This is the current ranking of the most popular cat breeds recognised by the Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA) which is probably the world’s leading cat association. It is certainly the largest. The list of most popular breeds is in the form of an infographic prepared by the CFA.
Brief comment: For many years the Persian was top. This is the extreme Persian. It is now fourth due to extreme breeding in my view and inherited diseases such as CKD, breathing issues and tear duct overflow.
The breeders should focus on the doll face Persian and health issues to regain popularity. Set against this is the fact that the Exotic Shorthair came second and this cat is a shorthaired version of the Persian. That result tends to undermine my assessment. One issue is that the longhair of the Persian demands constant combing by the cat’s guardian. That may be something which puts people off. The Exotic SH has shorthair and is therefore easier to maintain.
The Ragdoll has always been popular because the cats are ideal for indoor life and they are pretty. Indoor cats are becoming more popular with increased urbanisation. They are good companions for elderly people too and there is an increased population of older people.
I am surprised that the Maine Coon is fifth as this cat is awesome and should come top. The Devon Rex is a surprise sixth. I think it is the cheeky face which attracts admirers. Two ‘torture breeds’ come ninth and tenth: the Sphynx and Scottish Fold. The phrase torture breeds comes from Germany where they are banned because the breeding creates cats with an anatomy which can cause health issues. Incidentally the Exotic SH is also considered to fall into this category due the flat face. But perhaps people are unaware of health issues or the health are lessened in the Exotic compared to the Persian.
I do think that adopters are more switched on to inherent health issues in cat breeds compared to 20 years ago thanks to the internet and websites like PoC. I think I was one of the first to really discuss the breeding of the Persian and health issues tha flowed from it.
It is nice to see the random bred cat coming 11th.
SOME MORE ON POPULAR CATS:
