# Do all cats belong to a breed? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 11, 2023, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-cats-belong-to-a-breed/982523 "2023-04-11T14:52:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2023, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-cats-belong-to-a-breed/982523/21 "2023-04-13T16:06:58Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > I wonder whether it would be possible to breed a cat that does not hunt birds to extinction. I had a cat that hunted birds but never succeeded. After stalking his way to only a couple of feet away from an unsuspecting bird he would jump straight up in the air and look with disappointing amazement while the bird flew away. So maybe it’s possibly to breed enough behavior out of some cats that they wouldn’t be as harmful to the flying population but still maintain their small rodent hunting skills. Wouldn’t make much difference. A small number of such cats won’t change anything and I doubt such attributes would spread through the cat population. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2023, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-cats-belong-to-a-breed/982523/22 "2023-04-13T16:16:44Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Well, there’s the Maine Coon, which is roughly twice the weight of a standard puddy-tat. The exception that proofs the rule: they are a “natural breed”, not the product of breeding for larger size. Right? ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2023, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-cats-belong-to-a-breed/982523/23 "2023-04-13T16:21:08Z")
Maine Coon is considered one of the landrace breeds of cats: not specifically bred for its final characteristics but truebred from progenitors that naturally had those characteristics. > **[Category:Cat landraces](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Cat_landraces)** > > This category is for landraces of domestic cat. For formal breeds, see Category:Cat breeds. > This category has only the following subcategory. > The following 13 pages are in this category, out of 13 total. This list may not reflect recent changes. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2023, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-cats-belong-to-a-breed/982523/24 "2023-04-13T21:00:36Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Anyway … size wise there would not be much demand for miniature or giant cats (the latter would be scary to have in house!) like there is for dogs, and yeah as pointed out, cats have two jobs: mouser and worshipped companion. Not much demand to breed them other tasks. In the Venn diagram showing an overlap of “giant cats” and “worshipped companions” there is the early generation [Savannah cat](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savannah_cat). One of the modern hybrids between wild cat and domestic cat species, in an effort to have wild cat coloration (and in this case size) combined with domestic breeds comparative docility. > The Savannah’s tall and slim build give them the appearance of greater size than their actual weight. Size is very dependent on generation and sex. Early (F1 and F2) generations are usually the largest due to the stronger genetic influence of the African serval ancestor, usually weighing 4.5 to 11 kilograms (9.9 to 24.3 lb), although there is considerable financial incentive for breeders to produce F1 cats as large as possible; some are the size of dogs and can weigh 18 kilograms (40 lb) or more, and in the US can fetch very high prices. Granted, even at the high end, they’re smaller than most big dog breeds, but pretty hefty for a cat. I have a late gen Savannah F6 or thereabouts, and she’s 7kg, with only a bit of it being chonk. As for people who bring actual servals, tigers, or other wild cats into their life… well, sure they’re big, but that means even with best of (cat-like) intentions, a playful swat can have major consequences. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-cats-belong-to-a-breed/982523/25 "2023-04-14T04:14:23Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > Apart from that I see no way to improve cats by breeding. You just gotta be more creative… think outside the box. Let’s breed cats to pull carts. Or how about thoroughbred cat racing? ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-cats-belong-to-a-breed/982523/26 "2023-04-14T06:41:56Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > Let’s breed cats to pull carts. There’s precedence of sorts. In Norse mythology, Freyja’s chariot was pulled by cats. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-cats-belong-to-a-breed/982523/27 "2023-04-14T14:25:39Z")
We could make Guard Cats out of them! They puff up hugely, hiss and spit twice as loudly as now…then run away and hide under the couch while the burglars carry on. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-cats-belong-to-a-breed/982523/28 "2023-04-14T15:52:32Z")
I have known an actual Guard Cat. She weighed about six pounds, lived with my sister, and needed to be shut up before my sister left the house if there were going to be people present other than her nuclear family; at least, she was always so shut up after the time the babysitter needed to go get stitched back together. She didn’t consider me one of the Accepted Family (though she immediately accepted all of my sister’s children, including the two who were adopted from another country and must have smelled pretty strange when they first showed up. Very smart cat.) She put up with me when I came to visit, because Immediate Family let me in and had clearly authorized me. Once, however, I was the last to leave after a holiday celebration. I saw my sister and BIL off to their conference, and went back in, only human in the house, intending to get my luggage and use the bathroom. I was extremely glad that said luggage was already packed and right inside the door. The Guard Cat was sitting on a stair railing right behind it with every inch of her expressing “I have to put up with you when they’re here, but they’re not here, and you are NOT coming one step further into this house.” I took one look at the body language of that cat, grabbed my luggage, got back out the door, and took my piss at a gas station down the road. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-cats-belong-to-a-breed/982523/29 "2023-04-14T16:09:43Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > I’ve always wondered why the cat videos I watch on YouTube from Japan; the cats all have those round faces. I believe Scottish Folds and Russian Blues are very popular breeds in Japan. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-cats-belong-to-a-breed/982523/30 "2023-04-14T16:51:51Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > We could make Guard Cats out of them Guard cat: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/E1k4wNXfDB8/hqdefault.jpg "'Super Cat' saves boy from dog attack in California - BBC News") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1k4wNXfDB8) ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-cats-belong-to-a-breed/982523/31 "2023-04-14T16:55:36Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > I’ve always wondered why the cat videos I watch on YouTube from Japan; the cats all have those round faces. People have an extreme propensity to desire animals that have the faces of deformed furry children. In the west, they’ve distorted some dog breeds’ heads so they can barely breathe, eat, swim, or reproduce. In Asia they go for the cats. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-cats-belong-to-a-breed/982523/32 "2023-04-14T19:14:36Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > Guard cat: That’s shocking (the aggressive dog) and adorable (Tara, the cat heroine) at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-cats-belong-to-a-breed/982523/33 "2023-04-14T20:03:17Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > People have an extreme propensity to desire animals that have the faces of deformed furry children. In the west, they’ve distorted some dog breeds’ heads so they can barely breathe, eat, swim, or reproduce. In Asia they go for the cats. I find those round-faced cats piss-ugly. Pugs and boxers and the like, too. Yeah, and I pity those poor intentionally degenerated breeds. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-cats-belong-to-a-breed/982523/34 "2023-04-14T23:24:56Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > You just gotta be more creative… think outside the box. Schrodinger would like a word with you. ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-cats-belong-to-a-breed/982523/35 "2023-04-14T23:32:01Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Around here what the vets. etc. write down is always “Domestic Shorthair.” A vet we had used DSH. The first time I saw it I figured it meant Damned Shit Head which I thought was very appropriate. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-cats-belong-to-a-breed/982523/36 "2023-04-14T23:37:51Z")
My two cats were described on their paperwork as American Short Hair. What’s the difference between that and a Domestic Short Hair? ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-cats-belong-to-a-breed/982523/37 "2023-04-14T23:41:50Z")
Asshole Shit Head? That would be appropriate for one of mine as well. Do they look like [this](https://cfa.org/american-shorthair/)? Your vet might put down the closest breed to keep their customers happy. Everyone likes to have a breed name for their pets. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2023, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-cats-belong-to-a-breed/982523/38 "2023-04-15T00:35:58Z")
American Short Hair is an actual, recognized breed. Domestic Short Hair is just the cat version of “mutt.” ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2023, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-cats-belong-to-a-breed/982523/39 "2023-04-15T02:50:54Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > > [@gnoitall](#): > > > > Guard cat: > > That’s shocking (the aggressive dog) and adorable (Tara, the cat heroine) at the same time. Yeah. Thats one of my very favorite video clips in the last 15-20 years or so. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2023, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-cats-belong-to-a-breed/982523/40 "2023-04-15T09:52:20Z")
> [@JaneDoe42](#): > > Your vet might put down the closest breed to keep their customers happy. Coulda phrased that better … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-cats-belong-to-a-breed/982523.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-cats-belong-to-a-breed/982523.md?page=3)