How many cat breeds are there? There is no single worldwide answer. Cat registries use different breed names, recognition levels, divisions, groups and rules for deciding when closely related cats count as one breed or more than one.
FeedStrayCats therefore did not simply copy one registry or add several registry lists together. We compared and reconciled the breed systems of three major registries — the Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA), The International Cat Association (TICA), and Fédération Internationale Féline (FIFe) — and used additional authoritative registry evidence when a breed could not be represented accurately from those three systems alone.
What “reconciling” the breed lists means
The purpose was to create a stable FeedStrayCats breed identity for navigation, breed pages, forums and future site features while preserving the differences between registries. Each candidate was examined to determine whether apparently different names represented the same breed, a registry division or variety, a historical alias, a related but distinct breed, or a genuinely separate breed identity.
Recognition level was also kept separate from identity. A breed may be fully recognised by one registry, preliminary or developing in another, or absent from a third. Those differences are useful information; they are not a reason to pretend that all registries classify breeds identically.
Why the registry totals cannot simply be added together
The same underlying breed can appear under different names or structures. Conversely, cats that one registry groups together can be separate recognised breeds in another. Coat length can be a separate registry entity in some systems while FeedStrayCats treats the longhair and shorthair forms as one canonical breed. Simply adding registry totals would therefore double-count some identities while obscuring other meaningful distinctions.
Examples from the reconciliation
Thai, Wichien Maat and Classic Siamese
FeedStrayCats uses Thai as the canonical identity and preserves Wichien Maat/Wichienmaat, Old-Style Siamese and Classic Siamese as related naming. This prevents several names for the same underlying breed tradition from becoming duplicate breed pages.
Persian: modern and traditional types
The former FeedStrayCats modern and traditional Persian entries are reconciled into one canonical Persian. Modern/show-type and traditional/doll-face remain useful descriptive and historical terminology, but are not maintained as two canonical breeds.
Cymric and Manx
This case goes in the other direction. FeedStrayCats retains Cymric and Manx as separate canonical identities because major registry treatment provides a meaningful basis for preserving the distinction, even though registry terminology is not uniform.
Neva Masquerade and Siberian
FeedStrayCats keeps these as separate canonical identities. FIFe describes the Neva Masquerade as the Siberian’s pointed sister breed and recognises it separately, illustrating why close biological or historical relationship does not automatically mean two registry identities should be collapsed.
Javanese and Colorpoint Longhair
This was one of the more complicated legacy cases. The old FeedStrayCats page combined terminology that does not resolve cleanly to one modern breed. CFA states that Javanese became a division of Balinese in 2008. FeedStrayCats therefore routes Javanese material toward Balinese, while Himalayan/Persian-derived Colorpoint Longhair usage is handled with Himalayan, rather than preserving the old combined node as a canonical breed.
Russian Blue, White, Black and Tabby
FeedStrayCats uses one canonical Russian identity while preserving registry-specific colour terminology, including Russian Blue and the White/Black terminology where relevant. This avoids turning colour or variant terminology into unnecessary duplicate breed identities.
Recognition status matters
A breed’s status can differ by registry and can change over time. For example, CFA currently states that Khao Manee is shown in the Provisional class, while Toybob advanced to CFA Championship in 2025. FIFe currently lists Bombay and Lykoi as preliminary recognised breeds. FeedStrayCats records such status distinctions rather than flattening every listed breed into a single “recognised” category.
Why FeedStrayCats currently catalogs 106 breeds
The resulting directory currently contains 106 canonical FeedStrayCats breed identities. That number is the outcome of the reconciliation rules above, not a claim that exactly 106 cat breeds objectively exist worldwide. If registry classifications change or stronger evidence supports a different canonical decision, the FeedStrayCats catalog can change as well.
The canonical identity layer lets the site maintain one principal breed page and one corresponding breed forum per breed while still recording aliases, variants, registry-specific names and recognition statuses behind that identity.
Explore the breed directories
Registry classifications and recognition statuses are periodically reviewed because they can change over time.
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