They come in all shapes and sizes, colors and patterns, and hair lengths and textures. The variety of the domestic longhair knows no bounds. Today the domestic longhair is second only to the domestic shorthair in popularity. These hardy long-haired feline immigrants moved across the country with the European settlers and established themselves in all parts of the country. These cats developed shaggy, all-weather coats and large bodies and became the ancestors of America’s own long-haired breed, the Maine coon. They arrived in the New World with the pilgrims or shortly thereafter, and their long fur helped them survive the harsh New England winters. Later, Russian longhairs were imported into England and from there, they spread to all corners of the globe. Long-haired cats were transported from Turkey to Europe in the late 1500s. The mutation may have occurred separately in Russia as well. Experts suggest that this may have occurred in a mountainous plateau in eastern Turkey, since long-haired cats have been found there for thousands of years. The mutation probably occurred spontaneously in an isolated, cold environment where a longer, insulating coat would give the cat a better chance of surviving. This mutation increased the period of hair growth so that the fur reached a longer length before entering the dormant phase. Since the species from which the domestic cat arose, Felis silvestris lybica, is a short-haired feline, somewhere along the bloodline a mutation occurred that caused the hair to grow longer. History and Origin of Domestic Longhair CatsĪlthough the first domestic cats were shorthairs, long-haired domestics have been with us for thousands of years. That means Americans own approximate 750,000 domestic longhairs. Of those approximately one in 10 is long-haired, although that can depend upon the area. These long-haired beauties deserve just as much love, quality care and respect as the finest grand champion Persian.Īccording to a new study sponsored by the Pet Food Institute, the number of pet cats in America reached a new high in the year 2000, and Americans owned more than 75 million pet cats. While the domestic longhair is not considered a breed as such, random-bred or mixed breed longhairs, with their healthy mix of genes and diverse personalities, coat types and body styles, make champion companions. Hair length and texture vary greatly as well. As colorful and diverse as their short-haired kin, these luxuriously furred cats come in every shape, size, color and pattern. The long-haired cat is one of Mother Nature’s most beautiful creations.

Long haired tabby kittens