CFA registration stats 2012

[missymotus]

The CFA Central Office has released registration statistics for calendar year 2012. Of CFA's 42 recognized breeds, three breeds account for 58% of all registrations: Persian continue as the top breed (30%) followed by Exotic (16%) and Maine Coon Cat (12%).

RANK	BREED		RANK	BREED
1	Persian		22	Japanese Bobtail
2	Exotic		23	Selkirk Rex
3	Maine Coon Cat		24	Turkish Angora
4	Ragdoll		25	Singapura
5	Abyssinian		26	Chartreux
6	Sphynx		27	Manx
7	American Shorthair		28	Balinese
8	British Shorthair		29	Colorpoint Shorthair
9	Siamese		30	European Burmese
10	Devon Rex		31	RagaMuffin
11	Oriental		32	Somali
12	Cornish Rex		33	American Curl
13	Norwegian Forest Cat		34	Havana Brown
14	Scottish Fold		35	Bombay
15	Birman		36	Korat
16	Tonkinese		37	Burmilla
17	Burmese		38	American Bobtail
18	Siberian		39	LaPerm
19	Russian Blue		40	American Wirehair
20	Ocicat		41	Turkish Van
21	Egyptian Mau		42	Chinese Li Hua

Given the 2nd and 3rd ranking is at just 16% & 12% it really shows how unlikely it is to have a domestic that would be a breed or even a mix breed. Especially ones like Turkish Van who are way down at #41.

 

[mani]

Since registered breeders don't allow entire kittens to be rehomed as pets, that narrows the field even more.  I can see where you're coming from missymotus...

 

[Willowy]

I'm surprised Siamese aren't higher on the list.

And now I have to go look up Chinese Li Hua! Never heard of that one.

 

[jcat]

I'm surprised Siamese aren't higher on the list.

And now I have to go look up Chinese Li Hua! Never heard of that one.

I'd never heard of them, either, and would probably just assume "brown tabby" if I saw one: Chinese Li Hua
Siamese have changed so much over the decades that I wonder whether the new breed standards have decreased their popularity? I've always preferred the old-style ones with rounder heads (which TICA calls Thai).

 

[orientalslave]

Thanks, can you post a link to the original with the percentages on?  And are those world-wide figures or from a particular country or continent?

The GCCF haven't publised 2012 figures yet, but in their 2011 figures British Shorthair were way out in from (over 20% of all registrations) and out of over 23,000 cats registered 10 breeds had more than 1,000 cats registered and accounted (I roughly calculated) for about 80% of all registrations.

http://www.gccfcats.org/pdf/breedanalysis/Analysis of Breeds 2011 ordered by reg ranking.pdf

I've fed it into Excel to calculate the percentage for each breed and the cumulative figures.  The underscores are something I put in to make it easier to manipulate the data before I found (via Google) the smart way to do what I needed to do with it!  As per the CFA figures, the vast majority of pedigrees are of a small number of breeds.

Breed	No. Reg	Percent	Rank	Cum. No	Cum. %
British_Shorthair	5,091	23.88	1	5,091	23.88
Ragdoll	2,223	10.43	2	7,314	34.30
Siamese	2,181	10.23	3	9,495	44.53
Maine_Coon	1,910	8.96	4	11,405	53.49
Burmese	1,393	6.53	5	12,798	60.02
Persian	1,278	5.99	6	14,076	66.01
Birman	1,071	5.02	7	15,147	71.04
Bengal	1,000	4.69	8	16,147	75.73
Oriental_Shorthair	863	4.05	9	17,010	79.77
Norwegian_Forest	519	2.43	10	17,529	82.21
Exotic_Shorthair	512	2.40	11	18,041	84.61
Russian_Blue_Black_White	396	1.86	12	18,437	86.47
Devon_Rex	384	1.80	13	18,821	88.27
Sphynx_(with_DX)	360	1.69	14	19,181	89.95
Tonkinese	310	1.45	15	19,491	91.41
Abysssinian	270	1.27	16	19,761	92.67
Asian_inc_Tiffanie	270	1.27	17	20,031	93.94
Egyptian_Mau	196	0.92	18	20,227	94.86
Selkirk_Rex	163	0.76	19	20,390	95.62
Siberian	147	0.69	20	20,537	96.31
Somali	118	0.55	21	20,655	96.87
Ragamuffin	106	0.50	22	20,761	97.36
Ocicat	104	0.49	23	20,865	97.85
Snowshoe	101	0.47	24	20,966	98.33
Korat_inc_Thai	93	0.44	25	21,059	98.76
Balinese	90	0.42	26	21,149	99.18
Cornish_Rex	71	0.33	27	21,220	99.52
Turkish_Van_inc_Vankedisi	36	0.17	28	21,256	99.69
Oriental_Longhair	29	0.14	29	21,285	99.82
Singapura	21	0.10	30	21,306	99.92
La_Perm	14	0.07	32	21,320	99.99
Manx	2	0.01	34	21,322	100.00
Others	1	0.00	36	21,323	100.00
Total	21,323

 

[missymotus]

Will forward you the email, it only listed a percentage for the top 3. Appears to be CFA worldwide

Thanks for the GCCF stats not surprised just going by forums that the BSH and Raggies are tops over there

 

[StefanZ]

I would just joke a little and ask "where are the siamese mixes"  when I saw Colourpoint Shorthair on rank 29.

