Floofenstein has such a unique look that I can’t help but want to know what breed(s) he is. So, I set out to research the possibilities. This post compiles what I found. Keep in mind that every cat is unique, and what I’ve found listed online isn’t going to be true for every cat.
Because “Domestic Longhair” isn’t actually a breed, I haven’t included it in my research.
Feature: long-haired chocolate coat
Floofenstein has luxurious fur, getting to about 3″ long at its longest. Depending on the lighting angle, he can look mostly black, dark brown, or a bright orangey chocolate.
American longhair: A cross between a Persian cat and an American shorthair cat. In the same way you can have a chocolate Persian and a chocolate American shorthair, you can have a chocolate American longhair
Asian semi-longhair (AKA Tiffanie or Tiffany cat): A chocolate coat is one of the more common colors for the Asian semi-longhair.
British longhair: A cross between a Persian cat and a British shorthair cat, British longhair cats can come in any color, including chocolate.
Chantilly-Tiffany (AKA Foreign longhair): The Chantilly-Tiffany cat was originally bred as a chocolate-coated cat, and it is still the primary color of the breed. There are some sources that list it as extinct.
Maine Coon: While it is not an “acceptable” breed color, with “oops” breeding, Maine Coons can come in chocolate.
Norwegian Forest: Like the Maine Coon, chocolate is not an “acceptable” breed color, but it is possible.
Ragamuffin: Ragamuffins can come in virtually any color, including chocolate.
Ragdoll: Ragdolls can be chocolate, but should have a “pointed” pattern, with an obvious difference between darker areas (muzzle, ears, feet) and lighter areas.
Siberian: The Siberian comes in all colors, including chocolate.
Turkish Angora: The Turkish Angora also comes in all colors, including chocolate.
York Chocolate: The York Chocolate was originally bred to have a chocolate coat (hence its name). Some sources list this breed as extinct because there are no certified cats remaining.
Feature: grayish ruff
Floofers has a well-defined ruff around his neck — at least on his uninjured side — that is grayish in color.
American longhair: I can’t find a good description of the American longhair coat, but, since the Persian has a ruff, it’s probably safe to assume the American longhair can, too.
British longhair: Because of its Persian ancestry, the British longhair may have a ruff.
Chantilly-Tiffany: The Chantilly-Tiffany does have a ruff.
Maine Coon: The Main Coon is well-known for its ruff.
Norwegian Forest: The Norwegian Forest cat is also well-known for its ruff.
Ragamuffin: Ragamuffin cats have a ruff, although it seems like it tends to be on the shorter side.
Ragdoll: Ragdolls have a ruff, but it looks like its rounder and bushier than the kind Floofenstein has.
Siberian: Siberian cats have a ruff.
Turkish Angora: The Turkish Angora has a ruff
York Chocolate: None of the sources list a ruff as a York Chocolate trait, and photos can’t necessarily be trusted since the breed is considered extinct.
Feature: wide-set smallish ears
Floofers has rather small, ears for his size, roughly the shape of an isosceles triangle, rounded at the tips. He does not have ear tufts, but he does have furnishings (the hairs that cross from front rim of the ear towards the back). They are also wide-set, starting at around the same line as his pupils.
American longhair: There are many possible ear shapes for the American longhair, but I have seen photos of ears similar to Floof’s.
British longhair: While a bit wider at the base, the British longhair general ear shape is the same.
Chantilly-Tiffany: The ear shape is similar, but Chantilly-Tiffanys have significantly more furnishings and the possibility of tufts.
Ragamuffin: Ragamuffins have the same ear shape, but with more furnishings.
Ragdoll: Ragdolls have the same ear shape, but they tend to sit closer together, starting closer to the inner corner of the eye.
Siberian: Siberians appear to have roughly the same ear shape, but with significantly longer furnishings.
York Chocolate: Once source lists York Chocolate ears as “medium-sized, slightly rounded at the tips, and set wide apart on the head,” which certainly matches Floof’s appearance.
Feature: curly belly hair
Floofenstein has the softest curly belly fur. It’s adorable and reminds me of a teddy bear or a Doodle.
Unfortunately, I can’t really point to any breed for this one. In researching curly belly hair, it appears that any long- or medium hair cat can have curly belly hair.
Feature: foot tufts
Floof has some cute little foot tufts. They’re almost nonexistent on his front paws, but they’re noticeable on his back paws.
This is another one I don’t feel comfortable saying is specific to a breed. Sources vary, but it seems like any cat with long or medium hair could have toe tufts.
Feature: big and stocky
Floofenstein is a big boy. He was 14.5lbs when he joined the family, which probably means his weight should be 15 pounds or more as I’m assuming he wasn’t eating well while injured. He doesn’t like the measuring tape, but he’s around 9.5″ floor to shoulder and 20″ head to butt. His limbs are significantly thicker than our other cats and, while it’s hard to tell with long fur, I think he’s rather muscular, too.
