Breeds

Cat breeds are the raison d’être of our organisation and it could be easily argued that cat fancier organisations are equally the reason that breeds exist. This is certainly true for the newer breeds. When Mother Nature has presented her rare "modifications" like the American curl and the Devon rex, the members of the fancy have seized the opportunity to bring about the diffusion of a completely new breed that would have, in all probability, been lost forever. A lot of hard work and dedication by the breeders has also preserved the older breeds like the Abyssinian and Siamese.

In the fifty-some years of the FIFe’s existence the number of recognised breeds has grown from eight breeds and thirty varieties to over thirty—with thousands of varieties—and there are still more waiting in the wings hoping to gain full recognition.

In this section you will find:

• the breeds that we recognise with a profile and photograph;
• the standards of the recognised breeds (these do not, however, replace the official publication of the FIFe Standards which contains much more information about the individual colours and patterns, as well as, faults which apply to all breeds—an essential publication for any in-depth study of the cat);
• A description and explanation of the Easy Mind System (EMS) breed codes;
• Information about the Breed Councils;
• Information about the Breed Clubs.