The Complete Cat Breed Book

The Complete Cat Breed Book, Combining cat breeds, behavior, and training tips in one easy volume, The Complete Cat Breed Book is an essential reference to the basics of choosing and looking after a cat.

The Complete Cat Breed Book

Packed with practical advice on cat maintenance, from handling and grooming to nutrition, exercise, and health, current and prospective cat owners will discover the best cat breed for their lifestyle. Including charts and a photographed catalog of more than fifty cat breeds, each profile outlining the breed’s history, appearance, and temperament, as well as coat color variations and breed-specific facts, this is the perfect guide for anyone wanting to raise and nurture a contented cat.

The domestic cat is now the world’s most popular pet, but cats were not always tame. The relationship between humans and cats began in the Near East about 10,000 years ago, when cats killed the rodents that ate grain stored in towns and villages. They were kept as pets in Egypt from about 2000 BCE, but the different breeds have only been created over the last hundred years or so.

In the late 19th century the breeding and showing of cats began in earnest, and cat enthusiasts became known as
“cat fanciers.” Cat registries were established to set breed standards and to store the genealogies of purebred cats. Today, there are several international cat registries, and more than 100 different cat breeds, though not all registries recognize the same ones. Breeds are defined by characteristics such as body and head shape; coat color and pattern; eye shape and color; and temperament; as well as by unusual features such as hairlessness, short tails, and folded ears.