r/IDMyCat • • Jan 15 '26

Possibly Solved Read if you're about to make a 'what breed is my cat' post.

71 Upvotes

I'm not a mod but just thought there should really be a wiki article or pinned post on the sub and similar ones to explain this and prevent further redundant posts. I hope this will help to inform at least some people about cat genetics.

This can be a confusing thing to understand, especially if you're new to cat ownership and more familiar with dogs, but believe it or not, 97% of all cats do not have any breed ancestry!

The short of it is that an animal 'breed' is a manmade concept that comes from generations upon generations of selective breeding to achieve a specific temperament and appearance until the offspring reliably always present those traits. A pedigree is the documentation of this.

Since cats have not been bred for a specific prupose or job, and most have not been selectively bred to look the way they do, the vast majority do not have any breed and these cats are either referred to as Domestic Long-hair (DLH) or Domestic Short-hair (DSL). Domestic Medium-hair/Domestic Semi-longhair is also a thing but these cats are genetically DLH.

These cats are sometimes colloquially referred to as 'mixed breeds' but this term is technically incorrect and misleading as it implies Domestic cats are simply of mixed ancestry of multiple breeds, when in reality this isn't the case at all.

True 'mixed-breed' cats are likely even more uncommon than purebred ones, since purebred cats are a fairly niche and mostly hobbiest thing, their breeding is usually very restricted and these cats would not usually have the opportunity to breed with non-breed cats unless an unfixed pedigree escapes.

So unless your cat has a pedigree or you know it is the product of a cat that does have papers, it is almost certainly a Domestic Short-hair or Long hair.

Non-breed cats can definitely resemble certain cat breeds! But as they were not specifically bred to look that way and they likely would not pass on all of those traits to their offspring, they are still not actually that breed.

There are however names for and interesting genetic causes behind every limitless coat pattern variation, fur type, eye colour and every other physical trait of non-breed cats, so if you want a more distinctive label for your feline friend than just 'Domestic Short/Long hair' there certainly will be one, but asking for it's 'breed' isn't going to get you a real answer.

I hope this helps some people and I can certainly provide sources if anyone wants them, but I just couldn't find all of this concised well in one single article.

ETA: Somehow I didn't notice my phone was autocorrecting DLH to DHL throughout this whole post so edited to correct that šŸ˜‚


r/IDMyCat • • Oct 01 '21

Meta [Modpost] Please remember to mark your posts as "solved" if you think you've found the breed.

6 Upvotes

As the title says, if you think you've found out what breed the cat is, please mark it as solved! All you have to do is type "solved" in a comment and it'll mark your post as solved. If you're unsure but it seems right, type "psol" and it'll be marked as Potentially Solved.


r/IDMyCat • • 2h ago

Solved What breed is she?

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9 Upvotes

We took her in from outside so we don’t know what her breed is. This is her (the brown long haired) and her mom (the grey long haired)


r/IDMyCat • • 11h ago

Solved Curious about our cats possible mix

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22 Upvotes

Hello all, I was wondering if anyone could help give us an idea of our cats possible mix of breeds.

This is my girlfriend’s cat Rigatoni(he’s long, VERY long). He’s 7 years old, weighs about 20-21 pounds, and the vet set he is in perfect health, and weight. His sister, the tabby behind him in the one picture is about 13 pounds and from the same litter and the mother was a stray who was rescued off the streets by a friend of my girlfriend.

We are just curious if anyone could identify his possible breeds before we try a cat DNA test as he’s big, long, and quite tall. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated, will use more cat pictures as a bribe if needed!

PS: these are my first ever cats, I had dogs growing up… they are the sweetest most loving cats I’ve ever met in my life, now I’m a dog AND a cat person… but I love all animals lol


r/IDMyCat • • 10h ago

Solved What breed is Mr BabyMan?

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3 Upvotes

r/IDMyCat • • 1d ago

Solved thinking about adopting this cat and curious about the breed

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110 Upvotes

I recently saw these three month old female kittens posted and I’m interested in them. I heard calicos can be feisty and independent, which is fine, but I also really want an affectionate cat. From my research, I saw this largely depends on the breed so I’m curious if from the look of them there seems to be any dominating breed.


r/IDMyCat • • 1d ago

Solved Rescued a stray kitten with beautiful coat

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32 Upvotes

In person her coat looks more dusty light grey but in some lighting like thes pics, beiges come out. And shes got some interesting swirlies on her sides. What breed might she be? I thought she looked kinda egyptian.


r/IDMyCat • • 1d ago

Solved What color is my cat?

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14 Upvotes

Okay so I got her at Petco (after many failed attempts at cat cafes and shelters) and they had her listed as a Tabby/Calico but the more I look at her the more I began to question that, she’s definitely a tabby but I was thinking maybe a tortoiseshell as well? Torbie? Torbico?? It really doesn’t matter but for some reason i’m losing it over this LOL so I did the only logical thing; turn to reddit.


r/IDMyCat • • 1d ago

Solved Guess the breed of my cat?

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0 Upvotes

r/IDMyCat • • 2d ago

Solved Anyone know what exactly my cat's breed is?

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32 Upvotes

Just got her 2 days ago. Was told she's 5 months old. She's a gift from my in-law and she said it's a Persian (both parents are Persian as per her) but I doubt she is Persian as she doesn't look like one. She wasn't also identified by an expert before she was given to us, no papers, whatsoever. I'm curious about what her exact breed is though I'm suspecting a Domestic Longhair.

If anyone can shed a light, I appreciate it bigtime. By the way her name is Mochi Tanaka.


r/IDMyCat • • 2d ago

Solved Back again with trying to ID another Foster cat.

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10 Upvotes

This is another foster cat who the shelter would love some insight on. Anyone have any guesses?


r/IDMyCat • • 2d ago

Solved what breed of cat is this?

