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If you happen to love the appear and feel of long-haired cats, you might have many breeds to select from. Though the ultra-long, fluffy coats seen in Persians, Siberians, and related long-haired breeds require day by day grooming and brushing, the silky, semi-long coats seen in breeds like Balinese and Oriental Longhairs are much less more likely to tangle and wish minimal maintenance.
Let’s meet 14 long-haired cat breeds with stunning, lengthy coats.
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The Balinese is actually a long-haired Siamese. The breed was developed in the USA within the Fifties, utilizing long-haired Siamese kittens that popped up litters of short-haired Siamese. One of many breed founders named these elegant, long-haired cats after the swish Balinese dancers from Indonesia. Balinese are loving, affectionate, and pleasant cats that bond carefully with their human household.
The Balinese’s semi-long coat lies near the pores and skin and has a really slight undercoat. Fantastic and silky in texture, the coat is shortest on the shoulders and longest on the tail, which is a feathery plume. Balinese cats are available in all pointed colours, together with conventional colours (seal, chocolate, blue, and lilac) and non-traditional colours and patterns (pink, cream, lynx level, and torte level).
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Birman cats hint their roots again to Burma (right this moment, Myanmar), the place they have been considered companions to clergymen in temples. They’re usually referred to as the Sacred Cat of Burma. Birmans have been standardized in France within the Nineteen Twenties and later made their solution to the USA, the place they shortly turned a well-liked breed. Birmans are quiet, mild, pleasant, and laid-back pets.
The Birman’s silky coat is semi-long to lengthy with no undercoat. The tail may be very full and fluffy, and male Birmans particularly have a heavy ruff across the neck. Birmans are available in pointed colours and all the time have 4 white paws. They’ve medium to giant, rounded eyes which can be all the time blue.
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Most cat aficionados are aware of the British Shorthair, however you may not know in regards to the breed’s long-haired cousin, the British Longhair. Again within the early 1900s, British Shorthairs have been crossed with Persians, introducing the gene for lengthy hair. British Longhairs look and act very like British Shorthairs, however have lengthy hair. They’re barely reserved, particularly with strangers, however affectionate and dedicated to their human household.
The British Longhair’s semi-long coat is wealthy, plush, and thick, with a ruff across the neck and britches (longer hair on the backs of the thighs). In accordance with the breed customary, the hair is so dense that it’s tough to see the pores and skin when parting the hair. British Longhairs could be any coloration or sample.
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The Himalayan is a Persian that comes within the pointed coloration sample seen in Siamese cats. The Cat Fanciers Affiliation (CFA) acknowledges the Himalayan as a coloration division of the Persian breed. The Worldwide Cat Affiliation (TICA) lists the Himalayan as a separate breed from the Persian. Like Persians, Himalayan are candy, affectionate, mild, and quiet.
The Himalayan’s coat is lengthy everywhere in the physique with a really dense undercoat that offers it numerous quantity. Himalayans have an immense ruff across the neck. The coat could also be any pointed coloration (together with pink, cream, seal, blue, chocolate, lilac, tortoiseshell, and blue-cream) and could also be strong or are available in a pointed sample (resembling tortoiseshell, bicolor level, tricolor level, tabby or lynx level, smoke and shaded level).
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The Maine Coon developed naturally in Maine, the place it developed a rugged coat and physique sort applicable for the chilly North Japanese local weather. They’ve lengthy been prized for his or her vermin-hunting abilities. Maine Coons are one of many largest cat breeds, with males usually tipping the scales at 20 kilos or extra. Maine Coons are laid-back, pleasant, and constant companions.
Maine Coons have shaggy-looking coats with a slight undercoat. The hair on the tail and stomach is lengthy, and Maine Coons have a ruff across the neck and britches on the backs of the thighs. The all-weather coat has a silky texture. Maine Coons are available in quite a lot of colours and patterns, however they can’t be chocolate, lilac, cinnamon, fawn, or caramel.
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The Norwegian Forest Cat developed naturally in Scandinavia many centuries in the past. This breed, which known as the “Skogkatt” in its fatherland, even voyaged with the Vikings, offering worthwhile vermin management. The Norwegian Forest Cat is calm, loyal, and playful properly into maturity.
The Norwegian Forest Cat’s semi-long, water resistant coat protects these cats from harsh environments. It’s of a dense, wooly undercoat and an extended, coarse, shiny overcoat, with a neck ruff and britches. Norwegian Forest Cats are available in any coloration or sample, with or with out white markings.
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The Oriental Longhair is an in depth cousin to the Oriental Shorthair. Each breeds have been created in England shortly after World Battle II when cat breeders had restricted pedigreed cat populations and started experimenting by crossing the breeds that they had out there. Similar however for the size of the coat, Oriental Shorthairs and Longhairs are affectionate, energetic, and intensely people-oriented.
