The ordinary cat without a pedigree: no breed, no standard, and every cat is different.
The house cat is not a breed. It has no pedigree and no standard that says how it should look. It can be any colour, with short or long hair, and its character is all its own. That is what most cats are like: about 98 to 99 of every 100 cats in the world have no pedigree. All of them descend from the African wildcat, which came to live with people thousands of years ago.
A house cat has no breed standard, so no character that comes with a breed. Every cat is different; this is true of cats in general.
Cats were first tamed in ancient Egypt.
Egypt is only one candidate. DNA and digs point mostly to the Near East, about 9,500 years ago. The cats that later reached Europe did come from North Africa, though.
The first farmers picked wildcats as pets.
Probably not. Wildcats came for the mice around the grain stores and were put up with. Slowly they grew tamer: really, they tamed themselves.
Cats are as tame as dogs or cows.
Cats are only half tame. They were never strongly bred for anything, keep hunting and can quickly turn wild again when they live without people.
The house cat descends from the African wildcat. About 9,500 years ago wildcats in the Near East came to farming villages for the mice. People let them stay, and over thousands of years they grew tamer and gained more colours. Only about 2,000 years ago did house cats reach Europe from North Africa. Cat breeds are much younger: cats have only been bred for looks for about 200 years.
On Cyprus, where no wildcats live naturally, a cat is buried beside a person.
Egyptian artists begin to picture cats; later they paint one catching a mouse.
Greeks bring the cat to southern Italy; traders carry cats across the Mediterranean.
House cats reach Europe from North Africa, and within a century they are in Britain.
In the Middle Ages the classic (blotched) tabby appears, which later becomes common in European cats.
Cats sail on ships to catch rats, and so reach the Americas, Australia and beyond.
Linnaeus gives the cat its scientific name, Felis catus.
At the first cat show in London there are only five 'breeds'. Breeding for looks has only just begun.
A DNA study of 979 cats places the start in the Near East, with at least five wildcat founding lines.
The full DNA of a house cat is published for the first time.
The IUCN's cat experts now treat the house cat as a species of its own: Felis catus.
Ancient DNA from 70 cats shows that Europe's earlier cats were wildcats, and that the house cat came from North Africa.
A house cat has no fixed look. It can be small or large, slender or sturdy, with short or long hair. Even so, most house cats are quite alike in build; the biggest difference is in the coat.
A short coat, the type you see most. The build differs by region: in Asia shorthaired cats often look like a Siamese, in Europe and America they are sturdier.
Recognition: Not a breed: a show class at FIFe. Elsewhere it is called a domestic shorthair (DSH).
A semi-long to long coat, sometimes with a ruff and tufts on the toes and ears. A mix, not a breed like the British Longhair.
Recognition: Not a breed: a show class at FIFe. Elsewhere it is called a domestic longhair (DLH).
Cat registries write colours as an EMS code. The letter is the colour (n black, a blue, d red, f tortie), s means silver or smoke, y golden, and the numbers tell you about white (01–09), shading (11, 12), the tabby pattern (22–25) or colourpoint (33).
Black(n)
Tortie(f)
Black mackerel tabby(n 23)
Blue mackerel tabby(a 23)
Red mackerel tabby(d 23)
Black and white(n 03)A red or cream cat nearly always shows a little tabby pattern. About 8 in 10 red cats are male.
Tortoiseshell cats are nearly always female.
White can come in any amount on any colour, from a few white toes to almost all white.
The same genes as in the Siamese and the Burmese; a house cat can have them too.
A house cat can be any colour; the rows above are only a sample. Only WCF's household-pet class leaves out chocolate, cinnamon, their dilute forms and colourpoint at shows.
About 3 million house cats live in the Netherlands.
A cat sleeps about 16 hours a day, spread over a few naps.
About 8 in 10 ginger cats are male.
Scientists say the cat is only half tamed: it has changed less from its wild ancestor than almost any other tame animal.
Adult cats rarely meow at each other; they save it mostly for people.
In English vet records ordinary house cats usually lived to 13 or 14. Well-kept indoor cats often get older, sometimes 15 to 20. Crossbred cats there lived a little longer than pedigree cats.
Common: in England about 1 in 9 cats at the vet was obese, more often neutered cats. Too much weight makes diabetes and stiff joints more likely. Smaller portions and more play help.
How it is found: There is no test. Have the vet weigh the cat and check its shape at every visit.
About 1 in 5 cats at the vet had a problem with its teeth. Tartar builds up and the gums get sore. Cats hide pain, so often you only notice bad breath or slower eating.
How it is found: There is no test. The vet checks the mouth at every visit; brushing at home helps if the cat allows it.
Mostly in old cats: about 3 in 10 cats over 15 have it. The kidneys slowly work less well, so the cat drinks and pees more and loses weight. It does not go away, but diet and medicine can keep it in check for a while.
How it is found: A blood and urine test at the vet, especially in older cats.
About 1 in 50 cats at the vet, mostly older ones. The cat gets thin, hungry and restless, even though it eats more.
How it is found: A blood test when an older cat loses weight.
A shorthair needs little; a longhair needs regular brushing. An indoor cat swallows more hair, and cat grass helps against hairballs.
Give it things to climb and places to hide. Play 'hunting' with an indoor cat at least twice a day for five minutes or more.
A cat is a true meat eater. Dry food alone is not ideal, because cats drink little. Most adult cats cannot digest cow's milk.
Neutering prevents litters, spraying and fights. A neutered cat burns less energy, so watch its food afterwards.
Lilies, tulips, grapes, onions, chocolate and medicines such as paracetamol are poisonous to cats. Watch out for string, plastic bags and tilted windows too.
A house cat and a European Shorthair can look exactly alike. According to FIFe the breed should not differ in build from the ordinary European house cat either. The difference is in the papers.
House cat: None. Its parents are not registered anywhere.
European Shorthair: Yes: its parents and ancestors are registered with a cat registry.
House cat: None. Big or small, slender or sturdy: anything goes.
European Shorthair: A written standard: medium to large, sturdy, with a rounded head.
House cat: Any colour, chocolate, lilac and Siamese-style points included.
European Shorthair: Natural colours only, the ones European house cats have always had.
House cat: Can be a mix of anything, even with a pedigree cat somewhere in the family.
European Shorthair: No other breed has been mixed in.
House cat: In the Netherlands it is often loosely called a 'Europese korthaar', in shelters too.
European Shorthair: Only a cat with papers is truly a European Shorthair, however much a house cat looks like one.
About 3 million house cats live in the Netherlands. If you are looking for one, try a shelter: there is nearly always a house cat waiting for a new home.
1Nearly all shelter cats are house cats. At the Dierenbescherming's shelters, on one day in October 2026, some 340 of about 350 cats were listed as house cats.
2The staff know each cat and can tell you what it is like. That character matters more than its looks.
3Nearly half the animals in those shelters were under a year old, but there are plenty of adult cats too. With an adult cat you already see who it is; with a kitten that is still to come.
4Are you often out for long and will it be an indoor cat? Then it is often happier with a second cat for company.
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