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Cat breeds · Taxonomy

Types of Cats

People searching “types of cats” usually want a map of how cats are grouped — registry classes, coat, household — not another popularity ranking. This page is that map. It is not a census of every recognised breed, and it does not pretend a community cat is a pedigree you can order.

  • FIFe’s four categories apply to registered pedigree cats, not moggies
  • Coat (long-haired, short-haired) and household lists are different cuts — WARN already publishes those
  • Unpedigreed domestic shorthairs are the global majority, not a leftover category
Registry categories 30 breed guides

In brief

Types of cats are grouping systems, not a single official list. FIFe files recognised pedigree cats into four categories. GCCF, CFA and TICA use different drawers. Coat length and household role are different cuts of WARN’s 30-breed library. Most cats on Earth are moggies or community cats with no breed. Wild felids such as lions, tigers and lynxes are not types of domestic cat.

By the WARN Research & Conservation TeamChecked against IUCN Red List & CITES sourcesLast updated

4

FIFe pedigree categories

30

WARN full breed guides

45–75

Registry breed counts, not a census

1

Domestic cat species guide

FIFe, GCCF, CFA and TICA counts are registry conventions for pedigree cats. They are not a census of Felis catus. WARN’s 30 is a library size, not a claim that only 30 breeds exist.

Who should skip this

This is not the right page if you want

  • A ranked list of the most popular pedigree breeds. That is most popular.
  • A 45–75 breed registry catalogue. WARN publishes 30 full breed guides, not every recognised breed.
  • To buy a kitten from this page. WARN does not sell cats.
  • To adopt a cattery pet into your home. Local rehoming is shelter directory.
  • A field guide to lions, tigers or lynxes pretending they are cat breeds. Those are wild felids — lion, tiger, lynx.
  • Gift Aid or a UK charity receipt from WARN — that is registration status.

How to tell which type of cat you are looking at

Decide whether you need a registry category, a coat band, a household list, or an honest account of moggies and community cats. Then open the matching WARN list or guide. Do not treat a grouping system as a shopping recommendation.

  1. 1

    Decide which grouping job you need

    Stay here if you wanted types of cats as a taxonomy. If you wanted “most popular cat breeds”, stop and open most popular. If you wanted a local rescue cat, open shelter directory. If you wanted wild felids, open the lion, tiger or lynx guides.

  2. 2

    Pick a system: registry, coat, or household

    FIFe uses four categories for registered pedigree cats. GCCF uses sections. Coat bands (long, short) and household lists (family, first-time) are different cuts of WARN’s 30-breed library. None of those systems covers community cats.

  3. 3

    Open the matching list or species guide

    Coat and household pages live under cat breeds. The domestic cat species guide is cat. Community cats — the same species, no breed — sit with the meat-trade appeal at dog and cat meat trade appeal.

  4. 4

    Give if you want to fund cats that have no pedigree

    WARN funds partner-led rescue from the dog-and-cat meat trade, not a cattery. Use dog and cat meat trade appeal or donate. You do not get a named pedigree cat. Gift Aid is not available.

Types versus breed lists

Use this URL for grouping systems. Use a collection for a cut of 30 guides. Use the meat-trade appeal for cats that have no pedigree.

Types of cats versus breed lists versus the meat-trade appeal
FeatureThis types pageBreed collection listsMeat-trade appeal
JobTaxonomy of grouping systemsA cut of 30 pedigree guidesStolen and traded cats abroad
Registry catalogueNo — explains categories onlyNo — 30 names, not 70Not applicable
Wild felidsExplicitly excludedExcludedExcluded
CheckoutNo — donate or meat-trade appealAppeal block on those pagesRelated appeal on that URL

What are types of cats?

Types of cats are filing systems. A breed is a named, usually closed breeding population with a written standard. A type is a drawer that can hold several breeds — or hold cats that have no breed at all.

Search treats “types of cats” and “cat breeds” as near-synonyms. They are not the same job. Breed names (Maine Coon, Siamese) are populations. Types are how registries, coat-length lists and household lists sort those names — or admit that most cats never enter a registry.

