The Canadian Cat Association is a non-profit organization

Non-profit organization

Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...

 in Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, whose mission is to "promote the welfare of all cats in Canada", "maintain a registry of pure-bred cats in Canada", and "further the improvement of all breeds of cats in Canada". They are the only pure-bred registry in Canada. Although a small group, they are recognized around the world for the quality of their database.

History

The Canadian Cat Association was founded in 1960 with the intent to create a registry for Canadian cats, as prior to this, all Canadian cats were registered in the USA or Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

.

Services

In general, the association aims to promote cats and their well-being.

The association provides breeder referrals, and run various shows across Canada. They also set breed standards, as well as train and license judges for cat shows in Canada. They run various cat shows across Canada, mostly in Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

 and Quebec

Quebec

Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....

. The shows not only include classes for purebreds, but have special classes for unpedigreed cats.

Their goals include promoting responsible cat ownership and creating a government lobby group.

There are many clubs across Canada affiliated with the Canadian Cat Association, some of which can be found here.

They also sell calendars featuring winners of their competitions, as well as publishing an annual magazine.

Breeds

The following is a list of breeds recognised by the Canadian Cat Association:

• Abyssinian
  Abyssinian (cat)
  The Abyssinian is a breed of domesticated cat with a distinctive ticked coat. There are many stories about its origins, often revolving around Ethiopia, but the actual origins are uncertain...
  
  
• American Curl
  American Curl
  The American Curl is a breed of cat characterized by its unusual ears, which curl back from the face toward the center of the back of the skull. An American Curl's ears should be handled carefully because rough handling may damage the cartilage in the ear. The breed originated in Lakewood,...
  
  
• American Shorthair
  American Shorthair
  The American Shorthair is a breed of cat believed to be descended from European domestic cats brought to North America by early settlers to protect valuable cargo from mice and rats...
  
  
• American Wirehair
  American Wirehair
  The American Wirehair is a breed of domestic cat originating in upstate New York. As of 2003, though the breed is well-known, it is ranked as the most rare of the 41 Cat Fancier's Association breeds, with only 22 registered, down from 39 in 2002.-History:...
  
  
• Balinese
  Balinese (cat)
  The Balinese is breed of domestic cat with long hair and Siamese-style point coloration. It is essentially a Siamese but with a medium-length silky coat, and a plumed tail.-History:The "Balinese" is not actually from Bali or any part of Indonesia...
  
  
• Bengal
  Bengal (cat)
  The Bengal is a relatively new hybrid breed of cat, formed by the cross of a domestic feline and an Asian Leopard Cat .Bengal cats have "wild-looking" markings, such as large spots, rosettes, and a light/white belly, and a body structure reminiscent of the Asian Leopard Cat...
  
  
• Birman
  Birman
  The Birman is a domestic cat breed. Also called the "Sacred Cat of Burma", it is not to be confused with the Burmese, which is a separate and dissimilar breed. The Birman has medium-long hair, a pale colored body and darker points with deep blue eyes. Even though the cat is pointed, the paws have...
  
  
• British Shorthair
  British Shorthair
  The British Shorthair is a domesticated cat whose features make it a popular breed in cat shows. It has been the most popular breed of cat registered by the UK's Governing Council of the Cat Fancy since 2001, when it overtook the Persian breed....
  
  
• Burmese
  Burmese (cat)
  The Burmese is a breed of domesticated cats split into two subgroups: the American Burmese and the British Burmese . Most modern Burmese are descendants of one female cat called Wong Mau, which was brought from Burma to America in 1930...
  
  
• Burmilla
  Burmilla
  The Burmilla is a breed of domestic cat which originated in the United Kingdom in 1981. It is a cross between the Chinchilla Persian and Burmese breeds. Standards were produced in 1984, and the breed gained championship status in the United Kingdom in the 1990s.-Origin:The Burmilla was originally...
  
  
• Bombay
• Chartreux
  Chartreux
  The Chartreux is a breed of domestic cat from France and is recognised by a number of registries around the world. It is not recognised by the GCCF in the UK, ostensibly for being too similar to the British Shorthair, one of whose colours is a similar blue-grey. The Chartreux is large and...
  
  
• Colourpoint Shorthair
• Cornish Rex
  Cornish Rex
  A Cornish Rex is a breed of domestic cat. The Cornish Rex has no hair except for down. Most breeds of cat have three different types of hair in their coats: the outer fur or "guard hairs", which is about 5 cm long in shorthairs and 10cm+ long in longhairs; a middle layer called the "awn hair";...
  
  

• Cymric
  Cymric (cat)
  The Cymric is a breed of domestic cat. Some cat registries consider the Cymric simply a semi-long-haired variety of the Manx breed, rather than a separate breed. Except for the length of fur, in all other respects the two varieties are the same, and kittens of either sort may appear in the same...
  
  
• Devon Rex
  Devon Rex
  The Devon Rex is a breed of intelligent, short-haired cat that emerged in England during the 1960s. They are known for their slender bodies, wavy coat, and large ears, similar to the Cornish Rex.-Discovery and relations:...
  
  
• Egyptian Mau
  Egyptian Mau
  Egyptian Maus are a small-medium sized short-haired cat breed. Along with the Bahraini Dilmun Cat, they are one of the few naturally spotted breeds of domesticated cat. The spots on an Egyptian Mau are not only on the coat; a shaved Mau has spots on its skin...
  
  
• Exotic
• Foldex
• Foreign Burmese
• Himalayan
  Himalayan (cat)
  The Himalayan cat is a breed of long-haired cat identical in type to the Persian, with the exception of its blue eyes and its point coloration, which were derived from the crossing of the Persian with the Siamese...
  
  
• Japanese Bobtail
• Korat
  Korat
  Korats are a slate blue-grey shorthair domestic cat with a small to medium build and a low percentage of body fat. Their bodies are semi-cobby, and surprisingly heavy for their size. They are intelligent, playful, active cats and form strong bonds with people. Among Korats' distinguishing...
  
  
• Maine Coon
  Maine Coon
  The Maine Coon is a breed of domestic cat with a distinctive physical appearance and valuable hunting skills. It is one of the oldest natural breeds in North America, specifically native to the state of Maine, where it is the official State Cat....
  
  
• Manx
  Manx (cat)
  The Manx cat , formerly often spelled Manks, is a breed of domestic cat originating on the Isle of Man, with a naturally occurring mutation that shortens the tail...
  
  
• Norwegian Forest Cat
  Norwegian Forest Cat
  The Norwegian Forest Cat is a breed of domestic cat native to Northern Europe, and adapted to a very cold climate, with top coat of glossy, long, water-shedding hairs, and a woolly undercoat for insulation...
  
  
• Ocicat
  Ocicat
  The Ocicat is an all-domestic breed of cat which resembles a 'wild' cat but has no wild blood. The breed is unusual in that it is spotted like a wild cat but has the temperament of a domestic animal. It is named for its resemblance to the ocelot....
  
  
• Oriental

• Persian
• Pixie-Bob
  Pixie-Bob
  The Pixie-bob is a breed of housecat. The breed was claimed by breed founder Carol Ann Brewer to be the progeny of naturally occurring bobcat hybrids; While some DNA tested Pixiebobs showed wild markers, few if any contributed to breeding programs...
  
  
• Ragdoll
  Ragdoll
  The Ragdoll is a cat breed with blue eyes and a distinct colorpoint coat. It is a large and muscular semi-longhair cat with a soft and silky coat. Developed by American breeder Ann Baker, it is best known for its docile and placid temperament and affectionate nature...
  
  
• Russian Blue
  Russian Blue
  The Russian Blue is a cat breed that has a silver-blue coat. These cats are known to be highly intelligent and playful but tend to be timid around strangers...
  
  
• Scottish Fold
  Scottish Fold
  The Scottish Fold is a breed of cat with a natural dominant-gene mutation that makes its ear cartilage contain a fold, causing the ears to bend forward and down towards the front of their head, which gives the cat what is often described as an "owl-like" appearanceOriginally called lop-eared or...
  
  
• Selkirk Rex
  Selkirk Rex
  The Selkirk Rex is a breed of cat with highly curled hair, including the whiskers . It is distinct from all other Rex breeds. Unlike the Devon Rex and Cornish Rex, the hair is of normal length and not partly missing, and there are longhair and shorthair varieties...
  
  
• Siamese
  Siamese (cat)
  The Siamese is one of the first distinctly recognized breeds of Oriental cat. The origins of the breed are unknown, but it is believed to be from Thailand. In Thailand, where they are one of several native breeds, they are called Wichian Mat...
  
  
• Singapura
  Singapura (cat)
  The Singapura is one of the smallest breeds of cats, noted for its large eyes and ears, brown ticked coat and blunt tail. Reportedly established from three "drain cats" imported from Singapore in the 1970s, it was later revealed that the cats were originally sent to Singapore from the US before...
  
  
• Somali
  Somali (cat)
  The Somali is a cat breed created from long-haired Abyssinian cats. The breed appeared in the 1950s from Abyssinian breeding programs when a number of Abyssinian kittens were born with bottle-brush tails and long fluffy coats...
  
  
• Sphynx
  Sphynx (cat)
  The Sphynx is a rare breed of cat known for its lack of a coat.The contemporary breed of Sphynx started in 1966, in Roncesvalles, Toronto when a hairless kitten named Prune was born. The kitten was mated with its mother , which produced one more naked kitten...
  
  
• Tonkinese
  Tonkinese (cat)
  Tonkinese are a medium-sized cat breed distinguished by points as with Siamese and Burmese breeds. They are lively, friendly, often talkative cats, with gregarious personalities. But they are happy apartment cats if they have some exercise opportunity. They are commonly referred to as 'Tonks'...
  
  
• Turkish Angora
  Turkish Angora
  The Turkish Angora is a breed of domestic cat. Turkish Angoras are one of the ancient, naturally occurring cat breeds, having originated in central Turkey, in the Ankara region...
  
  
• York Chocolate