Introduction

     Did you know there are about 50 different house cat breeds in the world! Do you want to learn why there are so many cat breeds? I hope you do because that's what I'm about to tell you! Oh wait you do! THEN COME ON let's begin the journey of finding out why there are so many cat breeds!!!!

Dog Breeds vs. Cat Breeds

     Before we get started, I have to let you in on a little secret. If you thought 50 breeds of cats was a lot, guess how many breeds of dogs there are? MORE THAN 400!! I know, it's CRAZY, right!!

    So while you're learning about cats, you're also going to be learning about dogs too, and, the reason why there are more dog breeds than cat breeds.

Traits

     Cat breeds are created differently than dogs. Dog breeds are made by a mixture of pure lineages. For example, a Goldendoodle is a very popular breed of dog that is a mix between a Golden Retriever and a Standard Poodle.

    Cat breeds are bred by humans from wild cats to bring out certain characteristics of their appearance, such as long fluffy fur or even no fur at all for people with cat allergies.

Bred for Work

    People often forget that dogs were originally bred purly for how they are used. Going back in history, dogs were a working animal, and they were bred to be able to do work.

  It's only in the past 100 years that people started judging dogs more for their looks and personality than for the work that they did. 

    Even today, there are many dogs with a working job, such as guard dogs, hunting dogs, seeing eye dogs, and police dogs.

  Of course not all dogs work. Some are lazy, and sit on the couch all day showing love for their owner. But lots of dogs are working dogs with a job to do.

   But sadly there are no working cats. 

    Unlike dogs, cats have not changed a lot in DNA from the wild cats that first hung near our ancient farms. 

     Cats were never bred to do specific tasks that dogs are meant to do. If you compare taking a Maine Coon cat hunting with you to a German Shepherd dog, the German Shepherd is going to be way more helpful than the Maine Coon cat, because the German Shepherd has been bred to do a certain job.

Breeding for Appearance

     Dogs have also been bred to show different appearances, like shortened snouts, rounder or leaner faces, and ears that fold inwards. 

    Most cats are one of a kind, but some genetic traits come from their ancestors from long ago, such as the colors of their eyes, their coat, and their ears. 

    Cats have been bred for a long time to bring out some differences in their appearance, such as coats with different lengths, colors, or textures. For example, some cats are soft, and some are rough, and also some are black, white, orange, or striped with gray. Some are short haired, some are long haired, and some breeds of cats such as the Sphinx are even bald!

    So there's another reason why there are more dog breeds than cat breeds. Some dogs are bred for work, some for personality traits, and some for appearance. Cats, however, are mainly bred for appearance.

Health Issues and Other Problems

     Animal breeders have to be careful not to breed traits that are harmful or dangerous to dogs, cats, or humans. For example, the Shar-pei´s wrinkly skin can cause infections. Cats with short skulls can have some pretty bad breathing problems. And a dog that is bred for dogfighting may become super aggressive and dangerous to other animals or humans.

Living with Humans

     Humans have lived with cats for 10,000 years, but dogs have lived with humans longer, because dogs have lived with humans for 19,000 years. So the longer history of being domesticated to live with humans may be another reason there are more dog breeds.