The Rare Cat Breeds of the World
This is a list of the rare cat breeds of the world. The criteria for being a "rare cat breed" differs greatly, but a few things are essential: a rare color combination, how difficult it is to find the particular breed of cat and a breeder, or it can be as simple as being a newly registered or recognized cat breed.
The
American Wirehair
This cat has an unusual coat - each hair is thinner than usual and is crimped. This different cat breed is rarely encountered outside the USA.
More on the
American Wirehair Cat Breed
The Burmilla
This cat breed is the result of a cross between Burmese and long-haired Chinchilla cats. The Burmilla is a very sociable breed.
(Pedigree Burmilla Fandango Oliver Hardy owned by Wikimedia user David Johnson)
The California Spangled
This is a very new breed of cat and is extraordinarily expensive. It is said to be made up of a spotted Manx, silver-spotted tabby long-hair, seal-point Siamese, British and American short-hairs, feral cats from Cairo and Asian non-pedigrees. It was developed to create funding for use in the plight of large wild cats.
The Elf Cat
The Elf cat is probably one of the rarest breeds at the moment and has yet to be recognized by cat associations. This cat is a breed hybrid consisting of the American Curl and the Sphynx. The result is a hairless curly eared cat. The creators of this new breed of cat are Karen Nelson and Kristen Leedom.
The Kinkalow
This hybrid dwarf cat was created by crossing Munchkins and American Curl cats and has the body type and short legs of a Munchkin with the curled back ears of the American Curl.
The Kurilian
Bobtail
The Kurilian Bobtail is not well known in the western world but is the 3rd most popular cat in Russia. It originated from the Kuril Islands of Russia. It has a semi-cobby body type and a distinct short, fluffy tail.
More on the Kurilian Bobtail Cat Breed
The Lambkin Dwarf Cat
The Lambkin Dwarf cat is a hybrid between the Selkirk Rex and the Munchkin, with the results being a short cat with a long body and very curly coat.
The Minskin
(Minskin photo by Paul McSorley)
The Napoleon
The Napoleon is a very new breed and not registered with any associations, which makes it a rare cat breed. It is a cross between the Munchkin and the Persian. It is a short legged cat with long, silky fur.
The Serengeti
This different cat breed is a cross between the Bengal and the Oriental shorthair. The breed was created by Karen Sausman of Kingsmark Cattery in California in 1994, and is still in the development stages. The aim is to produce a cat that looks similar to a Serval, without using wild cat blood.
More on the Serengeti Cat Breed
The Skookum
The Skookum is a cross between the Munchkin and the LaPerm cat breed with the result being a short legged cat with a curly coat.
This rare breed of cat is registered with the Dwarf Cat Association and TICA as an experimental breed.
(Skookum cat owned by Beth Fillman)
You've had a look at the Rare Cat Breeds, now take a look at the Common Cat Breeds