FIFe, GCCF, CFA and TICA disagree on which varieties count as separate breeds and how they are shown. That is why there is no single official count. WARN’s 30-breed library is the most-searched names, not a claim that only 30 breeds exist.

Community cats and moggies remain Felis catus. They are a type of cat in the welfare sense. They are not a FIFe category you can buy.

What are the FIFe types of cats?

The Fédération Internationale Féline files recognised pedigree cats into four categories for showing: Persian and Exotic; semi-longhair; shorthair; and Siamese, Oriental and related types. Those categories do not include moggies.

Category I is the Persian and Exotic type — brachycephalic faces, high grooming or eye-care load. Category II is semi-longhair: Maine Coon, Norwegian Forest Cat, Ragdoll, Birman and similar. Category III is shorthair types such as British Shorthair. Category IV covers Siamese, Oriental and allied types — often more vocal and active.

GCCF in Britain uses sections rather than FIFe’s four drawers. CFA and TICA in North America use championship classes and, in TICA’s case, Traditional, Natural, Mutation and Household Pet categories. A breed can sit in one system’s drawer and another system’s different drawer.

None of these systems is a shopping rank. Flat-faced types in Category I carry well-documented airway and tear-duct problems. That is husbandry, not a WARN recommendation to buy one.

FIFe four categories for recognised pedigree cats — not moggies, not a WARN sales rank
CategoryNameWhat it is for
I Persian and Exotic Brachycephalic show types — high grooming or eye-care load, not “easy longhair”.
II Semi-longhair Maine Coon, Norwegian Forest Cat, Ragdoll, Birman — coat work without always being a Persian face.
III Shorthair British Shorthair and allied shorthair types — coat is not hypoallergenic.
IV Siamese, Oriental and related Often more vocal and active. A poor fit for a quiet, low-attention home.

  • GCCF (UK sections)

    Persian, Semi-Longhair, British, Foreign, Burmese, Oriental, Siamese, Rex and other sections. Same registered-cat job as FIFe, different drawers. A breed can sit in one GCCF section and a different FIFe category.

  • CFA and TICA

    North American registries. TICA also has a Household Pet class — closer to an honest moggy than a closed breed. CFA and TICA popularity figures are registration volume, not a global quality score and not a WARN ranking.

What about coat and household types of cats?

Coat length and household role are different cuts of the same 30-breed library. Long-haired is a grooming commitment. First-time-owner lists are editorial, not a temperament guarantee.

Long-haired versus short-haired is the standing search. Coat length does not decide allergen load: Fel d 1 is in saliva and skin secretions. Short-haired does not mean hypoallergenic. WARN’s lists are long haired cats and short haired cats.

Family and first-time lists are curated because free-text temperament fields cannot carry them honestly. An adult rescue whose behaviour is already known is often a better household cat than a fashionable kitten. See family cats and first time owners.

Hairless and folded-ear types exist as marketed looks. The Scottish Fold’s folded ear comes from a cartilage defect that also affects joints. This page will not rank those looks as a healthy “type to get”.

Are moggies and community cats a type of cat?

Yes. They are Felis catus with no kennel-club breed. They are the global majority. They are not a FIFe category. WARN does not run a UK street-cat TNVR programme; meat-trade rescue is /appeals/dog-cat-meat/.

Pedigree cats are a small share of the world’s cats. Domestic shorthairs and longhairs of no particular registry — moggies — are what most households actually live with. Community and free-roaming cats are the same species living without an individual owner.

TNVR (trap-neuter-vaccinate-return) is the welfare tool for free-roaming cats, parallel to CNVR for dogs. WARN’s published cat work abroad is partner-led meat-trade rescue and quarantine in Indonesia and Malaysia, not a named UK colony programme. Do not invent a street-cat clinic WARN does not run.

If you searched types of cats because you wanted a pet, start with a local registered rescue via shelter directory. If you searched because of cats in the meat trade, stay on dog and cat meat trade appeal.

Are lions, tigers and lynxes types of cats?

No. They are wild felids — Felidae — not kennel types of Felis catus. Relatives, not breeds. Do not buy a wild cat as a pet.

Domestic cats descend from the African wildcat (Felis lybica), listed Least Concern. Lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars, cheetahs, lynxes and caracals are different genera. Calling them “types of cats” in a breed-shopping sense is a category error.

