“For Kasia, Michelle, Natalie and Chloe” for being an inspiration for this post!
Longhair cats have been with us for several hundred years and have always been considered the elite of the cat family. Elegant, silky fur makes longhair cats seem to be perfect for showrooms, or to present themselves proudly on the sofa. Meanwhile, among the breeds of long-haired cats, we distinguish a whole range of different characters and temperaments. These longhair cats have something to be proud of. Their beautiful fur and interesting colors make it difficult to take your eyes off them!
Fur is an asset to any cat – if it has one. Let us not forget that bald cats are also great, and they do not need thick and colorful hair to prove it. However, in the article below, we will present longhair cats that can boast the lushest coat.
In general, the division of cat breeds into longhair and semi-longhair cats is purely arbitrary. This is because there is no semi-long hair gene in feline genetics. There is only the long hair gene. Some of the flies received exceptionally lush hair from nature, and it is these specimens that we want to present in our subjective ranking of the most beautiful fur.
Ragdoll – the name came from cat’s ability to relax its body in full, become completely limp, while carries, just like a “ragdoll”. These good looking, blue eyed cats are characterized by their elegance and gentle nature. Ragdolls are large, well-built, long, and strong cats supported by strong, muscular medium-length legs and topped off with long, thick, crested tails. Their heads are triangular but have rounded edges and their noses are slightly sunken. They have medium sized ears, which are broad at the base and rounded at the tip. Their eyes are large and oval-shaped and are slightly slanted. They are very affectionate cats, who love to spend hours on their owner’s laps. My close friend Kasia has one of them, her name is Chloe, and believe me she is the most adorable, lovable and friendly furry, four-legged creature. And remember, Im not a cat person.
Persian – Of all the breeds of long-haired cats, the Persian is undoubtedly the best known and the most popular. Associated with high society, both in appearance and attitude, this little cloud of fur has been a favorite of the young and old since the breed’s creation, some 300 years ago. The breed, completely artificial and controlled by the breeders, in order to obtain the today’s characteristics. The Persian, therefore, needs humans to survive as a breed, but also on an individual level, due to the special level of care and attention they require daily. Cobby type, they are stocky and large, with strong bones and a powerful musculature. Their coat is the longest of all long-haired cats, up to 8 inches long! It is long all over the body, with a collar that continues to the belly and a thick undercoat, giving volume to the fine and silky hair. The eyes are round, exceptionally large, set apart, intense and bright in their color.
Maine coon – Maine Coons are giants among domestic cats. They are truly enormous, tall, and strong. They resemble a Lynx due to their dense coat and the brushes at the tips of their ears. Despite having unidentified origins, they are considered by many to be the first American cat breed. Always lively and sweet, they are unbelievable companions and are affectionately nicknamed Big Friendly Giants by families who own these enormous teddy bears! Maine Coons are one of the biggest breeds of cat. They are massive, powerful and muscular. Their fur is dense and lustrous. To be honest, the body shape of this breed is spectacular. They have absolutely no equal!
Siberian – This large Russian breed adapted to the harsh climates of southern Siberia (gave them their name). Their fur is much thicker in winter than in summer. If you love large cats with mid-length hair, this is the breed for you! Siberians are large cats with muscular physiques and dense skeletons which make them rather heavy! Owners often lovingly refer to them as barrel shaped.
Birman – searching through their origin, it appears that the Burmese is a truly French cat. Their mid-length and silky fur have an amazing quality of not getting tangled. These cats like to spend their time being cuddled by their owner, whom they follow like a shadow. They are very sociable and get along well with humans and animals of all ages… Birman are a medium-sized cats with broad bodies. They have a strong bone structure, round heads and ears that are as wide as they are long. Their mid-length fur is silky and whatever their coat color, their legs are tipped with white “socks” that cover their big round paws.
Ragamuffin – These cats have absolutely nothing to do with their name! They are a magnificent and elegant breed and are surprisingly large and imposing despite their sophisticated figure. They are descended from Ragdolls, and still have the same sweetness, calmness and tenderness as their ancestors. Just like them, Ragamuffins are tall, strong and muscular. They are known for their broadheads, short noses and rounded ears. They have rectangular bodies and long bushy tails. They sometimes have a fur collar, which just adds to the elegance of these cats.
Turkish angora – The origins of this cat with mid-length fur date back more than 2000 years in East Asia. Their graceful posture and misty fur even charmed the French monarchy at the time of the sun king. Lively, curious and mischievous, they also enjoy moments of tenderness with members of the family. The Turkish Angora has a rather strong character; they know what they like and dislike, and anyone who goes against the will of Turkish Angora, beware! The Turkish Angora is an average sized cat with a slim and athletic build, with quite large ears, both wide and tall. It has a long, slender and muscular body. Silky and fine, its mid-length fur has little undercoat. Its hairs are longer around the collar, chest, stomach and tail. Its slender legs are slightly longer at the back. Its eyes are almond shaped or sometimes round.
