The Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) was established in the United States in 1906. The CFA is currently the world's largest registry of pedigreed cats. Originally headquartered in

Manasquan, New Jersey Manasquan (, ) is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in southern Monmouth County, New Jersey, Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, on the Jersey Shore. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 5,938, an increa ...

, the CFA moved to

Alliance, Ohio Alliance is a city in Stark County, Ohio, United States. The population was 21,672 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It was established in 1854 by the merger of three smaller communities and was a manufacturing and railroad hub in t ...

in 2010. The association's stated mission is preserving and promoting pedigreed breeds of cats while also enhancing the well-being of all cats. CFA's first licensed cat shows were held in Buffalo, New York and Detroit, Michigan in 1906. The association today has a known presence in Europe, China, and Japan along with its well-established activity in the United States and Canada. In 2022, CFA recognized 42 breeds for its Championship Class and three in its non-competitive classes (the Khao Manee, Lykoi, and Toybob). The current president of the CFA is Richard Mastin.

List of CFA-recognized pedigreed cats

By alphabetical order according to breed division: * A -

Abyssinian cat The Abyssinian is a breed of cat with a distinctive "ticked" tabby coat, in which individual hairs are banded with different colours. They are also known simply as Abys. The first members of the breed to be exhibited in England were brought t ...

- American Bobtail -

American Curl The American Curl is a cat characterised by its unusual ears, which curl back from the face toward the center of the back of the skull. The breed originated in Lakewood, California, due to a spontaneous mutation. History The first American Curl ...

American Shorthair The American Shorthair (ASH) is a breed of domestic cat believed to be descended from European cats brought to North America by early settlers to protect valuable cargo from mice and rats. According to the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA), it w ...

American Wirehair The American Wirehair is a breed of domestic cat originating in upstate New York, which is characterized by its wiry fur and crinkly whiskers caused by a genetic mutation. , though the breed is well-known, it is ranked as the rarest of the 41 Cat ...

* B - Balinese (including Javanese) -

Bengal Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...

Birman The Birman, also called the "Sacred Cat of Burma", is a domestic cat breed. The Birman is a long-haired, colour-pointed cat distinguished by a silky coat, deep blue eyes, and contrasting white "gloves" on each paw. The breed name is derive ...

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

British Shorthair The British Shorthair is the Purebred, pedigree version of the traditional British Domestic cat (landrace), domestic cat, with a distinctively stocky body, thick Fur, coat, and broad face. The most familiar colour variant is the "British Blue", wi ...

- Burmese - Burmilla * C - Chartreux -

Colorpoint Shorthair The Colorpoint Shorthair or Colourpoint Shorthair is a variety of Siamese cat. The only major registries to recognise them are the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) and the World Cat Federation (WCF). This breed was established from breeding A ...

Cornish Rex The Cornish Rex is a cat breed, breed of domestic cat. The Cornish Rex only has down hair. Most breeds of cat have three different types of hair in their coats: the outer fur or "guard hairs", a middle layer called the "awn hair"; and the down ha ...

* D -

Devon Rex The Devon Rex is a tall-eared, short-haired breed of cat that emerged in England during the late 1950s. The breed is known for its atypical appearance, with an oddly shaped head, large eyes, and the short and wavy coat. History Origin Beryl Co ...

* E -

Egyptian Mau The Egyptian Mau is a small to medium-sized, short to medium-haired List of cat breeds, cat breed. They are one of the few naturally spotted breeds of domesticated cat. The spots of the Mau occur on only the tips of the hairs of its coat. It is co ...

- European Burmese - Exotic * H - Havana Brown * J -

Japanese Bobtail The is a breed of domestic cat with an unusual bobtail more closely resembling the tail of a rabbit than that of other cats. The breed was first developed in Japan, and registered officially in the 1960s. The breed has been known in Japan for c ...

* K - Khao Manee -

Korat The Korat cat (, ) is a silver-tipped blue-grey, short-haired Cat breed, breed of Cat, domestic cat with a small to medium build and a low percentage of Adipose tissue, body fat. Its body is semi-cobby, and unusually heavy for its size. It is an ...

* L - LaPerm - Lykoi * M - Maine Coon - Manx * N - Norwegian Forest Cat * O - Ocicat -

Oriental The Orient is a term referring to the East in relation to Europe, traditionally comprising anything belonging to the Eastern world. It is the antonym of the term ''Occident'', which refers to the Western world. In English, it is largely a meto ...

* P - Persian (including Himalayan) * R -

Ragamuffin Ragamuffin or Raggamuffin is a euphemism for a child of the street. The term may also refer to: Film * '' The Ragamuffin'', a 1916 American silent film by William C. deMille * ''Ragamuffin'', a 2014 film directed by David Schultz about Rich Mul ...

Ragdoll The Ragdoll is a List of cat breeds, breed of cat with a distinct Point coloration, colorpoint coat and blue eyes. Its Morphology (biology), morphology is large and weighty, and it has a semi-long and silky soft coat. American breeder Ann Baker ...

Russian Blue The Russian Blue cat (), commonly referred to as just Russian Blue, is a pedigreed cat breed with solid blue colours that vary from a light shimmering silver to a darker, slate grey. The short, dense coat, which stands out from the body, has b ...

