KITTY'S KORNER
by Deborah Hansen
CAT BREEDS,
Colors & Patterns S implified!
In the dog world, most owners know that they have a black Lab, a white Poodle, a multipoo or a mutt. Yet when it comes to cats, most owners give a blank stare when asked what kind of cat they have.
M
uch of our dog breed knowledge comes from the American Kennel Club (AKC). While most dog owners do not have purebred dogs, the AKC gives us the words we need to describe dogs. We can say an owner has a Lab, Labradoodle or a Lab mix. All those words describe the breed of dog.
In the cat world, there are two organizations that promote the wellbeing of all cats while focusing on the promotion and improvement of recognized breeds. These organizations
give us the words we need to describe the cats we groom. The Cat Fanciers Association (CFA) was founded in 1906. Currently, the CFA recognizes 45 breeds of cats, of which 42 are eligible to compete. The second organization is The International Cat Association (TICA) that was founded in 1979. TICA currently recognizes 71 breeds with an additional six breeds being considered for recognition. Both organizations also acknowledge a household pet category. The more common purebred cats my grooming business grooms are Persians, Exotics, Maine Coons, Scottish
Groomer to Groomer • Vol 39 Ed 10 • October 2020
GroomertoGroomer.com
RECOGNIZED CAT BREEDS
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Folds, Ragdolls, Siamese and Turkish Vans. In my area, other purebred cats that are groomed include the British Short Hair, LaPerm, Russian Blue, Norwegian Forest Cat and Manx. While some owners have purebred cats, and other owners have cats that highly resemble the purebred version, many owners “just have a cat.” We categorize these cats by the length of their coat. When it comes to mixed–breed cats, we call the breed Domestic Short hair (DSH) or Domestic Long hair (DLH). After you know the breed of cat that the owner has presented to you,