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THE MESSYBEAST.COM CAT BREED LIST (H) |
Cat Breeds (Recognized/Unrecognized, Common/Obscure), Variants, Mutations, Hybrids, Archaic/Alternate Names.
Copyright 1994 - 2007 Sarah Hartwell
About the Messybeast Breed List
GLOSSARY
With so many different registries with different views, the exact status of some breeds is hard to define. I have used the following terms:
Alternative Name: An alternative name still in use; might have been a proposed name while breed was being developed.
Archaic Name: Historical name no longer used.
Crossbred: Informal variety always created by crossing 2 other breeds.
Current: A currently recognised breed (means recognition by at least one registry in the world)
Experimental: Early stages of development. Some have provisional or preliminary recognition, but others do not seek or achieve registry recognition.
Extinct: No individuals of the breed exist e.g. Mexican Hairless
Fake: An attempt to decieve the public by representing a cat as something it is not.
Fictional: "Breeds" such as cabbits, squittens, Chinese Hairless and Egyptian Hairless that exist only in fiction or folklore (but people believe they are real).
Local Variety: Unrecognised distinct strain of cats found in a particular locality e.g. Buckfast Blue.
Mutation: Distinct strain that occurred through mutation; some are incorporated into similar-looking breeds (e.g. different Rex strains with the same gene mutation).
Proposed: Not even off the drawing board!
Unknown: Reported by reputable source, but with no other information, possibly a one-off.
Variant: Purebred cats that do not meet the breed standard due to hidden genes e.g. longhaired Bengals. Some are recognised in other countries under a different name.
A further region-specific classification is out of the scope of this list: Banned. In parts of Europe certain breeds are prohibited because their breed traits are considered harmful deformities. These include Manx/Cymric (spinal problems related to tailless mutation), Munchkin (dwarfism), Scottish Fold (skeletal problems), Sphynx (hairlessness is considered detrimental to the breed) and Blue-Eyed Whites in any breed (deafness).
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STATUS |
DESCRIPTION | |
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Habari |
Experimental |
Large, sweet-natured cats with strong spotted and rosetted pattern on a clear cream to gold background. Developed for pet market, not for cat registry acceptance, it is not restricted by purebred genetics or apreset breed standard. The Habari breed registry is said to be based on DNA profiling rather than pedigrees. The foundation breeds probably include the Bengal and other hybrids. |
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Hare Cat |
Archaic Name |
Ticked British catSee Abyssinian. |
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Havana (UK) |
Current |
Chestnut Brown Oriental - Siamese in type, self Chestnut in color. Originated from Seal Point Siamese x British Black Shorthair matings |
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Havana Brown (Havana (US)) |
Current |
Originated from British Havana x American Shorthair crossings. Less extreme or foreign-looking in type compared to British Havana. Found in brown and its dilute - frost (lavender). |
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Hawaiian Hairless |
Experimental |
A recent mutation from Hawaii (possibly the result of mating Donskoy Sphynx to Canadian Sphynx and the 2 genes interacting), this cat has true hairlessness. It lacks even the hair follicles and has a skin with a rubbery texture rather than the peach-fuzz effect of other hairless breeds. Also known as the Kohana Kat and extremely rare. |
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Hebridean |
Local variety |
A local variety known on the Isles of the Hebrides and reported in 1987 but not since. The distinguishing feature is the unusually tiny ears which may be folded. This suggests a genetic link to Scottish Folds. |
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Hemingway Curl |
Colloquial Name |
A localised variety rather than a breed. The first Hemingway Curl appeared as a spontaneous curl-eared mutation in a colony of polydactyl cats known as Hemingway cats (after the polydactyl cats of Ernest Hemingway) on Key West. Hemingway Curls have been crossed with African Jungle cat hybrids to produce the Jungle Curl breed. Occurs in shorthair and longhair versions. |
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Hemingway Fold |
Experimental |
Scottish Fold x polydactyl, basically a fold-eared cat with extra toes. |
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Hemingway Sphynx |
Proposed |
A potential cross between Sphynx and polydactyl cats to give hairless polydactyl cats. Originally proposed by a Don Sphynx breeder. A polydactyl Sphynx cat has apparently occurred through chance mutation in a SPhynx litter. |
