Catalog · 60 breeds

Cat breeds
in New Zealand.

Every profile shows trait ratings, NZ-specific context (indoor vs outdoor, climate fit, typical price), and the conditions reputable NZCF and Catz Inc breeders should screen for. Filter to find your match.

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Breed profiles

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Total breeds

NZCF + Catz Inc

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Breed groups

Recognition category

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Traits scored

1 to 5 scale

Group Size Sort

Abyssinian

Natural · Small

Lithe, ticked-coated, and famously busy. The Abyssinian is one of the most active and intelligent cat breeds, often described as a small wild-cat in build with the temperament of a curious, people-oriented terrier.

Small High energy

Australian Mist

Crossbreed · Medium

An Australian-developed cross between Burmese, Abyssinian and domestic shorthair, deliberately bred for indoor-friendly low prey drive and people-oriented temperament. Strong NZ relevance because of the breed's explicit indoor-cat brief.

Medium Medium

Balinese

Natural · Medium

The longhaired Siamese, with the same body type, colourpoint pattern, intense vocal personality and trainability as the Siamese itself. The longhair gene is recessive and appears occasionally in Siamese litters.

Medium High energy

Bengal

Hybrid · Medium

A spotted, athletic hybrid cat developed by crossing the Asian Leopard Cat with domestic shorthairs. The single highest-prey-drive breed on this site, with the energy budget of two normal cats. Magnificent to live with for the right household, a poor fit for indoor sedate life or NZ outdoor roaming.

Medium High energy

Birman

Natural · Medium

Gentle, semi-longhaired colourpoint cat with deep blue eyes and four signature white "gloves" on the paws. Quieter and more placid than the Siamese, with a less demanding social profile. A good fit for calm NZ households.

Medium Low

Bombay

Crossbreed · Medium

The black-only Burmese, deliberately bred from black American Shorthair and sable Burmese foundation to resemble a miniature black panther. Same Burmese sociability with the dramatic solid black coat and copper or gold eyes.

Medium Active

British Shorthair

Natural · Medium

Stocky, plush-coated shorthair with a calm, undemanding temperament. Consistently in the top three pedigree cats registered in NZ alongside the Persian and Maine Coon. Famous for the "British Blue", a dense grey coat that sheds more than its short length suggests.

Medium Low

Burmese

Natural · Small

Compact, muscular shorthair famous for being intensely affectionate and following its person from room to room. Often called the "Velcro cat" for the way it sticks close. Vocal but soft-spoken, with a notable separation anxiety risk if left alone all day.

Small Active

Burmilla

Crossbreed · Medium

An accidental cross between a Burmese and a Chinchilla Persian in the early 1980s produced this elegant silver-tipped breed. Sociable like the Burmese, calmer in voice, and with the striking silver-shaded coat of the Chinchilla.

Medium Medium

Cornish Rex

Mutation · Small

Small, slender cat with an extremely soft curly coat made entirely of down hair (no guard hairs). Highly active, dog-like in temperament, and one of the most social pedigree breeds.

Small High energy

Cymric

Mutation · Medium

The longhaired version of the Manx, sharing the same tailless and short-tailed variants and the same Manx syndrome welfare considerations. Athletic, dog-like, with a fuller coat than the Manx.

Medium Active

Devon Rex

Mutation · Small

Small, large-eared, curly-coated cat with a mischievous and dog-like personality. The Devon Rex's curly coat comes from a spontaneous gene mutation in a Devonshire stray in 1959. Sociable, attention-seeking, and a poor fit for households where the cat is alone all day.

Small Active

Domestic Longhair

Domestic · Medium

The longhaired non-pedigree cat. Hugely variable in coat, colour, size and personality. After the Domestic Shorthair, the second most common cat in NZ households.

Medium Medium

Domestic Shorthair

Domestic · Medium

The most common cat in New Zealand. A non-pedigree mixed-breed shorthair, hugely variable in colour, size and personality. The default rescue cat.

Medium Medium

Egyptian Mau

Natural · Medium

The only naturally spotted domestic cat breed. Athletic, fast (officially the fastest cat breed at sprinting speeds over 50 km/h), and reserved with strangers. Looks the part of an ancient Egyptian temple cat in tomb paintings.