The Oriental Longhair’s coat is semi-long and close-lying to the pores and skin, with a slight undercoat. It has a nice, silky texture. The coat is longest on the tail, the place it varieties a plume. Oriental Longhairs are available in non-pointed colours and patterns, resembling strong (black, white, blue, chocolate, lilac, cinnamon, caramel, fawn, pink, cream, and apricot), tortoiseshell, smoke, shaded, or tabby.
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Ancestors of the Persian cat traced historical roots to Persia (Iran), although the breed was refined in Italy in fashionable instances. The hallmarks of the Persian breed are the very lengthy, thick coat and a spherical, flat face. Persians are exceptionally candy, mild, quiet, and loving cats.
The Persian’s coat may be very lengthy everywhere in the physique. A dense undercoat pushes the coat out from the pores and skin, making it look very fluffy and full. Persians have an immense ruff of fur across the subsequent and a really lengthy, fluffy tail. They arrive in many alternative colours and patterns, together with white, black, pink, cream, blue, chocolate, lilac, silver, golden, blue-cream, sable, tortoiseshell, bicolor, tricolor (calico), tabby, smoke, shaded, and Himalayan (pointed).
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Named for its tendency to calm down into your arms and lie there like a ragdoll, the Ragdoll was created in California within the Sixties utilizing a white longhaired cat named Josephine, a seal level mitted male cat, and some others. Ragdolls thrive on numerous consideration from their individuals. They’re excellent snugglers and lap heaters.
The Ragdoll’s semi-long coat may be very silky and comfortable, with minimal undercoat. The coat naturally resists matting, making it simple to look after. All Ragdolls are pointed, with lighter-colored our bodies and darker factors of coloration on the top, legs, and tail. Some Radgolls have white markings. Ragdolls all the time have blue eyes, with deeper coloration most well-liked.
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The Selkirk Rex has a curly coat not like another within the cat world. A brand new breed, the Selkirk Rex was developed within the Nineteen Eighties when a novel kitten born to a feral mom cat caught the attention of a Persian breeder. This kitten, named Miss DePesto, which had curly whiskers and a wavy coat, went on to turn into the inspiration of the breed. The Selkirk Rex is mellow but additionally playful.
The Selkirk Rex is available in two coat varieties: shorthaired and longhaired. The Selkirk Rex Longhair has a dense, comfortable, plush, semi-long coat that varieties free, particular person curls. Selkirk Rex are available in all colours and patterns.
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The Siberian is a pure breed that developed in Russia with out human intervention as way back as 1000 AD. The breed was exhibited on the first cat reveals within the late 1800s, however Siberian cats weren’t formally acknowledged in the USA till the Nineteen Nineties. Siberians are affectionate, playful, and cuddly.
The coat of the Siberian cat has a function not seen in another breeds. Fairly than a double coat, the Siberian has a triple coat with three distinct layers of hair that maintain the cats heat in winter. Siberians shed a variety of their undercoat in summer time. The feel can fluctuate from coarse to comfortable, and the coat could be any coloration or sample, with or with out white.
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The Somali is actually a longhaired Abyssinian. The breed took place when breeders embraced a recessive gene mutation for lengthy hair that popped up in Abyssinian litters. Somalis look and act the identical as Abyssinians, however have lengthy semi-long hair. Somalis are energetic and playful, and bond tightly with their human households.
The Somali has a comfortable, dense, fine-textured double coat coat that varieties a slight ruff across the neck and britches on the backs of the thighs. Like Abyssinians, Somalis have ticked coats within the agoutti sample–every particular person hair is banded alternating rings of sunshine and darkish coloration. Somalis are available in ruddy, cinnamon, blue, and fawn (and in some registries, chocolate and lilac).
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The Turkish Angora developed a whole bunch of years in the past in Turkey, the place the breed is taken into account a nationwide treasure. By the early 1900s, the breed practically went extinct, but it surely was saved because of breeding packages in Turkey, and later, the USA. Turkish Angoras are affectionate, loyal, and playful with an endearing impish streak that has some describing them because the feline equal of clowns.
The Turkish Angora’s silky, nice, semi-long coat seems to be single coated, but it surely has a slight undercoat. The hair on the abdomen could be considerably wavy. The coat is medium-long on the physique, and the tail has a full plume. Turkish Angoras are available in many colours and patterns, though strong white is maybe probably the most recognizable.
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The Turkish Van is believed to have developed within the mountains of japanese Turkey. Vacationers touring in Turkey within the Fifties have been captivated by the gorgeous white cats with coloured markings on their heads and tails. The couple introduced a male and a feminine kitten again to England the place the started a breeding program. The Turkish Van is affectionate and social, with a knack for entering into issues.
The Turkish Van’s semi-long coat is single with no undercoat. It’s very comfortable with a texture like cashmere. Turkish Vans drop a few of their coat in hotter months, so the winter coat is thicker and longer than the summer time coat. The Turkish Van could be strong white or white with the van sample (coloration on the top and tail solely).
