What Breed of Cat Does Your Cat Look Like?

Answer a few (well, more than a few!) questions and maybe you'll find out. Head on over to my Disclaimers page if you want to enjoy more of my blathering on, or go to my Donations page if you feel inclined to donate monetarily to my questionnaire-writing habit.

Without further ado, answer the following questions about your cat:

What shape best describes your cat's eyes?
Round.
Oval or almond-shaped.
Continuing with the nut theme, walnut-shaped. This is a walnut in its shell, so it is like a fat almond.
More about your cat's eyes. Check any of the following, if they describe your cat.
Their eyes are large, comparatively (compared to an average cat's eyes and to the size of their head).
Their eyes are wide set on their face.
Their eyes are slanted (set at an angle on their face, instead of horizontal or close to horizontal on their face.
Take a look at your cat's profile, from the side. How would you describe their nose?
Roman. In other words, medium to long with a slight arch.
Long and straight.
Short to medium length and either straight or with a very slight downward curve.
Short or medium length with a noticeable, moderate dip or downward curve -- this is called a stop.
Short to medium with a distinct dip or stop, also called a break. Their nose is approaching (or actually has) an L shape.
A small, short snub or an extreme snub (their nose is flat against their face).
Look at your cat's face, from the front. Check any of the following, if they describe your cat's cheeks.
My cat's cheeks are full. In other words, the lower part of their face, behind their muzzle (the mouth-containing front part) exists, making the lower half of their face more rounded (and less angled) than other cats.
My cat has Meryl Streep's cheekbones: wide, prominent and/or high -- where is her Oscar?
On the very front of their face, your cat's muzzle is under their nose and includes their mouth and jaw. Check any of the following, if they describe your cat's muzzle.
Round or rounded when viewed from the front.
Square or rectangular, when viewed from the front.
Broad, compared to their face.
Their whisker pads (the fleshy bumps surrounding the bases of their whiskers) are pronounced and noticeable.
They have whisker pads but no whiskers.
Their whiskers are curly.
Their whiskers are brittle and break off easily.
From the front, their lips appear to curve up into a pronounced smile shape.
Look long and hard at your kitty's head and face. Compared to your cat's body, how would you describe its head size?
Small.
Proportional: neither small nor large.
Big.
Now focus on the shape of your kitty's head and face. For this question, look at your cat's head and face from the side. Which one of these shapes most accurately describes your cat's head, including its face?
Round or rounded. Yes, their nose is pointing out from the circle, but overall, the shape is rounded.
Triangular or wedge-shaped. Their nose and muzzle point out much further from their head. The overall shape is closer to a triangle than to a circle.
Round at the back, with a flat face.
A couple more questions about the shape of their head and face.
From the front, gazing into their eyes, does their face form a near-perfect V with their chin at the point, and straight lines starting at the chin, outlining their cheeks and face and providing the outer edge of their ears? These are straight lines. Check this box if yes, the lower outline of your kitty's face forms a near-perfect letter V.
Most cats don't have big, Jay Leno-ish chins. Your cat's chin may not be that big, but it is what they call in the cat world "full and developed:" a noticeable chin.
How much neck does your kitty have?
A long neck.
No neck or a very short neck.
A proportional, average neck.
How big are your cat's ears, compared to the size of their head?
Large to gigantic.
Perfectly proportional.
Small.
More about your cat's ears. Check any of the following characteristics, if they apply to your cat.
Long or long-ish tufts of fur are growing out of the insides of their ears.
The outsides have very little fur on them.
No fur grows on the outside of their ears.
Their ears are tipped forward (instead of straight upright).
Their ears are turned outward (in their natural resting position).
Their ears are curved backwards in a Frito-like shape, almost like they are inside-out.
Their ears are curved forwards in a semi-floppy shape.
Their ears are set very high on their head.
Their ears are set very low on their head.
The tips of their ears are pointed.
Which one of these description best matches your cat's body shape?
Lean, slender, fine-boned.
Medium shaped: neither skinny/lean or compact/stocky. Proportionally average.
Stocky, compact, solid, heavy boned. (Note that I am not talking about your cat's weight. If your cat was an appropriate weight, would they still have a heavy, compact body type?)
More about your cat's body. Check any of the following characteristics, if they apply to your cat.
My cat has a loose flap of skin connecting their body to their hind legs.
My cat's back has a naturally arched shape, even when relaxed.
Which of the following best describes your cat's legs, as compared to the cat's overall size?
Long.
Medium, proportional.
Short.
How big are their paws, either compared to the cat's overall size or in general? (So if you have a 20 lb. cat, he probably has proportional, but also big, paws).
Big.
Medium and/or proportional.
Small.
What about the shape of their paws?
My cat's paws are round.
My cat's paws are oval.
More about your cat's legs and paws. Check any of the following characteristics, if they apply to your cat.
My cat's hind legs are noticeably longer than their front legs.
My cat has extra toes. (Most cats have five toes on their front paws and four toes on their back paws.) Extra toes are called polydactyly or polydactylism and it is fairly common.
The fur on my cat's feet is white, contrasting with the rest of his fur. He looks like he is wearing white socks.
Choose the best description of your cat's tail from the following:
Short compared to their body.
Medium, proportional.
Long compared to their body.
No tail, or just a bump or stump (and they were born that way).
Short and curved, ending in a pom pom of fur.
Choose the best description of the thickness of your cat's tail from the following:
Thin or slender.
Medium, proportional.
Thick.
My cat's tail is immense and bushy. I can't tell if it is thick or thin under all that fur.
Check any of the following characteristics, if they apply to your cat's tail.
My cat's tail tapers (wider at the base, becoming thinner and thinner towards the tip).
My cat's tail is brushlike; furry, but the fur hangs straight down from the tail.
My cat's tail is lowset (most cat's tails are set up at the height of their back).
The fur at the end of my cat's tail is the darkest spot on their body.
How long is your cat's fur?
My cat has no fur or just a little bit of fuzz.
Short.
Medium length.
Long.
How would you describe the thickness of your cat's fur?
My cat's fur is thin and sleek, and lies close to their body.
My cat's fur is neither thin nor thick -- it is sort of medium thickness.
My cat's fur is dense and thick and stands out away from their body; it feels like they are wearing a padded suit.
What about their undercoat?
My cat has a double (or even a triple!) coat: a shorter wooly fur layer grows under the longer layer of silkier guard hairs in the top layer.
My cat has only one layer of fur and no wooly undercoat, as far as I can tell.
More about your cat's fur. Check any of the following characteristics, if they apply to your cat.
My cat's fur is exceptionally silky.
My cat has a thick ruff of fur around their neck.
My cat's fur is wavy or even curly all over, or just in a few areas.
My cat's fur could be described as shaggy.
My cat's fur mats very easily.
From the following choices, pick the one that best describes your cat's fur color.
My cat's fur is 100% black -- all over their entire body.
My cat's fur is 100% gray -- all over their entire body.
My cat is spotted: small or large dots or leopard spots.
My cat's fur is "pointed:" they are a lighter color over most of their body, with a darker color on their tail, feet, nose, and ears.
None of these describe my cat.