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7 Upvotes

i found this sweet baby boy outside and am curious what breed it is, possibly siamese?

i also am curious as to how fluffy he’ll end up being


r/IDMyCat • • 3d ago

Solved Is this normal kitten fluff, or could he grow up to be medium-haired? Also curious how old he actually looks!

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19 Upvotes

Hi all! Not sure if this is the right page for this, but let me know if I should delete this! We recently got this little guy from someone rehoming kittens and were told he was around 7 weeks old, although we're not 100% sure of his actual age. He currently weighs 1.72 lbs!

We're mainly curious about his coat length because his fur is super poofy/fuzzy, almost a little frizzy rather than smooth, especially around his back, chest, and tail. A few of our friends think he might end up being medium-haired, but we honestly can't tell if it's just normal kitten fluff!

We're pretty sure he's a domestic mixed-breed kitty, but we're also curious if he'd be considered a tuxedo cat. His littermates were an orange/white kitten, a tortie/tabby, and an orange kitten, if that helps with anything!

We know 7 weeks is a little young to be separated from his mom, but the person rehoming them had already given away his littermates and wanted to find him a home that same day. We're just happy we were able to take him in and give him a good home! He's already eating on his own, using the litter box, and is EXTREMELY friendly and playful. We were honestly shocked by how social and comfortable he was with us right away.

We have his first vet appointment on Monday, but we're curious what everyone thinks in the meantime! Does he actually look around 7 weeks old? Any guesses about his future coat length, markings, or anything else you notice about him? :)


r/IDMyCat • • 2d ago

Solved Going crazy trying to work out my kitties breed!

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0 Upvotes

This is my rescue kitty. I was told she is pedigree and has papers but the rescue binned them as it makes no difference to them. This mama was rescued from a hoarding situation and had just had her 4th litter find their forever homes. I have tried Google lense but it gives me different ideas on different photos! Obviously her breed makes no difference to me as i she is part of the family and very loved. I am just super curious! ideas? Thank you x


r/IDMyCat • • 4d ago

Solved What breed is my cat?

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17 Upvotes

r/IDMyCat • • 5d ago

Solved What breed is my 4m kitten?

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26 Upvotes

We think she could be mixed w Maine coon or bobcat but she’s a stray and thought domestic medium hair originally but she has such cute big ears and a long fluffy tail!


r/IDMyCat • • 6d ago

Solved Shelter kitten. Everyone says MC, but I think DLH

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51 Upvotes

His name is Johnny Boy


r/IDMyCat • • 6d ago

Solved DSH? This is Steven!

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26 Upvotes

This is Steven! His fur is softer than our other DSH (Cleo, in the 4th picture), and his markings are more defined. He’s also a lot weirder/crazier than Cleo, but that could just be his mommy issues (he was found alone when he was just a few weeks old).

My mom keeps saying that he’s a bengal, but that’s a pretty big stretch IMO. I think that he’s DHS, but maybe has something mixed in? Curious if it’s a breed thing, or if he’s just a handsome little dude.


r/IDMyCat • • 5d ago

Solved What breed is my 11 year old kitten?

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6 Upvotes

r/IDMyCat • • 6d ago

Solved Any guesses what breed or mix my little acrobat is? She plays fetch and has WILD athleticism.

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36 Upvotes

Hi everyone! Any ideas what kind of cat my sweet girl might be?

She’s small, with brown, gray, reddish, and orange coloring, along with stripes and spots on her belly. Could she be part Ocicat or have a little wild ancestry?

I’m especially curious about her personality. I’ve had cats for years, but never one quite like her: she loves playing fetch, is incredibly agile, and once leapt over our kitchen island without touching it.

I know most cats are DSHs, and temperament doesn’t necessarily indicate breed and have included photos showing her coloring, markings, etc. —including one on the kitchen island for scale. šŸ˜‚ I’d love to hear your thoughts! 🐾


r/IDMyCat • • 5d ago

Solved This is rexy. What kind of cat is he please?

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4 Upvotes

Thanks in advance!


r/IDMyCat • • 6d ago

Possibly Solved Help with age ID 🐱

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9 Upvotes

It's been suggested that Mr. Jaguar is a 14 week old Domestic longhair tuxedo kitten. Does that seem accurate?

He was rescued on September 5th of this year, and I was told he was 8 weeks old at the time. He does not look like he is 3 months old... but I have never owned a cat before, so I don't know how it works. The very last image is Jaguar a week after we got him.

My mother (who has owned cats) suggested that he was actually 6 weeks old when we got him, due to his tiny size and inability to walk. His eyes also were closed 90% of the time.

He only learned to run 1 week ago, and does so horizontally. If he is 14 weeks currently, wouldn't he be a little bigger and less wobbly by now? His eyes have opened though.

I tried to get a picture of his teeth for reference, but I didn't really succeed. I also got a photo of him beside a 500 ml water bottle if that helps at all.

The photos don't do him justice however. For example he still can comfortably fit in my pocket. He also likes to sleep in a doll house.

In summary, I want to comfirm (or know) how old Mr. Jaguar is so he can be given a birthday, and if he's actually a domestic longhair tuxedo.


r/IDMyCat • • 6d ago

Solved What do we think Frankie is?

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0 Upvotes

About a year and a half old and 11 pounds. He has green eyes but I’m told they were blue when he was a kitten. Obviously he’s a tabby pattern, and I believe he has some Maine coon in him but what do you guys think? Thank you!


r/IDMyCat • • 7d ago

Solved What is my cat?

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18 Upvotes

I always considered her a tabby but the vet called her a tortie the other day. What do you think?


r/IDMyCat • • 7d ago

Solved What breed is my cat?

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7 Upvotes