Mixed breed (cat)

Coat and looks how to spot one

any coat length, texture or build

There is no single look. A mixed-breed cat can be slim or stocky, short-, medium- or long-coated, and wear almost any colour or pattern cats can carry. Many free-breeding populations drift back toward the classic tabby coat of the wild ancestor within a few generations. Regional types exist too: cats in parts of Asia tend to be lighter and more angular, while many European and American house cats are heavier and more solid.23

Personality what they are like

Personalities are as varied as coats, shaped by ancestry and early life. FIFe describes house cats as generally friendly, playful and clever, relaxed characters that look after their home and people with real affection. A well-socialised moggy is often an easy-going, adaptable family cat.34

Daily activity how busy a day looks

Moderate, varying by individual. Daily play with wand toys, chase games and climbing spaces keeps most cats fit and content. Cats typically sleep 12-16 hours a day, so activity comes in short bursts.1

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

Depends on coat: short-coated cats need only an occasional brush, while longer coats benefit from combing several times a week. Routine vaccinations, parasite control and neutering are part of normal care; CFA requires neutering for household pets shown over eight months.254

Home where they are happiest

Adapts to flats and houses alike. Provide scratching posts, high perches, hiding spots and a clean litter tray; outdoor access, if any, should be safe for the local area.13

Food basics what goes in the bowl

An obligate carnivore that needs a complete, meat-based cat food. Taurine and arginine are essential nutrients for cats, which is why a proper cat diet (not dog food or a home-made vegetarian diet) matters. Feed to life stage and body condition.1

Company who they like around

Varies with the individual. Most enjoy human company and routine; many live happily with other cats or pets when introduced gradually.34

The story where it all began

Cats began living alongside people in the Near East around 7500 BCE, when wildcats were drawn to early farming villages by the rodents in stored grain; a cat buried near a person in a Neolithic grave on Cyprus dates from about 7500-7200 BCE. For thousands of years almost all cats bred freely, shaped by local climate and geography rather than by human plans, and they spread around the world as farm mousers, household companions and ships' cats. Long coats appeared in Western Asia and reached Europe by the 16th century. Pedigree breeding is recent: purebred cats are largely an invention of the last 150 years, and more than 85% of today's breeds date from after the 1930s. Many of those breeds were founded on ordinary house cats, which remain the vast majority of the world's cats today.1253

Recognised by the official bits

FIFe

Not a breed; shown in the House Cat Longhair and House Cat Shorthair classes, where any eye colour, coat colour, pattern, coat length or tail length is allowed and judges focus on health, cleanliness and friendliness6

CFA

Not a breed; competes in the Household Pet class, judged on condition, appearance and personality. Cats over eight months must be spayed or neutered and not declawed; wild-cat ancestry is excluded4

WCF

Household cats may be shown, although some colours (chocolate, cinnamon, lilac, fawn) and the pointed pattern are excluded2

Cat fancy (general)

No breed standard exists; mixed-breed cats are recorded as domestic shorthair, mediumhair or longhair in vet and shelter records2

Popularity Non-pedigree cats make up an estimated 98-99% of cats worldwide, 89-92% in the UK, and about 96% in France (LOOF data, 2003-2022)2

How many About 220 million owned cats and 480 million stray cats worldwide (all domestic cats, the great majority non-pedigree)1