Selective breeding of domestic cats has resulted in a wide variety of body types, coat colors and styles, facial features and personality traits. The pedigree animals are bred under various umbrella organizations, there are currently over 70 recognized breeds. These bear names such as «Persian», «Main Coon», «Norwegian Forest Cat», «Manx», «Turkish Angora», «Siamese», «Sphinx», to name just a few. Cat breeders focus primarily on more or less aesthetic traits, thus changing the cat’s appearance according to their ideas of beauty and attractiveness. Here some examples:
The Siamese – she is one of the oldest and best-known pedigree cats – not only inspires with her elegance. She is lean, lithe and well muscled. Their eyes are an intense blue or vivid, bright green, or one blue and one green eye depending on their coat color. Their coat is described as very short, fine, shiny and silky. Its color is white to cream, contrasting with the dark markings on the head, ears and legs.
OneBritish Shorthair-Cat is muscular, stocky, stocky in appearance with broad chest, shoulders and back. Her legs are considered to be no less strong – according to the breeder’s regulation «short and stocky». She sees the world through large, round eyes that vary in color from copper/dark orange to blue to green/teal. The coat structure – strong, short, very dense, with undercoat – underlines their overall appearance. In contrast to some other pedigree cats, the British Shorthair can have many different colors, including black, blue, purple, red and cream.
Thesphynx-Cat is one of those breeds that has caused a lot of controversy. Their hairlessness is one, if not THE, criterion why the Sphinx falls under torture breeding. Even though she looks «nude,» that’s not the case. A light fuzz covers her body. Their distinctive eyes are lemon-shaped and match the coat color. White Sphynx cats usually have light blue eyes, while animals with very dark skin have correspondingly dark eyes.
These examples are just a small excerpt from the range of breeds and their characteristics. If you take a closer look, you will find that some breeds grossly ignore the welfare and health of the animals. Some of the breeds have been so modified by breeding selection that they are subject to torture and are extremely susceptible to disease and physical infirmities. See a few examples: