The mixed-breed, or random-bred, cat — known as the domestic shorthair is the result of natural selection and random, not selective, breeding. Main Menu

The most popular of all cats has no pedigree. The mixed-breed, or random-bred, cat — known as the domestic shorthair — that makes up an estimated 95 percent of the world's domestic cat population is the result of natural selection and random, not selective, breeding. The cats come in all shapes and sizes, with a great variety of color, pattern and length of hair. The bushier varieties, or "domestic longhairs," are usually just grouped in with the catchall label of domestic shorthairs.

The overall appearance of mixed-breed cats can be traced to one of the natural types: cobbly, foreign, or in-between. Mixed breeds bearing a strong resemblance to purebred cats are fairly common. Longhair random-breed cats, while less common because of the recessive gene that creates long hair, often resemble the pedigreed Maine coon of Angora. The temperament of mixed-breed cats is less predictable than that of purebreds, though, and probably influenced more by environment than by genetics.