Hawaii is known for its beautiful beaches with white sand to green, red, pink, and even black sand. But Hawaiian cat breeds are just as amazing as the beaches.
Hawaii is not just about surfing, beaches, cocktails, natural beauties… Well, the list is too long for me to write here so let’s focus on our topic. When I say Hawaiian cat breeds, I mean the cat breeds that are bred there and the one native cat breed that is rare and unique to Hawaii.
When I started researching about Hawaiian cat breeds, I came up on an information that really surprised me. Did you know that Hawaii Invasive Species Council declared feral cats a danger to native wildlife of Hawaii? In fact, the information on their website shows that they are right to do so. Let’s see why.
1 – Feral Cats (FELIS CATUS)
Feral cats are just your regular, non-pedigree pet cat that lives in the streets. They were first brought to Hawaii by the first Europeans to visit the islands. Cats that came as ship cats slowly invaded all 8 main islands and then became a threat to the unsuspecting native wildlife.
Since cats are natural predators, they instinctively hunt birds and insects that are unique and native to the islands, some of which are in the endangered species lists. The thing is they don’t stop hunting even if they are well-fed and according to the reports, feral cats are responsible for the extinction of 33 different species on the islands.
You didn’t expect such an innocent looking kitty to be a huge problem for the natural diversity, did you?
2 – Kohana Cat
If we think about a truly unique Hawaiian cat breed, it is Kohana cat. Although it is not a differentiated breed in itself and is the result of a natural mutation seen in Sphynx cats, it is still worth mentioning because it is not exactly the same as Sphynx cat.
Just like Sphynx cat, Kohana cat is hairless therefore it requires all the care and attention hairless cat breeds need. Kohana cat is a docile, playful and affectionate kitty that is good with children and other animals as long as it is socialized early in its life.
Intelligent, sociable and playful Kohana loves to be the center of attention and always seeks to be near its humans, especially its favourite human in the family. Due to being highly energetic, attention seeking and sociable, it doesn’t like being left alone for long hours and may develop behavioural problems if left alone for long periods of time.
3 – Persian Cat
The breeders that are registered to Cat Fanciers of Hawaii breed only 3 breeds of cats which are Persian, Maine Coon and Siamese. As one of the breeds that is bred in Hawaii, Persian deserves its place among Hawaiian cat breeds.
Persian cat is an amazing companion. It is loving, playful, good with children and other members of the family, is low-maintenance… What else can you want, right? Well… Although Persian cats have been one of the most popular cats around the world for who knows how many centuries, they have their undesirable traits.
To be honest, Persian cats are not the brightest kids on the block. They are really hard to train. You need to be very, very patient in order to be able to teach anything to a Persian cat. Sometimes it takes months for it to understand a basic command and that’s why it is considered to be among dumbest cat breeds.
4 – Siamese Cat
Unlike Persian cats, Siamese cats are intelligent and easy to train. These elegant kitties are also very protective of their families. There are even stories about King of Siam using Siamese cats as personal guard animals that never left the king alone.
This kitty is loving and social, but it tends to bond even deeper with one family member who is its favourite person in the whole world. They constantly seek attention and are very vocal, hence the nick name “meezer”. They are even counted among the most vocal cat breeds.
Siamese cats hate being left alone and often suffer anxiety due to loneliness. That’s why they are often adopted in pairs. So, if you ever adopt a Siamese cat, make sure that there is always some other animal or human in the house.
5 – Maine Coon
Maine Coon is one of the largest domestic cats in the world, but it is as docile as it gets and that’s why it has the nickname “gentle giant”. It is a loving, intelligent, playful cat that can get along with anybody from other pets to children however it can be a little cautious towards strangers.
As one of the Hawaiian cat breeds, Maine Coon has an advantage: its coat is water-repellent! This serves it well since it has an unusual fascination towards water. Combined with their protective nature, this kitty can risk its life for its humans anywhere, anytime.