The cat breed scanner uses an image and determines which known cat breeds the picture resembles. This type of tool will eliminate the need to compare your cat manually to many different breeds.
If you are interested in determining the breed of your cat, photographing them will be much easier than trying to match your pet with a breed based on physical description alone. Try taking a good picture of your cat from the front as well as a full-body view of your cat in proper lighting conditions.Keep in mind that while the image scanner is helpful, it will only estimate your cat’s breed, but not serve as proof of lineage.
Why Visual Identification Isn’t Always Definitive
There are many cat owners who assume that particular appearance should mean particular breed. However, visual identification is not always as easy as it may seem.A fluffy feline can look like a Maine Coon cat although being completely unrelated to this breed. At the same time, blue-eyed and point-colored cat may appear Siamese while being a regular mixed-breed cat.Therefore, it is more advisable to consider visual recognition of cat breeds as finding similarities rather than verifying the origin.
For those who are interested in accurate information regarding the origin, pedigree or DNA testing would give more reliable results. On the other hand, visual recognition is often used by pet owners as an entertaining way to understand more about their pet’s breed characteristics.
Take Several Clues Into Account
It is advisable that you assess a combination of physical attributes in order to have an accurate idea of what breed your cat could be. Instead of focusing on attributes such as color of fur or eye shape, create a profile by assessing a combination of factors.
These may include:
- Fur type and pattern
- Size of body
- Face
- Ears and eyes
- Tail shape and size
Conclusion
In order to determine the breed of your cat at home, it is better to use multiple indicators of the animal’s physique rather than rely only on one of its characteristics. Such indicators as coat length and patterns, the form of the body, face, ears, eyes, and tail should be taken into account. As soon as I began to study how to determine the breed of a cat at home, it seemed quite simple to me to focus my attention on some very characteristic feature of the cat – for example, the color of its fur or eyes. However, the examination of multiple characteristics allows us to obtain much more accurate results. Visual analysis can give an idea of the breeds that your pet can resemble but cannot determine the exact breed of the animal and its genetic background. If you are interested in additional information concerning the breed of your pet, you may use the services of AI, which will allow you to find out much more about the appearance of your cat by comparing it with the typical traits of other cats. You can use such tools to identify your cat’s breed and get a more accurate answer to your question.