The Rarest Cat Breeds In The World: Name, Description, Distinctive Features Of Appearance And Character, Photos

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

Exclusive pets: rare cat breeds with unique traits

Among all the variety of cat breeds, it sometimes seems that there is simply nothing to be surprised at. However, the attention of pet lovers is attracted by unusual and rare species with unusual features and character. You will have to fight for a rare cat - their populations are small, and the cost sometimes amounts to thousands of dollars. With a strong desire, you can get a really unusual pet, which every acquaintance will definitely not have.

Content

• 1 Reasons for the rarity of the breed

• 2 The rarest short-haired breeds

  • 2.1 Toyger

    2.1.1 Video: Toyger - breed features

  • 2.2 American Wirehaired
  • 2.3 Serengeti
  • 2.4 Elf
  • 2.5 Kao-mani
  • 2.6 Asherah (savannah)
  • 2.7 Korat
  • 2.8 Singapore

• 3 The rarest long-haired cats

  • 3.1 Napoleon

    1 Video: features of napoleon cats

  • 3.2 Ragamuffin
  • 3.3 LaPerm (La Perm)
  • 3.4 Turkish van
  • 3.5 Himalayan cat

Reasons for the rarity of the breed

Speaking about rare cat breeds, it is worth thinking about why exactly they are assigned to this category and, accordingly, have considerable value. Everything here determines the size of the population, and the exclusivity of representatives can be due to several factors:

• recently bred breeds are representatives of felines that are not yet widely known and popular. They are not common, since their breeding is usually a difficult process, which leads to the high cost of kittens, or it simply has not passed enough time to popularize the new breed;
• old breeds, which are difficult to breed. They have a long history and great fame, but their population is small, which puts them on the brink of extinction.

The rarest shorthaired breeds

Short-haired breeds have gained wide popularity due to the special sensations when touching their fur coat and the absence of long hairs that strive to catch on clothes. Among cats without hair or with a short coat, there are many rare breeds, both with a long and very young history.

Toyger

Toyger is a living embodiment of man's dream to tame a wild tiger. The breed belongs to the category of recently bred, work on selection began in 1980, and the breed standard was officially approved in 2007. These sociable animals are visually very similar to their formidable progenitor, having a reddish coat color and a characteristic black striped pattern. With all their spring appearance, toygers emphasize their resemblance to a wild tiger - a muscular physique, high shoulders, a long, wide head with clear rounded contours. Basic breed standards:

• the weight of cats is 3.5–5, of cats - 5–7.5 kg;
• the head is shaped like an inverted heart;
• ears are small, rounded and without tassels;
• eyes of medium size, deep-set, saturated color;
• the tail is long and muscular;
• color - tabby stripes, the wool on them has a uniform color to the very tip, in places of the pattern the hairs can be slightly longer than the main ones - this creates a relief. The stripes are vertical, closed on the paws and tummy.

The Toyger cat breed has a special striped color, which makes them akin to real tigers

By nature, toygers are friendly, easily learn the rules of the house, are distinguished by calmness and measured actions. The breed is in the TOP of the most expensive in the world, the price of a kitten is on average 1000-3000 dollars - it is not surprising that indoor tigers are so rare.

Video: toyger - breed features

American Wirehaired

This breed is considered one of the rarest in the world, almost all representatives of the breed are registered with owners from America. Representatives are very similar to the common American Shorthair cats, but there is one significant difference - the texture of the coat. The visual effect of the "wire coat" (hard hairs sticking out to the sides) is created due to their broken and twisted shape. To the touch, the coat is rather soft, some more rigid hairs can be found only along the back and near the tail. The first representative appeared by accident in 1966 - such a texture is due to a spontaneous genetic mutation, the official recognition took place only 13 years later. Maintaining breeding is extremely difficult - often the severity of the effect is so small that the animal is no longer classified as a wire-haired breed.

The American wire-haired cat has a special coat texture - it is twisted and broken, which makes the hairs visually look spiky and sticking out

Breed parameters:

• weight of cats from 3.5 to 5 kg, cats - from 5 to 7 kg;
• different colors: one-color, two-tone, cameo, blue, cream, tabby (with stripes), brown and white, etc.;
• the body is strong, muscular, with a wide bones;
• on a rounded head, large and round eyes, ears of medium size, set wide apart;
• the tail is thick, not very long, tapering towards the end.

Wire-haired cats are usually calm and affectionate in nature, are tolerant of children and are great for large families.

