Over the years there has been increasing fascination over the ownership of rare domestic cat breeds. These breeds of cats are either innately exotic, or products crossbreeding. Usually, these rare breeds of cats are more difficult to raise than the common ones. Some follow a specific diet, while some prefer certain temperature ranges in the climate. Extra care and attention is needed for them in order to survive. Nevertheless people's interest in these rare breeds of domestic cats have spawned breeders to broaden their ventures in producing more and more of these exotic cats. These price of the these rare breeds is exorbitantly high in the market, which make raising them a very profitable business.
One rare breed is the Sphynx (left photo). It's exotic look of having no coat contributes to its popularity. Although it appears to be hairless, it is not truly a hairless cat. It is covered with very soft hair that is often described as peach fuzz. Because sphynx cats lack a coat to shed or groom, they are not maintenance-free. Regular cleaning or bathing is necessary, and exposure to outdoor sunlight must be limited since sphynx cats may develop sunburn similar to humans.
One of the smallest breeds is the Singapura cat (right photo), which is also rare. A full grown female usually weighs 5-6 pounds while the male weighs 6-8 pounds. It has large, slightly pointed and deep cupped ears together with the large almond shaped eyes. The tail is slender, slightly shorter than the length of the body and has a blunt tip. Although this breed is small in size, it is quite expensive. In the UK, a pet-quality Singapura can cost £300-400 (US$600-800) while a show specimen can cost upwards of £600.
Another rare cat breed is the Nebelung (left photo). It is rather new with breeders in America, Canada, Russia and Europe. Nebelungs typically have long bodies, wide-set green eyes, long and dense fur, and mild dispositions. It is quite similar to the Russian Blue, another breed of cat, but with longer coat length.
Chausie (right photo), a rather large, rare domestic cat, is a hybrid of the domestic cat and the Jungle Cat. The domestic cat breed most widely used for Chausies is the Abyssinian, because they have the same look and active habits as a Jungle Cat, but are very much smaller. Chausies are known for t
heir speed and nearly six foot vertical leap.
There are still a number of rare domestic cat breeds worldwide, and more are soon to be added with breeders' attempts to produce more breeds with desirable characteristics. Selective breeding efficiently aids in the production of these new cat breeds which would offer more domestic varieties for us to choose from.