What Cat Is Right for Me: Cat Breed Quiz Based on Your Lifestyle

The Abyssinian is named after Abyssinia, today’s Ethiopia, but the modern breed was developed in Britain in the 19th century. Its hallmark is a ticked coat: each hair has bands of color, which makes the fur shimmer. Abyssinians are considered one of the oldest breeds and resemble the cats in Egyptian murals.

The Norwegian Forest Cat lived for centuries in the forests and farms of Norway and even appears in Norse legends. Its thick double coat with a lush ruff protected it from harsh winters. The breed can climb down trees headfirst and is considered Norway’s national cat.

The American Shorthair descends from cats that sailed with the first settlers to America and guarded their supplies from rodents. It is a sturdy breed with a round face and a dense coat, and its most recognizable color is silver classic tabby. It has long been a favorite in the USA and Japan.

The Birman is surrounded by a legend about the temple cats of Burma, but as a breed it was developed in France in the 1920s. It is a colorpoint cat with blue eyes and mandatory white “gloves” on all four paws. The coat is semi-long and silky.

The Munchkin appeared in 1983 in Louisiana, when a teacher found a short-legged cat. The breed is named after the little people of the Land of Oz. Short legs do not stop Munchkins from running fast, and their coat can be short or semi-long.

The Oriental Shorthair was developed in Britain and the USA in the mid-20th century from the Siamese. It has the same lithe body and big ears, but it comes in all kinds of colors, and the eyes are usually green. The breed counts hundreds of color varieties.

The Burmese traces back to a cat named Wong Mau, brought from Burma to the USA in 1930. It is a muscular cat with a short satin coat, and the classic color is sable. Its solid body under an elegant look earned it the nickname “a brick wrapped in silk”.

The Cornish Rex appeared in 1950 in Cornwall, England, when a farm cat gave birth to a curly kitten. The breed’s coat consists only of undercoat and lies in even waves. An arched back and long legs make the Cornish look like a greyhound.

The Savannah was developed in the USA: the first kitten from an African serval and a domestic cat was born in 1986. The breed is known for its long legs, big ears and spotted, wild-looking coat. Generations are marked with the letter F, and the further from the serval, the calmer the temperament.

The Turkish Angora is one of the oldest breeds, native to the area around Ankara. To preserve it, the Ankara Zoo has run a breeding program for white Angoras since the 20th century, often with odd-colored eyes. It is an elegant cat with a long silky coat and a plumed tail.

The Himalayan was developed in the USA and Britain between the 1930s and 1950s by crossing Persians with Siamese cats. From the Persian it got the long coat and round face, from the Siamese the colorpoint pattern and blue eyes. Some registries treat it as a variety of the Persian.

The Egyptian Mau is considered one of the few naturally spotted breeds, and its ancestors resemble the cats in ancient Egyptian paintings. The breed reached the USA in 1956. Maus are recognized by their silver or bronze spotted coat, “mascara” lines around the eyes and gooseberry green eyes.

The Tonkinese was developed in Canada and the USA in the 1960s by crossing Siamese and Burmese cats. Its most recognizable color is called mink, and such cats have aquamarine eyes. The body is medium and muscular, without the extremes of either parent breed.

The Somali is the semi-longhaired variety of the Abyssinian, developed in the USA and Canada in the 1960s and 1970s. Its bushy tail and ruddy ticked coat earned it the nickname “fox cat”. Each hair has bands of color, just like an Abyssinian’s.

The Balinese appeared in the USA in the 1940s and 1950s as a longhaired variety of the Siamese. It was named for a grace reminiscent of Balinese dancers. It has the Siamese body and colorpoint pattern with a silky semi-long coat and a plumed tail.

The Chartreux comes from France, where legends link it to the monks of the Carthusian order. It is a sturdy cat with a blue coat reminiscent of otter fur and copper or orange eyes. It is often called the “smiling cat” because of the shape of its muzzle.

The Selkirk Rex appeared in 1987 in Montana, USA, when a curly kitten was born at a shelter. The breed’s curly gene is dominant. A thick curly coat and a round face make the Selkirk look like a teddy bear.

The Ocicat was developed in the USA in 1964 by crossing Abyssinian and Siamese cats, with American Shorthair added later. It is named for its resemblance to the wild ocelot, although the breed has no wild ancestors. The Ocicat is muscular, with large spots on a short satin coat.

The Turkish Van comes from the Lake Van region in eastern Turkey, where these cats were known for centuries as keen swimmers. The classic pattern is a white body with colored patches on the head and a colored tail. The breed reached Europe in the 1950s.

The Manx comes from the Isle of Man between Britain and Ireland, where tailless cats appeared through a natural mutation. Some Manx have no tail at all, others a short stub. The hind legs are longer than the front ones, so the gait looks a little like a rabbit’s hop.

The American Curl appeared in 1981 in California, when a stray cat with ears curled backward turned up at a family’s door. The mutation turned out to be dominant and harmless. Today Curls come in any color, and their hallmark is ears curved like crescent moons.

The Japanese Bobtail has lived in Japan for many centuries and is considered the model for the maneki-neko, the lucky cat with a raised paw. The short pom-pom tail is unique to every cat. The best-known pattern is the tricolor, called mi-ke in Japan.

The Bombay was developed in the USA in the 1950s and 1960s by crossing Burmese cats with black American Shorthairs. The goal was a “mini panther”, and it worked: a glossy black coat and copper eyes. The breed is named after the Indian city and its black panthers.

The Ragamuffin was developed in the USA in the 1990s from Ragdolls and other cats. It inherited the Ragdoll’s softness but allows any color, including non-pointed ones. It is a large cat with a soft semi-long coat and expressive eyes.

The Kurilian Bobtail developed naturally on the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin in Russia. It is a sturdy cat with a short fluffy “pom-pom” instead of a tail and powerful hind legs. Kurilians are famous for fishing and loving water, and the breed is recognized by international registries.

The Donskoy appeared in 1987 in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, when a cat rescued by Elena Kovaleva began to lose her fur. The breed can be fully bald or have a light velvety down. The Donskoy is recognized by international registries, including TICA and WCF.

The Singapura comes from Singapore, and the first cats reached the USA in the 1970s. It is the smallest recognized breed, with large eyes and ears. Its short coat is ticked like an Abyssinian’s, in a warm sepia color.

The Korat is one of Thailand’s oldest breeds, described in old Thai poems about cats. Its silver-blue coat, heart-shaped face and green eyes made it a symbol of good luck: in Thailand a Korat is given as a wedding gift. The breed is rare but loved in many countries.