The UK has its fair share of interesting, friendly, and diverse cat breeds that are quickly becoming popular in homes around the world. Check out the following five cat breeds to see if one of these British felines might be right for you:
The Devon Rex
The Devon Rex is a unique-looking cat that originated from a stray litter’s natural genetic mutation in the 1960s. A breeder liked the cat’s distinct look and outstanding personality and continued to develop the breed in the coming years. These cats have a soft, short, wavy coat and a broad face, with an intense stare and large, erect ears. They are affectionate, playful cats that enjoy living with families or individuals and can make great lifelong companions.
The Tiffanie
Also known as the Asian Semi-Longhair, the Tiffanie was developed in Britain and is considered distinct from the Chantilly-Tiffany, its American cousin. These beautiful cats are noble in appearance and feature a long, luxurious coat and distinctive eyes. They are social, loving animals that enjoy being housecats and can make wonderful mousers or outdoor cats.
The British Shorthair
A longstanding symbol of the British countryside, the British Shorthair is Britain’s most popular cat breed and has appeared in a wide variety of art, television shows, and films. In fact, the breed is so popular that Lewis Carroll chose to make the Cheshire cat in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland a British Shorthair. This laid-back breed enjoys hunting mice and napping in a patch of sunlight on the kitchen floor. Known for their beautiful, colorful coats, the British Shorthair makes a wonderful companion for the entire family.
The Turkish Van
Despite its name, the Turkish Van was bred in the UK. The breed’s ancient ancestors hailed from Turkey, and, thanks to their influence, these cats feature a distinctive pattern of spots and a luxurious, long coat. The Turkish Van is a talented mouser and makes a wonderful barn cat, although they can be affectionate, playful, and lively housecats as well.
The Cornish Rex
Widely known for their unique coat appearance, the Cornish Rex gets its distinct look from the breed’s lack of an outer coat. Known as the greyhound of the cat world, these cats are lively, intelligent, social, and athletic. Their distinctive, somewhat exotic appearance makes them a favorite among UK households, while their affectionate nature is helping to boost them to popularity worldwide.
The UK has a wide selection of unique, playful, intelligent, and beautiful cat breeds that are well suited to fit a variety of households. Whether you want a breed that will help control the mouse population or one that will happily nap in your lap while you work, one of the above will surely fit the bill.
Cover photo ©iStock.com/Andrey_Kuzmin
Photo of Devon Rex cat ©iStock.com/insonnia
Photo of Tiffanie cat by Suomi: Heikki Siltala (file information, hi-res) [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.
Photo of British Shorthair cat ©iStock.com/vvvita
Photo of Turkish Van cat by Effervescing Elephant (http://www.flickr.com/photos/cr01/4162856870/) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.
Photo of Cornish Rex cat ©iStock.com/Dixi_
