Encyclopedia of Cat Breeds

To us cat lovers nothing is more natural than loving our feline friends for their grace, beauty, independent personalities, and myriad other attractive qualities. The fascination of cats is hard to define—if you are a cat lover, you understand; if you are not, no amount of mere words could persuade you. Since you are reading this, I assume that you are acquainted with the charm and joy of having a feline companion. In the more than 20 years that I’ve been researching and profiling pedigreed breeds, I’ve developed a real love for these beautiful and intriguing cats. Exploring their histories, personalities, and myriad colors, patterns, and fur types have been a personal journey into the mystery and magic of the feline. In this book I’ll try to share that journey with you. The fascination with pedigreed cats is easy to understand since these beautifully colored and coated examples of the species seem to legitimize our feelings about felines. It’s natural to want others to look at our beloved kitties with as much admiration as we do ourselves. These cats, with their colorful coats, histories, and temperaments, fascinate the novice and experienced cat fancier alike. Still, the cat fancy—the common term used to describe the people involved with showing or breeding cats—has become so much more than that. For many of those involved, it’s a way of life, a community of people dedicated to breeding, showing, and loving cats.