Serengeti

The Serengeti is a graceful and curious cat, adorned with numerous rounded spots. Visually, the representatives of the breed are similar to the wild African serval, but they appeared thanks to a breeder from California and was officially recognized in 1994, therefore, it belongs to the category of recently bred. The size of such cats is quite large (the weight of cats can reach 12, and cats - 15 kg), they are distinguished by an elongated body, long slender legs and a strong physique. A thoroughbred representative must necessarily have spots on the body that can be slightly elongated horizontally. The color of the coat can be any shade of brown, silver or black, the main requirement is a clear contrast with the color of the spots. One cannot fail to note another obvious sign - large, close-set ears, almost comparable in size to the length of the head.

Serengeti - cats with a graceful body and long legs, with numerous contrasting spots on the coat

Elf

The elf cat breed is one of the youngest - the first kittens appeared in 2006, today representatives can be registered, but there is still no official recognition. Rarity and paucity determine the high cost - you will have to pay about $ 2,000 for a thoroughbred pet. It is simply impossible to confuse such a cat with any other, it was bred as a result of crossing the Canadian Sphynx and the American Curl and has a unique appearance:

• large ears at the base taper towards the tip and are turned back;
• the eyes are large, almond-shaped, set at an angle;
• there is no coat, including these cats have no eyebrows and whiskers. In rare cases, they can be present, but only as separate hairs, no more;
• skin pigmentation can be varied; elves are hot and soft to the touch;
• the body is muscular, the front legs are longer than the hind legs, which is why cats walk smoothly and gracefully.

Elf cats are hairless and have bizarre swirling ears.

The character of representatives of such an unusual breed is usually docile and gentle. They love to be in the spotlight, showing interest in all family members.

Kao mani

Kao-mani is one of the oldest breeds; references to it are found in books of the mid-14th century. Thailand is considered its homeland, from where kao-mani was not exported at all for a long time, and only in 1999 the first individual was brought to the United States. The name of the breed is translated as white pearl, which reflects one of the main characteristics of the breed - completely white coat. By standard, feline representatives should have the following characteristics:

• elongated head of moderate length, high cheekbones and prominent cheeks;
• the eyes are large and oval. They can often be of different colors (blue and green, blue and yellow, green and yellow);
• the ears are set wide apart, of medium size and rounded at the tip;
• developed musculature on an average-sized body;
• the coat is short and smooth, moderately fluffy. The color is exceptionally evenly snow-white.

Kao Mani - cats with completely white hair and bright, often different, eyes

By their nature, kao-mani are playful and active, they like to interact with the owner. They are loyal and affectionate, not against hugging and hanging out on a person's lap.

Asherah (savannah)

Ashera is a breed that is not officially recognized and in fact does not exist. The new breed, announced in 2006, became a cheat of the breeder, and DNA analysis showed that the kittens positioned as exclusive belong to the Savannah breed, officially registered earlier.

Ashera or Savannah cats have a graceful elongated body of large size and a unique wild color

This is the largest and most expensive domestic cat. The exotic and wild appearance of the representative of the breed attracts attention:

• average weight - 15 kg, body length - 100-135 cm;
• the head is small, wedge-shaped;
• the ears are wide at the base and narrowed towards the end;
• eyes can be either yellow, green;
• the body is long and narrow, the limbs are high;
• the coat is short and close to the body. Its uniqueness in color is leopard dark spots on red (brown) hair. There is also a variant of the snow color, when the main color is silver.

The high cost (about 15 thousand dollars) is one of the reasons for the small number of the breed. Despite the rather predatory appearance, the crossing of the African serval with a domestic cat gave its results - the ushers are docile, get along well with children, love to purr and frolic.

Korat

The Thai Korat breed is one of the ancients, the first representatives of the breed were brought to the United States only in 1959. Representatives are small, the weight of an adult cat is up to 5 kg. The main distinguishing feature of the krats is a heart-shaped muzzle, disproportionately large green eyes (in rare cases, amber is allowed) and dark silver coat. Visually, difficulties may arise in distinguishing this breed from the Russian blue, and here the type of wool comes to the rescue - in the Korat it is not dense and without undercoat. Thai cats are very energetic and affectionate, but despite their patient attitude towards other pets, they still like to feel the special attitude of their owner.

Korat is a breed of cats with dark gray hair without undercoat and green or amber eyes

Singapore

The Singaporean is an old and rare breed, also due to the difficulty of physical reproduction. Small cats are ready for offspring only after two years, and pregnancies are often infertile.

Singapura cats are small in size and have disproportionately large eyes

The features of the breed are:

• small weight and size (adult females - up to 1.5 kg, males - up to 2.5 kg);
• large almond-shaped eyes, large ears, rounded head;
• soft wool without undercoat, which almost does not fray;
• special color is sable and ivory, hairs with ticking areas are light at the base, darken at the tip. Tail rings are not allowed.