Himalayan – Is a type of cat from a Persian family. Their mixture of Persian and Siamese genes merges into a cat that is sweet and affectionate, but also sociable and playful. Their physique is identical to the Persian’s. Medium in size, these are round, robust cats with short legs. They have a strong bone structure and powerful musculature. Their head is broad and round, with little ears on top. sport a beautiful, generous collar. Their tail is short and straight, and their paws are round and big.
York chocolate – This breed gets its name from the state it hails from, New York, with the” chocolate “part being added on the end, due to its sugar sweet brown coloring. The first York Chocolate kitten were born naturally, among a litter of domestic cats whose parents were both long-haired, and neither of which had brown or chocolate fur! York Chocolates are quite big with a lovely round head, reminiscent of domestic ancestors. Their well-defined, muscular body radiates elegance, and their coat is a beautiful color, made up of different lengths of fur.
Nebelung – The Nebelung is a close relation to the Russian Blue, with whom they share their Russian origins as well as their magnificent blue coloring and silvery shimmer. Their fur is mid-length and silky and does not tangle. This elegant and affectionate cat deeply appreciates the company of humans. Despite loving family life, they prefer calmness. The contours of the face look closely like the Russian Blue. Their gray nose overhangs the famous smile typical of this breed, caused by the corners of their mouth which go up slightly. Dark lilac pads complete their long legs. The tail is medium in size but fluffy and thick at the base.
Balinese – is a long-haired breed of domestic cat with Siamese-style point fur pattern and sapphire-blue eyes. The Balinese is also known as the purebred long-haired Siamese, since it originated as a natural mutation of that breed and consequently is essentially the same cat with a medium-length silky coat and a distinctively plumed tail. In the American standard, color variants developed from the Color point Shorthair are further considered a separate breed, known as the Javanese. There is no connection between these cats and the Indonesian islands of Bali and Java, from which they derive their names. Like their Siamese ancestors, Balinese are sociable, vocal, playful and inquisitive, and an intelligent breed.
Chantilly-Tiffany – The Tiffany, a rare breed originating from the UK, is the long-haired version of the English Burmese and the Asian. These cats have a mid-length coat and are blessed with a certain elegance, marrying the calm and serene character of the Persian with the vitality of the Burmese. Medium in size, they have a heavy body with a strong frame, ending with a tail that is thick at the base and quite furry. Their legs are thin, with the back legs being higher than the front ones. Their fur holds to their body and is longer at the collar, belly, breeches and tail. The head is shaped like a short triangle. Their eyes are large and well-spaced, and their ears are medium-sized, broad at the base and rounded at the ends.
Norwegian Forrest cat – “Norsk Skogkatt” literally translate “northern forest cat”. Shaped by the cold and harsh climate of Scandinavia. This rustic and robust breed is fully “natural”. Longer and taller than the average domestic cat, the Skogkatt is robust, with a well-developed muscle and bone structure. The fur of this breed is, without question, its main characteristic. Double, it consists of a woolly and dense undercoat and a smooth, shiny and waterproof coat. Shorter on the shoulders, it goes down and along the flanks. The collar consists of longer fur. A pretty undercoat and hair in the ears and under the legs provide extra protection against the cold. In summer, the fur will adapt to milder temperatures by becoming shorter, even at the collar, and much less dense.
British longhair – Just like their short-haired cousin, British Longhairs are recognizable by their round and cuddly look. No matter which is the color of their coat, they are dignified and elegant. But the most recognizable, is the blue variety, and this one exactly that put this breed on the map! They are a quiet force… with plenty of charm! The British Longhair is heavy, strong and solid. Their head is spherical with small ears, spaced-out eyes and a short, un-squished nose. Their body is round and stocky, giving them the snuggly appearance of a teddy bear. The density of their coat is characteristic to the breed. Although they come in a wide variety of colors, blue is one that they wear best!
Chinchilla Persian – Their unique coat, gave this breed the same name as the Chinchilla. This is one of the most popular varieties of Persians, how could anyone resist their sparkling emerald green eyes? They will make you fall in with their fine and silky fur, with silver or gold highlights. Chinchilla Persian quite closely resembles the typical Persian, only with a few differences: they are smaller, the nose is less flat, the head is narrower and ears longer. Their robust body is average in size, with rather short legs. The Silver Persian is affectionate towards their owners but they also like time to themselves. Cuddling all day might not be this cat’s favorite thing but every individual is different. The Chinchilla Persian can be playful, but they are typically quite lazy.
