The Top Cat Breeds of 2010
Published April 6, 2011
Persian, Maine Coon, and Ragdoll are among the most popular cat breeds of 2010 according to the Cat Fancier's Association.
Speaking from the purrspective of a passionate felineophile, there is no such thing as an ugly cat breed.
With the grace and agility for which cats are famous, each and every one of these delightful creatures is uniquely beautiful. However, I must admit I prefer the company of the short haired variety; my own personal favorite cat breeds being the Siamese and Oriental Shorthairs, of course followed closely behind with the American Shorthair classic silver tabby. But when it comes to the most popular cats in the USA, according to a recent survey made by the Cat Fanciers Association, the American Shorthair cat breed was not on the list.
So without further amew, here's the scoop concerning CFA's recent announcement of the top seven of their 41 registered cat breeds for 2010:
Since the 1970's and once again Persians topped the charts this year. Jerry Hanza, the President of CFA who has bred Persians for 15 years said, "Persians are clearly good friends, they want to be with their people. Mine enjoy my lap while watching the (New York) Jet's game." CFA Vice President and chair of outreach and education, Joan Miller, added, "Of course, they know how beautiful they are. Persians are just glorious. Some are so beautiful they can make your heart stop."
Since the 1990s Maine Coons have hovered between numbers two and three in cat breed popularity.
Maine Coon cat lovers will be happy to know this year; this sturdy and beautiful cat breed came in second. Miller attributes this to their enchanting personality, and ability to get along with other species, since many households also share their homes with dogs. She said, ""They're big and bold. Some men want a macho cat". And even though Maine Coons can tip the scales at around 20 pounds, since they are gentle and loving, they make excellent children's pets.
Coming in third is the Exotic Shorthair. With breed standards closely resembling the Persian, these lovely kitties, with plush medium coats, are most appealing to folks who might want to be owned by a Persian, but without the extensive grooming the Persian requires.
The affectionate and lovely Ragdoll cat breed ssumed fourth place this year, followed in number five by the Sphynx; a cat that many folks consider to resemble "Yoda". Dropping from number five to six is the Siamese. It makes me wonder what caused this breed to apparently drop out of favor with the cat loving public, since years ago, at all the major cat shows across the country, the Siamese cat classes were filled to the brim.
Following in seventh place is the intelligent and playful Abyssinian. Both the Siamese and Abyssinian cat breeds are extremely active. Explaining a possible reason for the decline in the popularity of these two breeds, Miller said, "Maybe people don't want all that activity."
So what is your favorite cat breed? Leave a comment and let us know.
Shortly after retiring as a social worker and psychotherapist, I discovered my "writer's voice"…
Dog & Cat Breeds
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Comments (26)
I prefer the cats from the shelter. I don't give a snot to what breed. My husband's cat is a Persi-coon - a Persian-Maine Coon cross, and is the sweetest cat. I rescued a 2-week-old abandoned kitten back in 2004, with strong Siamese traits, but he's all gray and all pain in the butt. I just love cats, and I really don't have a favorite breed. It's the personality that does it for me. I was given an apple-head traditional Lynx Point by a "cat lady" and she was gorgeous, but again, I prefer the cats that people "throw away" rather than specific breeds.
Persians is my favorite because of their long and smooth hair. They are most popular to breed in United State. -Instant Tax Solutions
The obvious answer to the drop on popularity of the Siamese is the fact that they have been bred to such extremes! Poll after poll shows that the public prefer the healthier, less alien-looking old-fashioned style Siamese as pets. The breeders only have themselves to blame for the decline of their breed.
I've had cats all my life and must say I find the two Ragdolls I now have the most enchanting. They are so funny and amusing to no end! Nothing is better than a Ragdoll!
I have had numerous cats throughout my six and a half decades of life. My Mom was the neighborhood "earth mother" so all stray cats and dogs ended up at our house. As a devoted and lifelong cat lover, the dogs were just sort of "there," but I adored each and every cat who was lucky enough to find us.
Although I have only had a couple purebreds, my very favorite cats are solid black followed closely by tabbies. My husband of forty-five years is also a devoted cat lover and also appreciates the beauty, generally calm nature, sunny disposition and intelligence of black cats. All of our cats have been pound and shelter rescues. Our current cats are a wonderful black beauty named Solomon who we rescued from the local pound when he was five years old, another black baby, a diabetic, named Zulu who came from our local no-kill shelter at age four and a stunning longhaired calico little girl named Joy, adopted as a kitten from another shelter, who constantly lives up to her name. There are many lovely and adorable purebreds, of course, but my cat of choice is a rescue who desperately needs someone to just give him or her a chance.
Ok, my comment has many typos. Sigh. It should say 'and she bites'. And it should say 'totally comfortable with me.' Also, she was only about 4 weeks when I got her! Very tiny. My geriatric beagle became her best friend. He is gone now. Sigh.
A rescued cat is MY favorite as well. We see to be in the majority here. Mine was a feral kitten from a feral mom. It was my last day on this job and a gal who knew I was an animal lover made me wait. I had no idea she was giving me a kitten. She ran outside to grab the kitten from her sister and said 'here' and I took the kitten and said, 'ok, thank you'. and she said, 'and she bite' and I said 'ok'. She is now almost 7 years old. It took her about 3 years to be totally comfortable with. Her feral instincts come out at the vet! She is a tabby and my baby.