Misnamed Cat Breeds

If a Himalayan isn't Himalayan, an Abyssinian isn't Abyssinian, and a Havana Brown isn't from Havana, why do cat fanciers accept the misnomers? Most mislabeled cat breeds were misnamed because of errors, breed marketing or breed-naming traditions.

The Abyssinian

Ethiopia, formerly Abyssinia, was once believed to be the ancestral home of the Abyssinian cat breed. However, closer examination of the cat's genetics and history now reveals that this ancestry is improbable, and they most likely hail from Southeast Asia. The Abyssinian name was applied by British cat fanciers to make the breed sound exotic and wild.

The Bombay

The Bombay, an American cat breed with its origins in Kentucky, is not actually from Bombay (now Mumbai). Rather, its name's origins relate to its similarity in appearance to the black leopard, also called a black panther, which can be found in India (albeit, not in a very large metropolis like Mumbai). The founder of the breed labeled it the Bombay because she wanted to create a "miniature panther" with a name to match.

The Havana Brown

A breed created in the United States from Siamese bloodlines, the Havana brown is, disappointingly, not from Havana. There is debate within the cat fancier's community regarding the reason for the misnomer, but it was most likely either named after the Havana rabbit breed, or given its inaccurate name because of its resemblance to a fine Cuban cigar.

The Himalayan

Himalayan cats were developed as a genetics product when biologists at Harvard attempted to create a cat with Siamese markings and Persian fur texture. Its roots are in no way ancient and can not be traced back to the Himalayas; most cat fanciers, in fact, consider it to be a type of Persian. Like the Havana brown, it was given its name because of a resemblance to a preexisting breed of rabbit.

The Ocicat

Because of its combination of spots, feral-like behavior, and inaccurate name, many people erroneously beleive that the ocicat is half ocelot. However, while the breed's name was given because of its resemblance to an ocelot, it was created solely from domesticated cat breeds. The breeders who established the spotted ocicat line intended to create an exotic-looking animal of solely domestic origins-- and they succeeded!

 The Oriental

Another American cat breed, the oriental has its roots in Asia only through its foundation in the Siamese breed. The name stems from the Oriental's resemblance to ancient oriental breeds, but not from its actual bloodline. Since it was created solely in the U.S. and Great Britain, this lanky cat breed's name is yet another cat breeder's misnomer.

The Somali

The Somali cat breed is actually a longhaired version of the Abyssinian, developed in Europe and the United States. It was given its inaccurate name because breeders wanted it to have an African name to match the name of its shorthaired predecessor. However, it is still ultimately rooted in Southeast Asia, like the Abyssinian, and not in Somalia.

Although inaccurate, cat breed names tend to stick with breeders and owners because they spark the imagination and create an allure of exoticism. "The Himalayan" certainly sounds better than "Harvard Genetics Project", and the Bombay appeals to the imagination more than "Big Black Cat from Kentucky". While some cat fanciers find inaccurate breed names distasteful or even offensive, they will most likely remain a part of the cat lover's vocabulary for years, or even centuries, to come.