Because there’s so much to cover here, I’m going to include size averages for breeds that fit these characteristics. Where possible, I’ve included information from TICA and CFA.
American longhair
- 8-15 pounds
- Body is medium-sized, well muscled and robust.
- Legs should be shapely and well formed.
British longhair
- 10-16 pounds
- Body is large, with well-muscled bodies and deep, broad chest.
- Legs are strong and muscular
Maine Coon
- 18-22 pounds
- Muscular, broad-chested. The body should be long with all parts in proportion to create a well-balanced rectangular appearance
- Legs substantial, wide set, of medium length.
Norwegian Forest
- 12-18 pounds
- Solidly muscled and well-balanced, moderate in length, substantial bone structure, with powerful appearance showing a broad chest and considerable girth without being fat
- Medium [legs] with hind legs longer than front legs, making the rump higher than the shoulders. Thighs are heavily muscled; lower legs are substantial
Ragamuffin
- 10-15 pounds
- Rectangular, broad chest and broad shoulders, and moderately heavy muscling in the hindquarters with the hindquarters being equally as broad as the shoulders
- Legs should be heavily boned, medium in length with the back legs slightly longer than the front legs
Ragdoll
- 10-15 pounds
- Large and long, broad and solid, with heavy boning. Rectangular in shape, with a full chest and equal width across shoulders and hindquarters. Body firm and muscular, not fat.
- Heavily boned [legs], moderately long. Hind legs longer than front. Shorter fur on front legs, longer fur on hind legs, with full, feathery britches.
Siberian
- 17-26 pounds
- The body is medium in length, and well muscled with the back arched slightly higher than the shoulders, with a barrel-shaped, firm belly giving the sensation of solid weight.
- Legs medium in length. The legs should have substantial boning with the hind legs slightly longer than the front legs.
York Chocolate
- 10-16 pounds
- Medium to large size, long with substantial bone structure and firm muscles. The rib cage and the shoulders are not broader than the hips.
- The legs are long and slender. The hind legs are higher than the front legs.
Feature: dichromatic/dichroic eyes
Floof has bright yellow eyes with a ring of green around the pupil. My phone camera has a hard time picking this up, so I adjusted the color in the second photo to make it more true-to-life.
While several breeds specifically discount dichromatic/dichroic eyes as an “acceptable” color, most cats could have them. Interestingly, although they’re considered fairly rare, Ritz and Dante also have this kind of dichromatic/dichroic eye coloring.
Feature: angular muzzle
I’ve searched all over for the right terminology for Floofenstein’s face shape. I think he has a square or triangular head shape. I don’t know what his profile shape is called, though. Because of this lack of knowledge, I don’t think I can adequately compare it to any breed.
Feature: vocal
No photos for this one, you’ll just have to trust me that Floofenstein loves singing the songs of his people. He is incredibly vocal, encompassing the individual ranges of each of our other three cats and then some.
Maine Coon: Maine Coons are known for being very vocal.
Norwegian Forest: Norwegian Forest cats can be very vocal.
Siberian: Siberian cats can be very vocal.
York Chocolate: York Chocolate cats can be vocal.
Feature: cuddly
Floofenstein is a cuddlebug. He loves to be held, especially in my lap, and he must have some time lounging with his humans each day or he’s unhappy.
American longhair: American longhairs can be cuddly.
British longhair: The British longhair can be cuddly, but seems to prefer cuddly next to their humans, rather than on them.
Maine Coon: Maine Coons are often rather cuddly.
Norwegian Forest: Sources are mixed. Some list Norwegian Forest cats as very cuddly, other said they are independent and can be aloof.
Ragamuffin: Ragamuffins are known to be cuddly and can be clingy.
Ragdoll: Ragdolls are very cuddly.
Siberian: Siberian cats are cuddly, but can be highly attached to a single person.
York Chocolate: The York Chocolate is known to be cuddly.
Feature: floppy
Floofenstein also flops and it’s adorable. He’ll go somewhat limp when you first pick him up. He flops right down when I put him in my lap, a limb hanging over each side of my knee.
Maine Coon: Sources are mixed, but it seems like Maine Coons can be floppy.
Ragamuffin: Ragamuffins have the Ragdoll limpness. They are floppy.
Ragdoll: Ragdolls are the prime floppy cats.
Siberian: Sources indicate that Siberian cats can be very floppy.
Results
Honestly, I can’t come to a definitive answer, as there doesn’t seem to be a single breed that fits. We aren’t going to do an expensive DNA test just to know his ancestry, and without that, we can’t be certain. Floofenstein is almost certainly a mix, and I’m fairly certain he has Ragdoll and/or Ragamuffin cats in his ancestry. Given how vocal he is, there’s a chance he’s got some Maine Coon in his ancestry as well. What else his family tree contains is up for debate.
Based on my research, which breed(s) do you think Floofenstein may have in his ancestry? Are there any other breeds I should consider? Let me know in the comments! I’d love to hear from you.
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