A cat breed is an infrasubspecific rank for the classification of domestic cats. A cat is considered to be of a certain cat breed if it is true breeding for the traits that define that breed. Various cat registries around the world record and certify the pedigrees. Only three percent of owned cats belong to a cat breed, and an even smaller percentage of those are suitable as show cats. A registration certificate proves that a cat belongs to a cat breed by showing the cat's pedigree back to at least four generations. The whole concept of cat breeds is a relatively new one. Two hundred years ago there was no such thing, however today there are almost a hundred cat breeds. Varieties of domestic cat can also be identified by characteristics other than breed. Since millions of cats are put to sleep in shelters in the US each year, and since many others die homeless on the street, there is a growing movement against cat breeding. In zoology, a taxon is usually assigned to a rank in a hierarchy. ... Binomial name Felis catus Linnaeus, 1758 Synonyms Felis lybica invalid junior synonym The cat (or domestic cat, house cat) is a small carnivorous mammal. ... A breed is a domesticated subspecies or infrasubspecies of an animal. ... A true breeding organism is an organism having a certain trait which is passed on to all subsequent generations when bred with another true breeding organism for the same trait. ... A cat registry is an organisation that registers cats for exhibition and breeding purposes. ... A show cat (Manx) being judged at a show A show cat (also known as a purebred or pedigreed cat) is one that has been judged to be close to the physical ideal for its breed standard at a cat show. ... A pedigree is a list of ancestors (usually implying distinguished), a list of ancestors of the same breed (usually in the case of animals), the purity of a breed, individual, or strain, or a document proving any of these things. ... Binomial name Felis catus Linnaeus, 1758 Synonyms Felis lybica invalid junior synonym The cat (or domestic cat, house cat) is a small carnivorous mammal. ...
See selective breeding for more in-depth detail on purebred animals. Selective breeding in domesticated animals is the process of developing a cultivated breed over time. ...
Cats, like all living organisms, occasionally have mutations that affect their body type. ... The Cat Fanciers Association, Inc. ... Cat meat is meat derived from cats. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Cat behavior. ... The following is a list of cat breeds recognized by various cat registries. ... This is a list of historical cats. ... Cats and other felines have often been used as characters in literature and in other forms of media. ... // Longitudinal plane section of ovary of cat embryo of 9. ...
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An online source for the most up-to-date scientific research on animal breeding
Cat owners attempted to duplicate certain traits that their cat possessed, so they interbred them to produce a new breed.
Here we loosely group cats according to the length of their coat, but there are many variations within each, some breeds being found in more than one group.
A number of catbreeds are touted as being "hypoallergenic," and it's true, some breeds do produce fewer allergens and may cause fewer allergic symptoms among those with cat allergies.
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