![]() ![]() The breed’s high cheekbones, prominent nose, oval eyes and huge ears combine for its charming look. The Cornish Rex’s extremely soft fur-like a bunny or lamb–has no “guard hairs,” and the cats have natural warmth about their bodies, making them “good shoulder and lap cats,” according to Joan. “The Cornish Rex is considered to be the raciest beauty of all the cat breeds,” says Miller, “and it always seems to be in motion.” But its fragile elegance masks a muscular body. With its “marcel waved” coat, and slender, leggy build, the Cornish Rex may resemble a ballet dancer-all straight posture and arches. A graceful, muscled athlete with an arched neck, the true Ocicat has dark thumbprint spots “scattered over a lighter color coat with the suggestion of a classic tabby, rather than ‘mackerel’, pattern,” Miller says. The kitten, Tonga, was born with a bold golden spotted pattern, and after 23 years and the addition of a few American Shorthairs to add silver colors, the fully developed Ocicat achieved CFA Championship status in 1987. The Ocicat came about as a surprise in 1964 when an individual bred a Siamese to an Abyssinian hoping for a ticked tabby-pointed result. In 1871 the earliest Seal Point Siamese appeared at England’s first National Crystal Palace Show, where a journalist commented on this “unnatural, nightmare kind of cat.” But the cat caused a sensation among show goers, accustomed to British Shorthairs.Īnimal prints, anyone? This gentle spotted gem looks like a jungle cat but is, as Miller explains, “an example of a breed established through a hybrid mixture.” The most recognized feline beauty-even non-cat people can spot a Siamese!-the highly vocal, satin-coated Siamese is what Miller calls “the essence of balance and refinement.” With sleek, tubular builds, large pointy ears and a true triangular head, Siamese ‘color points’ were the cats of royalty in ancient Siam (now Thailand), working as palace guards. A certain ‘fancy’ cat food brand stars a shimmery white Persian in its ads, but the CFA’s Best Cat of 2014 was a calico Persian. Modern Persian cats have a defined shapely body with massive shoulders, heavy bone structure and short legs. Prized in 1800s England for their stocky builds and long coats, Persians were pampered pets, refined over time by breeders to the breed we know today. “A white Persian with brilliant, clear copper eyes, a sweet expression and a full, flowing coat, without a spot of yellowing is particularly magnificent.” “This breed is the epitome of ethereal beauty,” says MIller. Now Blues possess an unmistakable beauty, enhanced by the breed’s intelligence and playfulness. But in the late 1960s, American breeders imported cats from Scandinavia and began a 30-year effort that succeeded in recapturing the Russian Blue’s original appearance. Originally from northern Russia, the breed nearly became extinct in England after World War II. “This is a graceful cat with a slender body-fine-boned but muscular,” she says.īrilliant emerald green eyes accent the Russian Blue’s smooth, wedge-shaped head. That pale blue, silver-tipped double coat, plush as a teddy bear’s, gives the Russian Blue its elegance and style, according to MIller. Americans bought cats directly from the zoo in the 1960s, and the breed’s popularity grew in this country. In the 1900s, the Turkish government established a breeding program at the Ankara Zoo to preserve the pure white Angoras. Initially, Persians and Angoras were bred together. An illustration of the breed appeared in Buffon’s Histoure Naturell in 1756, looking much as it does today, and the breed came to the U.S. The long-haired cats from both Persia and Armenia (Eastern Turkey) came to 16 th century Europe. ![]() MOST FOTOGENIC CAT FULLTurkish Angoraĭistinguished by a full neck ruff, silky coat, long full tail and tufted ears, the longhaired Turkish Angora is “elegant and graceful with a fascinating history,” says Miller. Here are Miller’s picks for the breeds most likely to cause ‘ooh’s and ‘aah’s among cat fans. She adds that while “beautiful” can range from “attractive” to “dazzling,” the most beautiful cats have to be glamorous and/or breathtaking. That makes judging cats extremely challenging,” says Joan Miller of the Cat Fanciers Association, who has spent years as a cat show judge. But going strictly by visible good looks and unique traits, some exceptionally pretty purebreds will always entice us to say, “Hello gorgeous!” In our hearts, every cat is the most beautiful feline on the planet. ![]()
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