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. 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.

See selective breeding for more in-depth detail on purebred animals.

See also

• List of cat breeds
• cat types
• Cat Fanciers' Association

External links

• Is my cat a purebred?
• Cat breeds FAQ
• The Cat Fanciers' Association recognized breeds

Cats

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