Are you looking for cat breeds that start with C because you can’t remember the name of the breed but you are sure it starts with C? Don’t worry, it is here.
The name of the breed is at the tip of your tongue and you have been fighting to remember it for the past 10 minutes because you want to remember it yourself and not with the help of the internet but you finally gave up. Well, the good thing is what you are looking for is probably in this list of cat breeds that start with C. Also, next time don’t torture yourself over these kinds of things. Just look it up 😸
In addition to the breeds below there are Celtic Shorthair (European Shorthair), Chinchilla Persian (Persian Cat) and Clipper Cat (Australian Longhair) but since their alternative names are more common and Chinchilla is just a subcategory of the Persian cat, I did not include them in this list. Also Cornish Rex, Cymric Cat, Cyprus Cat, Cheetoh and Chartreux will be added to our list of cat breeds that start with C.
1 – Chausie
First kitty in the list of cat breeds that start with C is Chausie which is a hybrid breed that is acquired by breeding a few wild Jungle cats with a huge number of domestic cats. The name Chausie comes from the Latin name of the Jungle Cat, Felis Chaus. In fact, the first hybrids of this breed was not developed by humans. It was first observed in ancient Egypt thousands of years ago as a result of natural breeding between the two breeds. However, the development of modern Chausie was not until 1990s except for a few unsuccessful attempts in 1950s and 60s.
This wild looking kitty is energetic, active and playful well into adulthood which may be the result of its wild ancestry but don’t let this fool you because it is a very affectionate cat that bonds closely with its humans which is why it is generally considered a perfect family cat.
2 – California Spangled
The only kitty that faces extinction among cat breeds that start with C is California Spangled (there is also Chantilly-Tiffany but it is considered already extinct). It was originally developed by anthropologist Louis Leakey and animal activist and Hollywood writer-playwright Paul Casey to raise awareness to Leopard poaching. The idea was if people had a Leopard-looking cat at home, it would raise awareness and discourage them from purchasing wild animal furs. California Spangled is mix of Abyssinian, Siamese, Angora, American Shorthair and British Shorthair and with such a rich genetic pool, it is generally a healthy cat.
Although it looks wild, these cats are very affectionate, gentle and sociable. You may realize that California Spangled cats spend more time with their humans than an average cat because it thrives on human attention and company. Such a human loving cat, naturally should not be left alone for long periods of time.
3 – Colorpoint Shorthair
A mixture of Siamese and American Shorthair in order to obtain different point colored Siamese style cats resulted in Colorpoint Shorthair which is recognized by the Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA) and the World Cat Federation. Other major cat organizations categorize Colorpoint Shorthair as just a different color of Siamese cat or Oriental Shorthair. The efforts to develop a Siamese-like cat breed with colors other than the traditional four Siamese colors started in 1940s and still new colors are being developed by the breeders.
These kitties are intelligent, people-friendly and playful. Often described as extroverts, Colorpoint Shorthairs are very affectionate and always hungry for human attention. Like their Siamese ancestry, Colorpoint Shorthairs are also very vocal cats that can have over 100 different vocal sounds which is a lot more than other cat breeds.
4 – Cashmere Cat
No, not the Norwegian DJ! Cashmere cat is nothing more than a longhaired Bengal cat which is why it is also called Longhaired Bengal or Cashmere Bengal. Since long hair was not a desired trait during the development of Bengal cats, Cashmere cats did not get recognition as early as the Bengals. Recognized for Championship status by TICA in 2017, Cashmere are still rare because the gene that give them their long hairs is recessive and is not easy to get as a result.
Cashmere cats have the same personality as the shorthaired Bengal cats. They are loyal, devoted to their human families, extremely intelligent, curious, confident and friendly. They can get along with almost anybody from strangers to kids and other animals in the house. They are energetic and active cats that love climbing and playing so having lots of toys and places to climb is a good idea if you don’t want your furniture destroyed during long playtimes.
5 – Chantilly-Tiffany
Named as Foreign Longhair for many years, Chantilly-Tiffany or Chantilly was first bred in 1960s. After false advertisements, a lot of confusions and the misconception of the public thinking it was a type of Burmese cat which actually was never used in the development, at some point Chantilly was nowhere to be found but thanks to the efforts of Canadian breeders who contacted the original American breeders Jennie Robinson and Sigyn Lund, it gained recognition and the lineage could be saved.
However, all these efforts seem to be in vain because the last breeder of Chantilly gave up on the breed in 2015 and the archives of the biggest Chantilly breeder was lost due to a fire in 2012 and now the purebred Chantilly is considered extinct.