* S -

Scottish Fold The Scottish Fold is a distinctive List of cat breeds, breed of Cat, domestic cat characterised by a natural Dominance (genetics), dominant gene mutation associated with osteochondrodysplasia. This genetic anomaly affects cartilage throughout t ...

- Selkirk Rex - Siamese -

Siberian Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states si ...

- Singapura - Somali - Sphynx * T - Toybob - Tonkinese -

Turkish Angora The Turkish Angora (, 'Ankara cat') is a breed of domestic cat. Turkish Angoras are one of the ancient, natural breeds of cat, having originated in central Anatolia ( Ankara Province in modern-day Turkey). The breed has been documented as ear ...

Turkish Van The Turkish Van is a semi-long-haired, standardised breed of domestic cat, which was developed in the United Kingdom from a selection of cats obtained from various cities of modern Turkey, especially southeast Turkey. The breed is rare, This s ...

Services

The CFA offers a number of services to catteries,

purebred Purebreds are cultivars of an animal species achieved through the process of selective breeding. When the lineage of a purebred animal is recorded, that animal is said to be pedigreed. Purebreds breed true-to-type, which means the progeny of l ...

feline owners, and the general public. One service the CFA offers is certified pedigree lists for registered cats. Registered cat pedigrees going back from three to six generations are available.

Catteries

Breeding catteries register their cattery name following the CFA naming standards. Certificates are awarded to Catteries of Excellence that meet strict health codes for the cats and their environment. As of this writing, 40 catteries meet these requirements. Riversiderags is the only Ragdoll cattery at present to make this award from both TICA and CFA. PaJean Cattery, an iconic cattery devoted to Persian cats, has produced the most long-haired Grand Champions in the world and the most Cat of the Year honors. The cattery was founded by Pamela Bassett and her mother, the late Jean Bassett.

Other activities

CFA recognizes 42 pedigreed breeds for showing in the Championship Class and three breeds as Miscellaneous (this became effective with the 2016–17 show season). Since 1994, the CFA has hosted the CFA International Cat Show, described as the "

Rolls-Royce Rolls-Royce (always hyphenated) may refer to: * Rolls-Royce Limited, a British manufacturer of cars and later aero engines, founded in 1906, now defunct Automobiles * Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the current car manufacturing company incorporated in ...

of cat shows", the largest of its kind in the U.S.. Despite being cancelled in 2007 and 2010, the CFA International made a comeback in 2011 as the CFA World Show in Indianapolis, Indiana and has boasted renewed entries and interest since its re-branding and the acquisition of corporate sponsorships. In 2015, the show's name was restored to the CFA International Cat Show. Other activities of the CFA include setting breed standards and offering breeding guidelines, training show judges, promoting and inspecting catteries, supporting and publicizing research on cat health issues, influencing legislative issues, providing disaster relief and breed rescue programs, publishing books and magazines and informing the general public on topics relating to cats.

Description of CFA cat shows and titles

While no two shows are identical, CFA cat shows follow certain procedures and guidelines: A CFA cat show actually consists of a number of simultaneous cat shows running at the same time within the same place. Depending on the size of the show, there are anywhere from 4 to 12 "rings" (or miniature shows) which generally run 1 to 2 days in length. Each "ring" has its own judge who independently scores cats and awards the top 10 places (or top 15 depending on the size of the show). Rings are of two kinds: * "All Breed" rings allow cats of every breed approved by the CFA to be judged...from Sphynx to Persian and everything in between. * "Specialty" rings separate out cats into one of two types: the "Longhair" category include cats like Persians, Maine Coons, and other long-haired cats, while the "Shorthair" include Burmese, Sphynx, American Shorthair and other short-haired cats. Points are awarded to cats based on percentages of the number of cats "beaten" in the ring, determined according to their placement in the final (for national/regional points) or out of the number of champions/premiers in show (for grand points). * At the end of each show season, the top 25 cats in the organization with the most points for the show season are awarded the coveted title of "National Winner" (NW). * Cats in the top 25 of their "region" are awarded the prestigious title of "Regional Winner" (RW). There are nine regions in the CFA, with regions 1-7 consisting of various American states and Canadian provinces, divided by geography and relative population, while regions 8 and 9 consist of the entirety of Japan and Europe, respectively. All other countries (including China) compete under the International Division. * Adult cats who are not neutered and achieve a point ranking of over 200 points are awarded the title of "Grand Champion". * Neutered cats can be shown in a class called "Premier" and achieve the title of "Grand Premier". * Cats which meet the standards of the breed as confirmed by six judges at one show are awarded a "winners ribbon" by each judge and are awarded the lowest title of "Champion". * Kittens from the age of 4 to 8 months compete in a separate "Kitten" class, and are also able to achieve the title of "National Winner" and "Regional Winner", but can not become Grand Champions or Grand Premiers until reaching adulthood at 8 months of age. * Adult cats being shown at a show with no existing title are referred to as "Open", although they are still eligible to compete for grand points.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Cat registries Organizations established in 1906 Organizations based in Akron, Ohio Cats in the United States 1906 establishments in the United States Clubs and societies in the United States