Medium High energy

Exotic Shorthair

Crossbreed · Medium

Bred from Persian and American Shorthair foundation, the Exotic Shorthair is a flat-faced shorthaired cat with the Persian temperament and most of the same brachycephalic health issues. Calmer and more low-maintenance than a Persian, but with the same indoor-only profile.

Medium Low

Japanese Bobtail

Mutation · Medium

The cat with the short pom-pom tail. The Japanese Bobtail is the model for the famous Maneki-Neko (beckoning cat) figurine and has been documented in Japanese art for over 1,000 years. Active, vocal, dog-like, and social.

Medium Active

Korat

Natural · Small

A blue-coated, green-eyed Thai cat that pre-dates the Russian Blue and Chartreux but is rarer than either in NZ. Considered a good-luck cat in Thai tradition and a wedding gift between Thai families.

Small Medium

La Perm

Mutation · Medium

A curly-coated cat that traces to a single mutant kitten on an Oregon barn in 1982. The breed comes in short and long coat lengths, with the curl most pronounced on the ruff and tail.

Medium Medium

Maine Coon

Natural · Giant

One of the largest domestic cat breeds. Friendly, dog-like in temperament, with a magnificent long coat and tufted ears.

Giant Medium

Mandalay

Crossbreed · Medium

A New Zealand-developed solid-coated breed derived from Burmese genetics. Registered through NZCF and Catz Inc as a separate NZ breed; closely related to the international Asian Self.

Medium Active

Manx

Mutation · Medium

The tailless cat from the Isle of Man. Athletic, playful, dog-like in temperament, and one of the older recognised cat breeds. The taillessness comes from a single dominant gene with serious lethal and pathological effects in homozygous form, which means responsible breeding is essential.

Medium Active

Munchkin

Mutation · Small

The short-legged cat. The breed exists because of an achondroplastic dwarfism mutation that produces visibly shortened legs. The mutation has serious welfare implications, and the breed is contested among major cat registries. Many welfare bodies oppose breeding Munchkins.

Small Medium

New Zealand Shorthair

Domestic · Medium

A New Zealand-developed registered breed for refined non-pedigree shorthair lines selected for type and temperament. Recognised by Catz Inc as an NZ-distinctive breed registration, distinct from the worldwide Domestic Shorthair.

Medium Medium

Norwegian Forest Cat

Natural · Large

Large, robustly-built semi-longhair developed naturally in the Norwegian forest and coast for centuries before formal recognition. Calm, independent, weather-adapted, and one of the larger pedigree cats in NZ.

Large Medium

Ocicat

Crossbreed · Medium

A spotted cat that looks wild but has no wild blood, developed from Abyssinian, Siamese and American Shorthair foundation. Athletic, dog-like, sociable, and a good fit for households that want a Bengal look without the Bengal hybrid status.

Medium Active

Oriental Shorthair

Natural · Medium

Genetically a Siamese in non-pointed colours. Lean, leggy, large-eared, vocal, and one of the most colour-and-pattern-diverse pedigree breeds (over 300 recognised colours and patterns).

Medium High energy

Persian

Natural · Medium

Calm, sedate longhaired cat with a flat face and dense double coat. One of the top three pedigree cats in NZ. High-maintenance grooming and well-documented brachycephalic health concerns make this a deliberate, indoor-only choice.

Medium Low

Pixiebob

Mutation · Medium

A US-developed breed bred to resemble the wild bobcat, with a short tail, often polydactyl paws, and a muscular build. Despite the wild appearance, the Pixiebob has no recent wild blood and is fully domestic in temperament.

Medium Medium

Polycoon

Mutation · Giant

A NZ-developed registration recognising polydactyl Maine Coons as a distinct breed. Polydactyly (extra toes) is a historic Maine Coon trait that some registries (CFA) exclude from the modern Maine Coon standard, prompting separate breed recognition by Catz Inc.

Giant Medium

Ragdoll

Hybrid · Large

Large, semi-longhaired and famous for going limp when picked up. Affectionate, calm, indoor-suited and great with families.

