Curious to find out which cats make the rare types of cats list?
But wait, how do we determine if a cat is rare or not? Well, because it’s difficult to track all the cats born, to determine the exact numbers, we have looked at various registries and identified the breeds with the lowest numbers.
In this article we will look at 16 not only cute but also rare types of cats (that you’ve probably never seen before!)
Rare Types of Cats (Species Overview)
Here are some of the rarest cats breeds found in the world today.
Peterbald
- Appearance – a whip-like tail, either bald or a straight coat in a variety of colors, large ears, narrow head, and oval paws.
- Lifespan – 10 to 12 years
- Origin – Russia
The Peterbald is a crossbreed of the Don hairless and the Oriental Shorthair. Peterbalds born with hair are likely to lose it during their life period.
Because of their friendly, energetic, peaceful, and loyal nature, these cats are well suited for households with children and those with other household animals.
Turkish Angora
- Appearance – white shimmery fur with blue, green, or amber eye colors.
- Lifespan – 15 to 18 years
- Country of origin – Turkey
The Turkish Angora is reportedly one of the first long-haired cats originating in Europe. It is also known as the ‘Ankara cat’, both names signifying its origin; being native to the capital of Turkey known as Ankara, previously referred to as Angora.
In certain instances, they can have both blue and amber eye colors due to being heterochromatic/odd-eyed because each iris has a different color.
Turkish Van
- Appearance – white fur coat with a colored head and tail (van pattern)
- Lifespan – 15 to 16 years
- Country of origin – Turkey
The Turkish Van gets its name from its van pattern. [1]
This breed is larger and more muscular than the Turkish Angora and is known for its high energy and playful nature.
It has been nicknamed the ‘swimming cat’ due to its obsession with water. Not to worry, due to its water-resistant cashmere-like fur, the fur will rarely matte making them very easy to groom.
Chartreux
- Appearance – thick silver-grey hair with orange eyes, short limbs, and a muscular body
- Lifespan – 19 to 20 years
- Country of origin – France
These cats are intelligent, observant, and friendly making them very compatible with children and other household animals. This cat breed is relatively calm, and often quiet although some can be mute.
The Chartreux cat is famously known for its ‘smile’ formed by its head structure and the shape of its muzzle. They are also known to have fast reflexes and are usually healthy.
Kurilian Bobtail
- Appearance – red or grey fur with yellow, green, or yellow-green eyes
- Lifespan – 15 to 20 years
- Country of origin – Russia
The Kurilian Bobtail is native to the islands of Kuril and Sakhalin hence its name. This breed is famously known for its short kinked fluffy tail, referred to as a pompom tail.
Other physical characteristics include longer hind-limbs, a wide face, and a muscular build. Kurilian Bobtails are rare, part of the reason being a small amount of kitten per litter usually 3. They are well-known hunters especially for fish and are especially fond of water bodies.
Serengeti
- Appearance – have black or dark brown spots on a beige or golden fur
- Lifespan – 9 to 15 years
This stunning cat is a crossbreed of the Bengal cat and the oriental short hair. [2] They have long legs and necks with large pointed ears.
Although the Serengeti can live in any climate, it does particularly well in a warmer climate. These cats are unproblematic and are known to peacefully coexist with humans and other household animals.
Because of their friendly nature and also because they shed a minimum amount of fur, Serengeti makes for good household pets.
Korat
- Appearance -the silver-blue fur coat with green eyes for adults and brown, orange, or golden-green color for the younger ones.
- Origin – Thailand
The Korat is natively referred to as the color of the Sawat seed due to its color. Korat cats have a very good memory and are known to return to their homes if taken to a new environment. Traditionally, the Thailand community saw the Korat as a sign of good luck and commonly gifted these cats to newly wedded couples.
Norwegian Forest Cat
- Appearance: long woolen fur coat underneath that is thicker at the legs and head
- Origin: Northern Europe
This large and strong cat is popularly found in France, Norway, and Sweden. Because of its cold environment, the Norwegian Forest Cat has physical features adapted to survive in this harsh environment.
This breed also has strong claws making them very good at climbing rocks and trees.
Norwegians can survive in the wild and are very good at hunting for food. However, these cats can also adapt to domestic living and are known to be intelligent, high-energy, and friendly.
American Bobtail
- Origin: United States
- Color: white, black, cream, fawn colors or pattered often either with two or three color combinations.
- Lifespan: 12 to 13 years
Famously recognized for its short tail, the American Bobtail is a short, medium-sized cat. Other physical features include a wide torso with longer hind legs and almond-shaped eyes.
American Bobtails are known to be playful and social cats. Their intelligence is also noteworthy as they have been known to escape closed rooms. Additionally, they are known to be strong and healthy with little known genetic illnesses. Bobtails are best suited for travelers as they can adapt well to different environments.
Havana Brown
- Origin: England
- Appearance: Warm or red-brown coat color with pink paws
- Lifespan: 15 to 20 years
The Havana Brown is a cross between the domestic brown cat and the Siamese cat. Its name is believed to be adapted due to its color similar to Havana cigars and the Havana rabbit. This breed has a muscular body, of medium size, with green eyes and brown whiskers.
These cats are highly intelligent and are known to communicate with their paws. The Havana Brown is curious, and interactive and functions well when surrounded by human companions. They are also known to perch around human shoulders with an odd habit of playing with human hair.
Devon Rex
- Origin: England
- Appearance: large eyes, large rounded ears, curled whiskers, long body with short curly hair.
- Lifespan: 10 to 15 years
Because of its wide range of behavior, it is commonly referred to as a cat, dog, and monkey crossbreed. For instance, this medium-sized cat is known to be highly intelligent with the ability to learn tricks. Additionally, they are known to be high jumpers and will typically be found at the highest point of any room.
Devons are playful and affectionate cats and besides being found in high areas, they will normally choose to be close to the neck of their human owners.
Egyptian Mau
- Origin: Egypt, United States
- Appearance: Black, bronze, silver, blue, smoke, and caramel colors with spots on the tips of its coat. It also has green eyes which can be amber in kittens.
- Lifespan: 18 to 20 years.
The Egyptian Mau is famously recognized for its long line running from its face to its tail. Additionally, the cat is also known to have a marking on its forehead which is either ‘M shaped’ or resembling a ‘scarab beetle’.
This breed will usually have a muscular appearance with longer hind legs and is known to be the fastest of domestic cats.
Interesting facts about the Egyptian Maus include their highly musical voices and habit of wiggling their tails when happy. They are also known to change their facial expressions according to their mood. Generally, these cats have a playful and loyal temperament.
American Wirehair
- Origin: United States of America
- Appearance: a variety of colors such as white, blue, brown, cream; and patterns such as one, two, and three colors as well as a tortoiseshell pattern.
- Lifespan: 15 to 16 years
The American Wirehair is a result of a mutation that occurred during the breeding of the American shorthair in New York. [3]
The difference between these two breeds is that the wirehair has shorter, coarser, and wire-like hair, unlike the Shorthair.
Other physical features include a muscular body with high set cheekbones and a prominent muzzle. The male cat is larger, both having gold, blue, amber, or white eyes. Wirehairs are known to be even-tempered with the ability to be calm and gentle yet playful.
Burmilla
- Origin: United Kingdom
- Appearance: blue, black, brown, lilac, and chocolate colors in two coat patterns: tipped and shaded
- Lifespan: 13 to 16 years.
The Burmilla is a result of cross-breeding between the Burmese and the Chinchilla Persian cats. This medium-sized cat weighs an average of 105 to 211 ounces. Burmillas are distinguished by a lined nose, eyes, and lips popularly referred to as a ‘make-up’ appearance.
Their coat which can either be short or long-haired comes in two coat patterns: Tipped and Shaded. The Tipped color pattern consists of a golden or silver color undercoat with a light dusting of color. Shaded color patterns will normally consist of a spread of color on the cat`s shoulder, back, and legs.
European Burmese
- Origin: Thailand
- Appearance: short-haired and medium-sized in chocolate, blue, lilac, brown, and soft red colors
- Lifespan: 10 to 15 years
Legend has it that the Burmese cat used to be a royal pet living in temples. The European Burmese differ from common Burmese cats due to their slim body and curved rounded eyes.
These short-haired cats are known to be affectionate and loyal and are great lap cats. They are great family pets as they get along well with other dogs and cats. Additionally, they require minimal grooming consisting of regular brushing to minimize shedding since bathing isn’t mandatory.
Tonkinese
- Origin: Thailand, Canada, United States.
- Appearance: medium brown, pale beige, blue and platinum colors in three different coat patterns: point, solid, and mink. Oval paws and blue, blue-green, gold, or green eyes.
- Lifespan: The Tonkinese has an average lifespan of 15 to 16 years.
Tonkinese is of the rare types of cats that is popular in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. it is a crossbreed of the Siamese and Burmese cat and
The point coat is referred to as the classic appearance and consists of a white or cream base, blue eyes, dark ears, face, leg, and tail. Solid coast alternatively has a uniform coat color except for faint points and gold or green eyes. Lastly, the mint coat consists of a mix of the point and solid with a lighter base color and blue-green eyes.
This domestic cat is lively and playful and can easily get bored or lonely. It has also been found to take up dog-like behaviors such as jumping and fetching.
A List of Rare Types of Cats
Here is a summary;
| Rare types of Cats | Description |
| Peterbald | A whip-like tail either bald or a straight coat in a variety of colors |
| Turkish Angora | White shimmery fur with blue, green, or amber eye colors. |
| Turkish Van | White fur coat with a colored head and tail (van pattern) |
| Chartreux | Thick silver-grey hair with orange eyes, short limbs, and a muscular body |
| Kurilian Bobtail | Red or grey fur with yellow, green, or yellow-green eyes |
| Serengeti | Black or dark brown spots on a beige or golden fur |
| Korat | Silver-blue fur coat with green eyes for adults and brown, orange, or golden-green color for the younger ones. |
| Norwegian Forest Cat | Long woolen fur coat underneath that is thicker at the legs and head |
| American Bobtail | White, black, cream, fawn colors or pattered often either with two or three color combinations. |
| Havana Brown | Warm or red-brown coat color with pink paws |
| Devon Rex | Large eyes, large rounded ears, curled whiskers, long body with short curly hair. |
| Egyptian Mau | Black, bronze, silver, blue, smoke, and caramel colors with spots on the tips of its coat. It also has green eyes which can be amber in kittens. |
| American Wirehair | A variety of colors such as white, blue, brown, cream; and patterns such as one, two, and three colors as well as a tortoiseshell pattern. |
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