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Hemingway Spotted |
Archaic Name, Experimental |
Polydactyl x Bengal cross, producing a spotted cat in Bengal pattern but with extra toes. Now called Mojave Spotted as the polydactyl cats used are from the Mojave Desert area. |
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Hemingway Thai |
Cross-breed |
Allegedly a polydactyl Apple (Round) head Siamese or a cross between Applehead Siamese and polydactyl cat to give colourpoint polydactyl cats. Possibly a one-off and a title of convenience (colourpoint polydactyls occur naturally). Apparently exhibited as a household pet. |
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Hemingway's Breed |
Extinct |
Hemingway, whose name is associated (in America) with polydactyl cats, attempted to create a breed of cat using Cuban cats crossed with existing breeds (possibly Angoras). The breed was never established and never formally named. The attempt is recorded here for interest only. |
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Highlander |
Current |
American Curl x ?American Bobtail x polydactyl. A large robust wild-looking polydactyl cat with bobbed tail and curled ears. Colours are ticked, spotted and "clouded" and include silver, sepia and colourpoint variants. Breeders deny any link to the similarly named Highland Lynx breed which has similar traits. |
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Highland Fold |
Alternative Name, Current |
Longhair Scottish Fold |
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Highland Lynx |
Alternative Name |
Desert Lynx (Bobcat (speculative) x Abyssinian) x Jungle Curls (F chaus hybrid). Some sources have quoted bengal/F bengalensis as part of the mix. DNA testing has not confirmed bobcat ancestry and this breed is considered wholly domestic by registries |
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Himalayan |
Current |
Persian cats with colorpoint pattern coat. Known in Europe as
Colorpoint Longhairs/Colorpoint Persians. |
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Himalayan Reflection |
Variant |
Non-pointed Himalayan. These are considered Persians in some registries. |
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Himalayan Rex |
Variant |
There was an isolated report (no date/location given) of a Rex-coated kitten in a Himalayan litter i.e. a curly-coated colourpointed Persian. Whether this was a spontaneous mutation, mismating or earlier accidental introduction of Rex into the breed is not known. Nothing further has been heard. It should be relatively easy to produce Himalayan Rexes by crossing the Bohemia Rex or Selkirk Rex to Colourpoint Persians. |
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Himbur |
Crossbred |
Himalayan x Burmese, longhair Tonkinese, Persian in mink series colors.
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Honeybear |
Current |
Claimed to be the 'world's sweetest cats', with childlike personalities. Related to IRCA Ragdolls. Large and cobby (resemble Persians) but with flattish head with small round ears set on the sides of the head. Its non-matting coat and ruff is very thick and silky. Tabby/non-solid patterns, preferred pattern is black with white "teardrop" on the forehead and white spotting on the top of the tail, sometimes forming a skunk-like stripe. Slow to mature. IRCA have claimed that Honeybears were created by genetic manipulation of skunk genes which were "injected" into the bloodstream of the parent Honeybear (unsound genetics). See also Cherubim, Ragdoll (IRCA), Miracle Ragdoll, RagaMuffin. |
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Hoosier Rex |
Mutation |
A short-lived rex-type found in an abandoned Indianapolis female and her kittens. The female had short loose rex curls and all four kittens had curly fur ranging from very curly to gently waved. The kittens were not born bald and were wavy-haired from birth or a few days after birth. Because she was relinquished to a shelter, they were all neutered (legal constraint). Either a new mutation or the female came from LaPerm stock. |
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Household Pet |
Current |
Not a breed, but a class in shows open to non-pedigree and unregistered pedigree cats (and the term found on non-pedigree cats' veterinary records). Sadly for the true random-bred moggy, such classes are dominated by unregistered pedigree cats and by "half-pedigree" cats (with one parent being of a recognized breed), sometimes bred deliberately for show. |
CAT BREEDS TIME-LINE - A list of dates when breeds and varieties (i.e. populations which bred true) were discovered or recognised (now held on its own webpage due to the increasing size of this list). CAT COLOURS & PATTERNS - A plain English guide to cat colours and patterns, including breed-specific colours/patterns.
About this List of Breeds and the Breeds Time-Line