Large Low

Russian Blue

Natural · Small

Reserved, quiet, and naturally shy with strangers, the Russian Blue forms a strong bond with one or two trusted humans and is content alone for long stretches. The dense double silver-blue coat and emerald green eyes are unmistakable.

Small Medium

Scottish Fold

Mutation · Medium

Round-faced, round-eyed, mostly round cat with the breed-defining folded ears. Calm and affectionate temperament. The folded-ear gene also affects cartilage elsewhere in the body, which has produced welfare concerns and a divided pedigree-registry response globally.

Medium Medium

Selkirk Rex

Mutation · Medium

The most patient and laid-back of the curly-coated cat breeds. Unlike the Cornish Rex and Devon Rex, the Selkirk Rex has all three normal coat layers, just curly, and a calm Persian-style temperament rather than a vocal active one.

Medium Medium

Siamese

Natural · Medium

Slender, blue-eyed colourpoint cat from Thailand. Among the most vocal and people-bonded breeds in the world. Smart, demanding, and a poor fit for households where the cat is alone all day.

Medium High energy

Siberian

Natural · Large

Large, agile, triple-coated cat from Russia with a reputation for producing lower levels of the Fel d 1 cat allergen. Affectionate, family-oriented, and at home in cooler NZ regions.

Large Medium

Singapura

Natural · Small

The smallest recognised pedigree cat breed, with adults often under 3 kg. The breed has a sepia ticked coat and unusually large eyes and ears for the small head.

Small Active

Somali

Natural · Small

The longhaired sibling of the Abyssinian. Same energetic, intelligent, ticked-coat temperament with a fuller coat, plumed tail and pronounced ruff. NZ buyers usually choose Somali after considering an Abyssinian.

Small High energy

Sphynx

Mutation · Medium

The hairless cat. Warm, social, attention-seeking, vocal, and one of the most demanding breeds on this site. The Sphynx requires weekly bathing, sun-safe living, climate management, and a household that is home most of the day.

Medium Active

Tasman Manx

Mutation · Medium

A regional NZ classification of the Manx, registered through Catz Inc to recognise NZ and Australasian Manx lines as a distinct sub-population. Same body type and welfare considerations as the international Manx.

Medium Active

Templecat

Crossbreed · Large

A New Zealand-developed semi-longhair derived from Ragdoll and other breed crosses, with a calm temperament and a wider colour and pattern range than the Ragdoll standard allows. Registered through NZCF as Templecat and recognised internationally as the Ragamuffin.

Large Low

Tiffany

Crossbreed · Medium

The longhaired Burmese, registered as the Asian Longhair in some jurisdictions and Tiffany in NZCF and the GCCF Asian Group. Same body type and temperament as a Burmese, with a fuller semi-long coat.

Medium Medium

Tonkinese

Hybrid · Medium

A deliberate cross between Siamese and Burmese, the Tonkinese sits between its parent breeds in colour, build and temperament. Active, vocal, demanding, and a fixture in NZ Catz Inc and NZCF breeder lists.

Medium Active

Toyger

Crossbreed · Medium

A designer breed deliberately bred to resemble a miniature tiger, with vertical stripes (rather than spots), strong markings on the face, and an athletic Bengal-derived body. The breed is recent and still in development.

Medium High energy

Turkish Angora

Natural · Medium

One of the oldest documented cat breeds, the Turkish Angora is a long-haired single-coat cat originally from the Ankara region. Athletic, intelligent and people-oriented, with white the original and most-recognised coat colour.

Medium Active

Turkish Van

Natural · Large

A semi-longhaired cat from the Lake Van region of eastern Turkey, distinctive for the white body with coloured head and tail (the "van pattern") and an unusual love of water and swimming.

Large High energy

All cat breeds in New Zealand

Recognised by NZ Cat Fancy and Catz Inc, grouped by registration category. Profiled breeds link to a full page; the rest are pending.

Natural

Mutation

Hybrid

Bengal
Chausie
Savannah
Toyger

Crossbreed

Domestic

Don't see a breed you expected? More breeds are added regularly. Suggest a missing breed via contact.