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Domestic long-hair and short-hair cat breed are the most popular breeds well known across the globe. If you’re interested in using cats as pets, you need to decide which of the breeds to go for. You need to compare and contrast their features before making the right choice. Let’s start by examining some details about each of the breeds.

The Long-haired Cat

The long-haired cat doesn’t belong to a specific breed. It’s actually a mixture of different breeds. The cat usually has semi-long fur all over its body. There are formal longhair cat breeds recognized by well known registries. Among them include the British longhair and American longhair. They are quite different from the domestic long-haired cats. Actually, the domestic long-haired cat is the second most popular cat in the US. The color pattern for the longhair cats vary. Among the popular colors include cinnamon, chocolate, smoke and lilac. Some of the cats come with a combination of color patterns. Given below are some of the long-haired cats:

The American Curl

This is a unique long-hair cat breed that hails from America. American Curl actually comes in longhair or short hair varieties. The coat color of the cat breed varies from mackerel tabby to black and other unique colors. The American Curl cat has curly ears and large eyes that look like walnut. Its longhair can look shinny or silky. American Curl also has a shiny plumed tail.

The Balinese

The Balinese is another longhair cat with graceful and muscular look. It has silky long hair and coat. Balinese also has plumed tail, sapphire blue eyes, creamy white body and pointed ears. The male Balinese weighs between 6 and 8 pounds while the female Balinese weighs between 5 and 7 pounds.

Aside from these two, there are many other longhair cats available. Among them include the Birman, Ragdoll, Javanese, Main Coon cat, Norwegian Forest cat, Persian, Turkish Angora and many others.

The Short haired Cat Breed

Just like the long haired cat, the short haired cat breed has a mixed ancestry. It doesn’t actually belong to a specific recognized breed. It usually has short fur. The domestic short haired cat is quite different from some recognized breeds like American Short hair and British Short hair. In any case, the domestic short hair cat is very popular in the US. It’s also referred to as an alley cat or house cat. The color pattern for the cats include strawberry, chocolate, basil, cinnamon, ginger, and so on. Some of them do have a combination of special color patterns. These cat breeds also appear in diverse sizes and shapes. Given below are some of the popular short hair cats:

The Abyssinian

This cat resembles a small lion with aggressive look. The Abyssinian has a tick shimmering coat. The cat looks sturdy and athletic. Nevertheless, Abyssinian still appears very graceful and active. The coat color patterns include ruddy, lilac, blue, cinnamon and so on. The cat’s eyes appear golden and large. The male Abyssinian weighs between 8 and 10 pounds while the female Abyssinian weighs between 6 and 7 pounds.

The American Short hair

The American short hair is a recognized breed with medium size. It has a muscular and sturdy body. American short hair showcases in diverse color patterns. The cat’s head is usually long. American short has very wide eyes and rounded ears. The coat of the American short hair cat can either be soft or hard when it comes to texture.

Aside from the above two, there are other short haired cat breed available. Among them include the American Wirehair, the Bombay, British Short hair, Burmese, Devon Rex, and many others.

Which cat breed is better? Long or Short

Having seen the basic description and instances of the longhair and short hair cats, let’s attempt a comparison between the two. Take a look at following points:

• Longhair cat is often very costly to maintain when compared to the short hair. This is because; the longhair requires extra care and grooming.
• It’s very easy to groom the short hair cat. You don’t need to spend much unlike the case with the longhair.
• The longhair cat breed requires a vanity cut in its hind region. This is always enforced to prevent the cat from going on emergency trip to the bathtub. You don’t need to perform such a cut on a short hair cat.
• You need to use a firm wire brush to comb an extremely long haired cat. You need to do this at least 4 times a week to keep the cat’s body smooth and protect it from mats or tangles. You don’t need to do this if you’re having a short hair cat.
• Longhair cats release dander which consists of microscopic flakes of allergen. If you suffer from allergies, you need be very vigilant when having a longhair cat at home. You need purchase quality grooming products to prevent the furs from flying. You don’t need to worry about this if you go for a short hair cat.
• Short haired cats are very common while the long haired types are usually very rare. You need to go extra mile to find them.

From the above, it’s very clear that the short hair cat breed is better than the longhair especially in terms of maintenance and grooming. You need to take note of the above points when thinking of the best cat breed to purchase.