IS this a recognized breed, or is it a sort of Siamese Mixes, for example Colourpoint Russians, who got their certificate but are called there XSH ? (ie certified moggies if you want)

 

[flintmccullough]

http://www.cfa.org/documents/org/2010-registration.pdf

This-one-has-pictures,lol.

http://www.cfainc.org/client/breedColorpointShorthair.aspx

http://www.cfa.org/Client/breedChineseLiHua.aspx

To-see-all-the-breeds.

http://www.cfainc.org/client/breeds.aspx

 

[northernglow]

http://www.cfainc.org/client/breedColorpointShorthair.aspx

Umm... Aren't those just Siamese?? At least the ones in the pics look like them.

 

[orientalslave]

Read what the CFA says about them:

http://www.cfainc.org/client/breedColorpointShorthair.aspx

The Colorpoint Shorthair, like many of CFA's breeds, is a man-made breed. In the 1940s-1950s, a few adventurous breeders decided that the beautiful Siamese would look nice in red rather than just the traditional seal and blue points that were most often seen. A seal point Siamese was bred to a red tabby American Shorthair and a breed was born! CFA advanced the Colorpoints to championship status in 1964 with the red and cream points, and advanced the lynx points and tortie points in 1969. The Colorpoint Shorthair breed currently includes 16 colors, with body and head type identical to the Siamese.

In the UK they are registered as Siamese.

 

[northernglow]

Yeah, I read it right after I had posted.

 In FIFé & TICA those would be Siamese too.

 

[missymotus]

Yeah, I read it right after I had posted.

 In FIFé & TICA those would be Siamese too.

Far as I know, other associations class all point colours as Siamese not a separate breed like CFA

 

[maewkaew]

Good point, missymotus. One thing I often point out to people who seem to think it is not unlikely to find a stray Turkish Van or Singapura, or think there is a "Korat mix" in the pound, is to point out stats like this and say "Look how much less common they are than a Sphynx . And how many cats who look like Sphynx do you see running around the street or at your local shelter? " Hardly any Sphynx yet all these cats people imagine are Russian Blues and Turkish Vans and Bombays? ( I'm saying this to people in the US where Sphynx are more common than Russian Blues)

It's not that it is totally impossible to ever find a cat that is a breed or part some breed. ( Pedigreed cats do occasionally end up in shelters or lost. and and not all breeders do have pet kittens altered before placement, even in the U.S. and Canada where it is more common than most other countries. I think it may now be the majority but it's not an overwhelming majority . For example, look in the FBRL listings. )
However, with all the pedigreed cats put together making up well under 5% of cats ( I think it was about 3% of owned cats in the U.S. in some study that tried to come up with a figure ) , finding a cat that is a specific breed ( or 1/2 some specific breed) is far, far less likely than it would be with dogs ( which I think many people have as their frame of reference.)

 

[ritz]

Thanks for this list.

I've been owned by a DSH for three years (rescued from the streets).  I thought maybe she had some Siamese in her because her eyes are a little slanted!  Later then one of the first cats I saw in my feral cat colony looked blue, I knew enough to know it was NOT a Russian Blue

I plan to go to my first cat show in a month (the one near Baltimore, Maryland) so I can see all the breeds I've been reading about, like Exotics and Bengals.  And maybe pick up yet another cat toy Ritz won't play with.

Is there a do and don't rule for observers (versus breeders/participants) I should know about?  Can I (with permission of course) pick up and cuddle some cats?

Thanks.

 

[orientalslave]

You are unlikely to be let cuddle a cat, but at the shows I go to (GCCF in the UK) the proud owners are usually delighted to tell you about their cat and (sometimes!) why it was robbed!

 

[ritz]

Thanks.  I love to talk Cat, and I can pick their brains about raw feeding.

 

[maewkaew]

Ritz, You might get to cuddle some cats. It depends on the exhibitor. As you're already aware, you shouldn't touch cats without asking. Some people prefer not to have people touch their cats due to risk of spreading illness. But other people are quite OK with it. or might just ask you to use hand sanitizer first.

I've let visitors pet cats and play with cats. I have even had my cats at Meet the Breeds in NYC where cats and dogs are getting cuddled by 40,000+ visitors ( not 40,000 per each cat and each dog, LOL! ) and having their pictures taken with kids, etc.

I think that's a CFA show you're going to, so you won't see any Bengals. CFA doesn't accept any breeds that were developed from crossing wild cat species with domestics. If you want to see Bengals go to a show of The International Cat Association. I guarantee you will see some stunning Bengals in TICA. There is a show in Reading PA in March if you can get to it.