Side note: At this point, you're probably wondering why I am not asking a million more questions about the color(s) of your cat's fur. And here is the reason: cat fur is incredibly variable, and usually doesn't point to a specific breed. Here is a great article about cat colors if you're interested: "Anything But Ordinary" by Arna Cohen, from AllAnimals (Humane Society magazine) November/December 2012.

How much does your cat weigh? If they are overweight, estimate what their healthy adult weight would be.
4 - 9 lbs.
10 - 14 lbs.
15 - 20 lbs.
On to your cat's personality. Check any of the following characteristics, if they apply to your cat.
My cat is sociable: he or she likes and enjoys the company of other cats and/or people.
My cat is intelligent.
My cat is high energy (as an adult).
My cat is affectionate.
My cat is doglike (can learn tricks, likes to ride in the car, follows me around the house).
My cat is tolerant (likes the company of cat friendly dogs or children).
My cat is a lap cat.
My cat is undemanding.
My cat is demanding (of attention).
My cat is quiet a meower -- very chatty.
My cat goes completely limp and relaxed when he is picked up.
Whether your cat meows a lot or a little how loud is their voice?
Loud.
Quiet.
Neither quiet nor loud.
A few questions about their behavior. Check any of the following, if they describe your cat.
My cat was easily trained to walk on a leash.
My cat likes to sit or ride on their human's shoulder.
My cat often stands with one front leg raised.
A few questions about their health. Check any of the following, if your cat has any of the following health issues :(.
A bleeding disorder (excessive bleeding after trauma/injury).
Breathing problems.
Devon Rex myopathy (muscle weakness, abnormal gait, problems swallowing).
Glycogenosis (inability to metabolize glucose properly, leading to muscle weakness and heart failure).
Hypokalemic polymyopathy (muscle weakness with kidney failure, stiff gait, head tremors).
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (thickening of heart muscle resulting in heart failure).
Lysosomal storage disease (enzyme deficiencies that affect many body systems).
Manx syndrom (spine is too short, leading to spinal cord damage and bladder, bowels, digestion problems).
Osteochondrodysplasia (painful degenerative joint disorder leading to fusion of tail, ankle and knee bones).
Polycystic kidney disease (fluid in kidneys leading to kidney failure) , tear duct problems.
Primary seborrhea (flaky or greasy skin/hair).
Pyruvate kinase deficiency (red blood cell issues leading to anemia).
Progressive retinal atrophy (degeneration of rods and cones in retinas, leading to early blindness).
Spinal muscular atrophy (progressive muscle weakness, starting in hind limbs).
Tear duct problems.




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