A cat breed is a group of cats that look alike. The way they look is different to all other cat breeds. When two cats of a cat breed mate they produce kittens that are of the same breed and which look like their parents. Cats of the same breed are also the same in a way that you can’t see. They have the same genes that control the way the cat looks. Genes are very small particles inside the cat’s cells that carry information about everything that the cat will become including the way the cat looks.
The names of cats of a cat breed are written down on a computer. The names of their parents, grandparents and great grandparents are also put on a computer so the whole family tree is known. The record is kept by a cat club called a cat association or cat registry. When this information is kept the cats of a cat breed are also called pedigree cats. The fact that the cats are the same and produce kittens that are the same means that they are purebred cats.
Cats that belong to a cat breed are purebred pedigree cats in countries like America, Canada and the countries of Europe. In some other countries a cat can be part of a cat breed without being purebred or pedigree. And example would be the Turkish Angora in Turkey.
There are over 100 cat breeds. There are about 40 main cat breeds. The most important cat breeds are the:
- Persian
- Maine Coon
- Siamese
- Bengal
Note to visitors: if anyone wants to have a go at improving this please leave a comment. It is deliberately simplified.
This is, in essence, a very interesting subject. The question in the title is not simple by any means. If anything it’s answer is due for an update/change.
It is an interesting subject. The conventional description of cat breed is somewhat manufactured and artfical. However, for kids you have to use the conventional description, reduced and simplified so it is tricky and somewhat flawed. I think it still has to be done though.