But that comes from the flat face of the Persian breed, not from the long haired coat! However, there are some potential issues, such as breathing problems with a Persian cat. The cat breeds that we have included in this article, for example, are generally healthy. This is true because there isn’t much of a commonality in terms of health problems across all long haired breeds. Long haired cats are generally just as healthy as short haired cats. After that, we will cover different breeds of cats with long hair, and follow that up with caring for a long haired cat.
Today we will start with an overall look at the health of long haired cats, including some specific problems that might be expected. With the help of this new genetic information, researchers have also been able to explain why two cat breeds, the Manx cat and the Scottish Fold cat, can have both short haired and long haired kittens too!īut to keep things simple here, we are going to focus on some true breeds of long haired cats. With further studies, researchers have narrowed down the most significant factor to a gene called Fibroblast Growth Factor 5 (FGF5), or FGF5 for short. Now research studies have isolated a specific type of genetic mutation that results in cats with long hair. Scientists are just as curious about what causes types of long haired cats as are cat owners. In fact, if you want to get truly technical about it, you could separate the domestic longhair cat into long haired, semi long haired and short haired cats.īut what makes a long haired cat have such long hair to begin with? Why Do Long Haired Cat Breeds Have Such Long Hair? Others are truly deserving of inclusion in the category of “long haired cat.”Įven among so-named long haired cat breeds, some long haired cats have longer hair than other long haired cats! There is really quite a range. In terms of cat hair length, all cats are definitely not created equally.
Even the so-called “hairless” Sphinx cat actually has a thin layer of very fine, short hair covering its body. But long haired cats definitely have a special allure.Ĭontrary to popular belief, there are no hairless cats. Their thick, luxuriant coats are so very soft and pettable! Of course, most of us will happily pet any cat that will let us. At times, the distinction “long haired” is simply a variety of a breed that also can have short hair. Long haired cats are found in different breeds as well as mixed breeds. Often thick and plush, these coats can run the gamut in length from just long enough not to be short haired to more than two inches. Long haired cat breeds are known for their luxurious coats.