Cymric – is basically a long-haired Manx. They share all the same physical and genetic characteristics, except for their coats. The Cymric is a little round ball – from the shape of their eyes to the arch of their backs, their rounded heads, and obviously emphasized by their lack of a tail – every single part of their body. Their back legs are also considerably longer than their front ones, which gives them an excellent jumping ability. Their fur is composed of a dense undercoat and a mid-length outer coat.
Highland Fold – The Scottish and Highland breeds both originate from Scotland. The Highland is simply a long-haired Scottish with ears that either fold-forward or are straight. The Highland is medium sized with a rather round body. Its renown for being easy-going, both with humans and other animals. Semi-cobby, this cat has a solid bone structure and a powerful musculature. The fur is dense, silky and forms a collar around the neck. The head is round, with accentuated cheeks, highlighting the impression of roundness. All colors of coat are allowed but the color of the eyes must match that of the coat. The Highland is kind and if they are given enough time to play, they adapt well to all kinds of lifestyles.
Selkirk Rex – The Selkirk Rex is a distinct breed from the Devon Rex and Cornish Rex, as their curls are not genetically identical, like in the case of the other two breeds. Also, they have significantly more hair than those two colleagues. Their coat is more reminiscent of that of a sheep, thanks to the shape of their curls. Consequently, it is unsurprising that they gained the nickname “Sheep Cat”! Selkirk Rex have the curliest hair of all existing cats. Their round heads and short noses highlight their big round eyes, that are set well apart from each other. Their fur is dense (particularly the Longhair), and their body is broad and muscular.
American curl – The American Curl is US breed, which gets its name because its ears naturally curl towards the back of its head. It is exceedingly rare occasion, when it possible to trace the beginnings of a breed back to just one animal. The breed began in California in 1981 at the home of Joe and Grace Ruga. When the stray cat with funny looking, curled ears, showed up one day. They named the cat Shulamith, and the rest its history. From 1983, Shulamith and her curly-eared kittens had captured the mind of cat enthusiasts across the country.
Domestic long hair – (Long-Haired, Long Hair) is simply a cat that is not purebred and has a family tree that cannot be traced. Avery special kitty in history by helping control the rat population during the plagues. Eventually, these beautiful cats made their way to the United States, finding their way over with the Pilgrims. Some of these cats later became the foundation for pure breeds like the American Shorthair. The colors range in every shade and patterns are varied such as solid, tabby and patched tabby. They even have varied body shapes and expressions. Basically, the only thing that ties them together in common is the long, luxurious hair.
LaPerm – This American breed is a curly-coated cat. The breed begins spontaneously by natural mutation when a kitty was born with a curly-haired characteristics. This breed is not extremally common in Europe. This curly-haired cat has a rather triangular head and ears with curly hair inside. They have a particularly soft coat with quite a thick undercoat, varying depending on fur length.
Somali – A Somali is essentially a long-haired Abyssinian. Both breeds share the same characteristics, with an exception for hair length. Of regal appearance, this cat’s head is a well-proportioned, rounded triangle, trimmed with a delicate collar. Their large rounded almond eyes shine with intelligence. Average in size, the body is muscular but slender. They are thought to be heavier than they really are, because of the longer hair on their sides and rear end. Very feline in their posture, a Somali always seems to tiptoe as if ready to pounce. Finally, a graceful tail completes the portrait of this elegant and refined cat.
Turkish Vankedisi – Their unique and unspoiled white coat is only marked with colors on the head and tail and varies in length in winter and in summer. Water-resistant and dense, it allows them to withstand the harsh weather and harsh climates of the mountainous regions of Turkey, from where they originated. Despite their elegance and grace, this cat is more of an adventurer of backyards than of living rooms. Medium to large, the Turkish Van has a long silhouette, a powerful body with a broad chest, the breed is well muscled with an average bone structure. The legs, average in length, are well muscled and end with rounded feet that have tufts of hair in between the toes. The tail is of average length compared to the body and carried in plume. The ears are medium to large, eyes, big and expressive, are in the shape of peach stones and slightly tilted.
Oriental longhair – The Oriental Longhair is a breed of domestic cat. It is closely related to the Oriental Shorthair. With no globally recognized naming convention, other cat fancy may refer to this type as Foreign Longhair or Mandarin. It was formerly known as the British Angora before being renamed in 2002 by British cat enthusiasts in order to avoid confusion with the Turkish Angora.