But never fear, you will almost certainly see some Exotic Shorthairs at the CFA show! If you like them, you might think American Shorthairs are very cute. That is basically like the pedigree version of the domestic shorthair . but it's been a pedigreed breed for a very very long time. Its aim i
Here is a link to CFA that tells about shows, and includes a link to print a spectator guide to help you understand what goes on. http://www.cfa.org/client/shows.aspx

One thing I would say is just keep in mind there IS a show going on, cats are competing and their people are busy having to take cats to and from rings and listen to the announcer calling the numbers, and may need to touch up their cat's grooming. So if someone you talk to seems busy or distracted, just don't take it personally! I know sometimes at a show I am trying to talk to someone and at the same time listen for my cats' numbers, and I feel bad if it might seem I am not focusing on them. But I really enjoy talking to spectators and I am sure you will find people delighted to talk about their cats and the breed.

One thing you should know not to do is to walk back behind the judges table. That area is only for judges, clerks, stewards and exhibitors. At each ring, there are usually some rows of seats in front of the table where the judge is, you shouldn't go beyond the seating area. If you are watching cats in a ring and you see a cat in one of the judging cages that you would like to see up closer, if it is during judging you can of course watch as the judge takes the cat out on the table. If it is in a final, when they are awarding the top 10, they sometimes also take the cats out then to talk about them.
Otherwise if you really want a closer look, you can wait for the exhibitor to take their cat and you can sometimes talk to them right after they leave the ring, or watch to see where they are benched and talk to them once they've got the cat back to the benching cage.

Cat shows are in my experience the best place to get cat toys! Hope you find something Ritz likes.

 

[ritz]

Thanks so much for responding.  I kind of figured you shouldn't talk to people if they seem busy; they are, after all, working (even if not for $$$$).  Thanks for the info about not going beyond the seating area; I wouldn't ordinarily, as long as it is demarcated.  I'm looking forward to being around more cat people, in a different arena, literally and figuratively.

I volunteer at a cat sanctuary (www.ruderanch.org) and see lots of DSH.  We do have one Persian (hoarder situation; FeLK +), the sweetest cat ever, and a Ragdoll was dumped on the front sidewalk (very quickly adopted out).  One or two cats had a curly ear.

When the judge takes out the cat to talk about them, is it broadcast over a loudspeaker?  When cats are being judge, is everything else shut down, i.e., vendors?

Thanks.

 

[maewkaew]

Vendors are still open during the judging. Basically at a North- American style cat show , lots of things are going on at once. Judging is going on in 5 or 6 rings, then there is the benching area with long rows of cages or pop-up pet shelters, grooming tables etc. , where exhibitors are hanging out taking care of their cats, talking to friends, etc., visitors are walking around looking at the cats and meeting people. Somewhere in benching usually a rescue group with cats for adoption. (and sometimes some of those cats are competing in the show in the Household Pets class. though showing "Household Pets" in general seems to be a bigger deal in TICA than CFA. ) Plus of course there is an area of vendors. I get all my cat toys at cat shows.

In fact in a way it's like 5 or 6 separate shows all happening because it's like each judge holds their own show in their ring, and judges all the cats and chooses his or her top cats in each color, division and breed. Later the judge holds a "Final" where they award their top 10 . Each judge goes through this for the different classes - kittens, adult whole cats and adult spayed/ neutered cats ( called Premiership). & they may also have Household Pets ( non pedigreed cats, or sometimes pedigreed cats that dont meet the standard. )
At some shows at the end they give Best of the Best.

Here's a promo video for a CFA show in San Diego that might give you some idea of things.
Unfortunately there is usually not a microphone for the judge in each ring ( though sometimes at big shows they are mic'd), so sometimes a judge with a quiet voice is hard to hear, but many of them are pretty good at projecting. or you might be able to get close.

Here is ajudge I really like. This is from a the end of a final where she is giving Best Cat to a Burmese , but she usually often comments while she judges too.
Or here is a video from another TICA show where Pam Barrett, a British Shorthair breeder, is doing a Household Pets final and basically doing a commercial for a domestic shorthair torbie who was available for adoption. (I hope she got adopted! a lot of cats do get adopted at cat shows I've been to. They always work with a rescue group or shelter.)
So those videos show the areas I was talking about that you should not go. I'm sure you can see what I mean - behind the judges table where there are just those smallish cages that are like blank inside. It often is not marked with a sign saying its off limits, but most people seem to intuitively figure that out.

Some shows have people around wearing buttons showing they are someone you can ask questions. & you can just ask exhibitors, or ask the people at the door.

 

[maewkaew]

Oh ... earlier in this thread was mentioned about the "Colorpoint Shorthair" in CFA which is the breed they created for cats that are essentially Siamese but in anything other than the 4 natural point colors ( known sort of jokingly as the "sacred four" because it's like a tenet of religious dogma to some people in CFA.)

I think someone said all the other associations just count those as Siamese which is almost true. The exception is the Canadian Cat Association/ Association Féline du Canada which follows CFA's policy of considering those cats a separate breed. so far as I know that's CFA and CCA/AFC are the only legit registries that do this.