Open the species guides: lion, tiger, lynx, caracal. Those pages are IUCN and habitat facts, not cattery advice.

Keeping a wild felid as a companion is a specialist, often licensed, welfare problem. It is not a type on this taxonomy page.

Taxonomy

Types of cats: frequently asked questions

What are the types of cats?
Types of cats are grouping systems: FIFe’s four pedigree categories, GCCF sections, CFA and TICA showing classes, coat-length bands, household lists, and moggies or community cats that no registry tracks. There is no single official typology. Wild felids are not types of domestic cat.
How many types of cats are there?
It depends which system you mean. FIFe uses four categories for recognised pedigree cats. GCCF uses several sections. Coat and household cut the same animals differently. Registries recognise roughly 45–75 breeds. Most cats on Earth are not in those counts because they are moggies or community cats.
What are the FIFe cat categories?
FIFe files pedigree cats into four categories: Persian and Exotic; semi-longhair; shorthair; and Siamese, Oriental and related types. Those categories do not include moggies. GCCF, CFA and TICA use different drawers for the same registered-cat job.
Is a moggy a type of cat?
Yes. A moggy is Felis catus with no breed standard — the global majority of pet and free-roaming cats. It is not a FIFe category. Community cats are the same species. Meat-trade rescue is dog and cat meat trade appeal; local rehoming is shelter directory.
Are lions a type of cat?
No. Lions are wild Panthera, not a kennel type of domestic cat. Tigers, lynxes and caracals are likewise wild felids. Relatives, not breeds. Open lion, tiger and lynx. Do not buy a wild felid as a pet.
What is the difference between a cat type and a cat breed?
A breed is a named, usually closed breeding population with a written standard and (usually) a registry. A type is a filing drawer — by category, coat or household — that can hold several breeds, or hold cats that have no breed at all. Searching “types of cats” and “cat breeds” is not the same job.
Which type of cat is best for families?
No type is automatically safe with children. WARN’s family-cat list is an editorial cut of the 30-breed library, not a guarantee: family cats. An adult rescue whose temperament is already known is often a better family cat than a fashionable kitten. Teach children not to pursue a cat that withdraws.
Does WARN list every cat breed?
No. WARN publishes 30 full breed guides — the most searched names — at cat breeds and cat. Registries recognise a few dozen more. This types page explains grouping systems. It does not dump unsourced extra breed names to look complete.
What type of cat should I get?
Start from grooming time, noise, and how many years you can plan for — cats often live 12–18 years. Then use coat and first-time-owner lists, or adopt via shelter directory. Popularity and FIFe category number do not answer that. Buying a brachycephalic kitten often funds volume breeding.
Are hairless or folded-ear cats a type of cat?
They are marketed looks, not a FIFe-only story. Hairless types need bathing and warmth management. The Scottish Fold’s folded ear comes from a cartilage defect that also affects joints. This page will not rank those looks as healthy official types.
Is a gift from this page Gift Aid eligible?
No. Gift Aid is only available to UK registered charities. World Animal Rescue Network is a registered global not-for-profit animal welfare organisation, not a registered charity. International donors should check their own local rules. Full detail is at registration status. Meat-trade rescue is dog and cat meat trade appeal. You still receive a payment receipt from donate.
Where should I go after this types of cats page?
For pedigree cuts, open cat breeds. For one breed, open cat and pick a name. For cats with no breed in the meat trade, open dog and cat meat trade appeal. For wild felids, open lion, tiger or lynx. To give, use donate — not a named kitten.
Do registry types apply in every country?
No. FIFe, GCCF, CFA and TICA disagree on names, category membership and which breeds exist. A category number is a filing convention for shows and studbooks. It is not a biological law and it is not WARN’s ranking.
How do I donate after reading about types of cats?
This page has no checkout form. If you want to fund cats taken in the meat trade, open dog and cat meat trade appeal or donate. Card, Apple Pay and Google Pay. You do not get a named pedigree animal. Cancel a monthly gift any time. Do not post parcels from Britain unless a partner asked in writing.

Sources and references

Help cats in the meat trade