Small Singapuras are fearful, do not tolerate noise and quarrels. They are careful with new people, but they love and delight the owners with their attention and affection.

The rarest longhaired cats

Long-haired breeds require special care - a luxurious fur coat will not allow the owner to neglect his duties. The efforts expended will be justified by the luxurious look of the pet, which may belong to a very rare breed.

Napoleon

The Napoleon breed was bred in 1995 thanks to the breeder's desire to combine the features of the Persian breed and the Munchkin in one cat. The peculiarities of the Persian genotype gave serious defects in the development of kittens, so the work on breeding healthy offspring took a lot of time, and only after 10 years other breeders managed to achieve success. This is a young and expensive breed. Today, Napoleons are officially recognized and have their own standard:

• the weight of an adult animal is up to 3.5 kg;
• flattened muzzle, rounded head with proportional round eyes;
• set wide apart, small ears;
• strong bones and powerful, elongated body with short legs;
• hind legs are longer than front legs;
• massive paws.

The Napoleon breed is the result of crossing Persian cats and Munchkins

The color of such cats is not strictly regulated, it can be very different: monochromatic, spotted, combining several colors of the same range, etc. By nature, Napoleon cats are not aggressive, gullible and sociable, so it is better not to let them go outside for self-walking. For them, attention is important and it is better not to leave them alone for a long time.

Video: features of cats of the Napoleon breed

Ragamuffin

Ragamuffin is the result of crossing Redgall cats with yard long-haired cats, Persians and Himalayan cats. Representatives of the breed are quite large, males can weigh up to 10 kg. The breed received recognition in 2003, which makes it relatively new. Appearance features:

• powerful, full body with even weight distribution;
• rounded wedge-shaped muzzle with plump mustache pads;
• medium-sized ears have small tassels;
• expressive eyes are set wide apart, in color, preference is given to bright and rich colors of the iris;
• the tail is long and fluffy;
• the coat is soft and silky, longer along the contour of the neck and on the hind legs.

The ragamuffin breed is distinguished by a wedge-shaped muzzle with pronounced whisker pads and tassels in the ears

Due to the peculiarities of selection, the color of ragamuffins can be very different. The nature of the pets is docile, despite their rather large size, they are friendly and affectionate, they love to be in their arms.

LaPerm (La Perm)

The Laperm breed received the standard and recognition in 1997 and has one very surprising feature - a curly soft coat that feels like a fluffy mohair. Kittens of this breed are usually born bald or straight-haired and over time either become overgrown with curls, or the existing fur coat is twisted. The color can be varied, since mating with cats of any color is allowed.

Laperm - unique cats that have curly hair

The muzzle of the cats of laperm is short, round, the nose is turned up, and the ears are set wide apart and large in size. The body is strong, of medium size (an average adult animal weighs 3-4 kg). They are wonderful companion animals, friendly and playful. Do not take away their curiosity and love for attention. The unusual breed is also distinguished by its high cost - for a kitten, depending on the purpose of the purchase, you will have to pay from 200 to 2000 dollars.

Turkish van

The Turkish van belongs to the category of ancient breeds, known since the Middle Ages. She received official recognition in 1969. The Van breed is cats with semi-long hair and a large, strong body. An adult cat can weigh 6–9 kg, while cats usually weigh up to 6 kg. According to the standard:

• the head is large, wide, but not long;
• the eyes are large, set at a slight angle;
• the ears are set wide and slightly turned outward;
• wool without undercoat, in winter it becomes thicker all over the body (except for the head).

The Turkish Van is a large cat breed with a long history and unique coat characteristics

According to the owners, Van pets are very affectionate, smart and loyal. They are curious, have a positive attitude towards attention and large companies.

Himalayan cat

The Himalayan cat is distinguished by a special color and characteristics of the coat: the coat is long and delicate, like that of the Persians, and on the face there is a mask, like that of the Siamese. The breed has a long history, dating back to 1924. Himalayan cats were recognized in 1979 and got their name from the peculiarities of the color - dark areas on the face, paws and tail. The following characteristics of the animal are considered typical:

• round head with a broad skull and full cheeks;
• small ears, set wide and low;
• round and expressive eyes, giving a cute expression to the muzzle;
• the body is strong, massive in the shoulders;
• the tail is short and straight.

Himalayan cats have a specific coat color with a mask on the face, dark paws and a tail

By their nature, Himalayan cats are usually affectionate and require the attention of the owner, they get along well with other animal children, do not show aggression towards strangers.

A cat breed will be considered rare if the population is small. This usually happens either with old breeds, known for centuries, or with new ones, which were recently bred by breeders. Exclusive pets can have different lengths of fur, but they will certainly cost a lot - such is the price for uniqueness.