A-Z: Cat Breeds (3)


Over 8 posts, I am going to go through cat breeds, and cover some basic titbits about the breeds; a little bit of history surrounding the breed, including the original use for the breed, and some other interesting facts.

This, the third post, will cover G-I of cat breeds. In the follow-up posts I will look into cat breeds from J-L, M-O, P-R, S-V, and W-Z… basically I am doing an A-Z of cat breeds, covering 1-3 breeds per letter.

If I do not cover the breed of your cat in this post, and you would like me to; please leave the breed in the thoughts comment box below, or post it via the contact page, or get in touch via any social media pages listed at the end of each post – this way I can include your breed in another post (either the follow-up, or a repeat with different breeds). Do the same if you want more information than I have provided on any particular cat breed, or if you would like to share a photo of your cat(s)!

G

German Rex

Country of Origin: Germany (as the name suggests)

Lifespan: 12-14 years                                         Breed Size: Medium

Hair/Fur Length: (Very) Shorthair

Colour(s): White, Blue, Black, Cream, Red, Brown, Frost, Platinum, Fawn, Chocolate, Chestnut, Cinnamon, Lavender, Champagne, Seal.

Breed History: So it goes that the first German Rex was a female feral, curly-coated, black cat. She was discovered shortly after the end of the Second World War by Dr. R. Scheuer-Karpin. She rescued the cat after seeing her wandering the gardens of the Hufeland Hospital, amongst the ruins of East Berlin. Dr. R. Scheuer-Karpin named her Lammchen (Lambkin) because of her lamb-like curly coat. Lammchen possessed the same gene for curly fur that is in Cornish Rex; and produced many litters. In 1957, she was cross-bred with one of her offspring; and the first litter of German Rex’s resulted from that mating.

Outstanding Physical Trait:  The pixie-like features and large ears; and of course the unique, curly coat! (Unique to the Rex breeds.)

German Rex
German Rex

H

Havana Brown

Country of Origin: England

Lifespan: 14-16 years                                         Breed Size: Medium

Hair/Fur Length: Shorthair                Colour(s): Chocolate

Breed History: In the early 1950s, a UK breeder called Isobel Munro-Smith was trying to breed Siamese but with black points as opposed to the standard seal brown. She was doing this by mating Seal Point Siamese with black shorthaired cats. In 1952 she had a litter with 3 black kittens, and also discovered a brown male kitten in the litter, with similar shape to a Siamese with the same characteristically large ears and long tail; and is thought of as the first recognised Havana.

Outstanding Physical Trait:  The chocolate-brown colour of the coat is the trademark of this breed.

Havana Brown
Havana Brown
Highlander

Country of Origin: England (Devonshire)

Lifespan: 13-15 years                                         Breed Size: Large

Hair/Fur Length: (Very) Shorthair                Colour(s): All colours/patterns

Breed History: Minority breed which was initially established in 2004; but the breed was not properly defined until 2005. Bred to be a domestic breed with the appearance of a wild cat; without using any wild cats to contribute genes.

Outstanding Physical Trait:  The wild-like features and patterned coat; the curled ears, with tufts; usually this breed has a short tail ranging from 1 inch in length to hock (back leg “knee-joint”) length.

Highlander
Highlander

I

No domestic breeds beginning with this letter.


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