This is not a generic personality quiz. Our feline morphology assessment uses 12 questions covering coat phenotype, body frame conformation, cranial structure, and behavioural temperament markers — the same trait categories used in professional breed identification — to calculate your cat's most likely genetic lineage match with a percentage score.
This quiz uses 12 morphological and behavioural questions — the same trait categories used in professional feline phenotype assessment — to identify which breed your cat most closely resembles.
The quiz analyses:
12 questions · approximately 2 minutes · no data collected
Feline morphology is the study of a cat's observable physical structure — coat, body frame, head shape, ear set, muzzle profile, and eye placement. When applied systematically, these physical traits (known as phenotypic markers) allow experienced observers to narrow down which breed standard a cat most closely matches.
Unlike a generic quiz that asks "is your cat friendly?", this tool applies the same analytical framework used by cat show judges and feline geneticists: assessing body frame conformation (cobby, lithe, substantial), coat phenotype (ticked agouti, colourpoint, spotted tabby), and cranial morphology (brachycephalic, wedge, rounded). The result is a percentage match, not a binary guess.
Coat length, texture (silky vs plush vs shaggy), and pattern type (tabby, colourpoint, ticked agouti, spotted, solid) are among the most genetically diagnostic traits in breed identification.
Whether your cat is cobby (compact, rounded), lithe (long, lean), or substantial (large, heavy-boned) correlates strongly with specific breed lineages and genetic groups.
Breeds cluster into genetic groups — Oriental, Nordic, Brachycephalic, Hybrid, Western European. Identifying which group your cat belongs to often explains multiple traits simultaneously.
Each of the 12 questions awards weighted points to one or more breed profiles based on your answer. The weighting reflects the diagnostic specificity of each trait — highly breed-specific traits (like folded ears, hairless coat, or ticked agouti pattern) receive much higher scores than common traits shared across many breeds.
After all 12 questions, each breed's total raw score is divided by the maximum it could theoretically have received from your answered questions, producing a normalised percentage match. This approach handles partially-answered quizzes gracefully and produces meaningful scores for both purebred and mixed-heritage cats.
Answer selection
Each option scores weighted points to matching breeds. Highly specific traits (e.g. folded ears → Scottish Fold: 12 pts) outweigh generic ones.
Max-score normalisation
Per-question maximum scores are tracked. Your total score per breed is divided by its normalised maximum — producing a fair percentage regardless of which questions you answered.
Primary and secondary detection
The top-scoring breed is your primary match. If the second breed scores within 72% of the top score, it becomes a secondary lineage match — indicating mixed heritage.
Mix percentage calculation
When two breeds qualify, their raw scores are used to calculate a proportional split (e.g. 78% Maine Coon + 22% Norwegian Forest Cat), producing the summary sentence at the top of your result.
Coat pattern is one of the most genetically informative visible traits in domestic cats. Understanding the pattern on your cat's coat can immediately narrow down their likely breed ancestry — because certain patterns are controlled by specific genes that are far more common in some breed lineages than others.
The genetics of coat colour and pattern in domestic cats are well-documented in the scientific literature. The cat coat genetics article on Wikipedia provides a solid overview of how the agouti gene, tabby modifier genes, and sex-linked colour genes interact to produce the patterns described below.
Gene: Agouti gene + Tabby modifier
The most common pattern in domestic cats. Mackerel tabby shows narrow parallel stripes. Classic (blotched) tabby shows swirled marbled patterns. Both are controlled by the tabby modifier gene acting on the agouti locus. Common in Maine Coon, Domestic Shorthair, and most non-specialist breeds.
Most common in: Maine Coon, Domestic Shorthair, Norwegian Forest Cat
Gene: Tabby modifier + spot gene
Oval or round spots instead of stripes — caused by modifier genes breaking up the tabby striping into discrete spots. Rosette patterns (two-toned spots) are a Bengal-specific expression of this gene combination, enhanced by selective breeding from Asian Leopard Cat introgression.
Most common in: Bengal (rosette spots), Abyssinian (ticked variant), Ocicat
Gene: Agouti gene (homozygous Ta allele)
Each individual hair carries 4–6 alternating dark and light colour bands — producing a luminous, uniform coat with no visible stripe or spot markings on the body. This pattern is most strongly associated with the Abyssinian breed, where it has been selectively fixed.
Most common in: Abyssinian, Somali
Gene: Temperature-sensitive tyrosinase (cs allele)
Pigmentation is restricted to cooler body extremities (face mask, ears, paws, tail) — called 'points'. The warm body core remains pale. Caused by a heat-sensitive enzyme variant that inhibits melanin production above a threshold body temperature.
Most common in: Siamese, Ragdoll, Balinese, Himalayan
Gene: Non-agouti (aa) homozygous
A single uniform colour with no pattern markings. Requires homozygous non-agouti gene expression to suppress tabby pattern visibility. The Russian Blue, Burmese, and Bombay are classic solid/self coat examples.
Most common in: Russian Blue, Burmese, British Shorthair (blue), Bombay
Gene: X-chromosome linked orange gene
Tortoiseshell (black + orange patches) and calico (tri-colour with white) are almost exclusively female — caused by random X-chromosome inactivation in cells. Van pattern describes a predominantly white cat with colour restricted to head and tail only.
Most common in: Domestic Shorthair (tortie, calico), Turkish Van (Van pattern)
Modern cat breed genetics clusters most pedigree breeds into distinct lineage groups — regional populations that share common ancestral traits. If your cat strongly matches a breed within one of these groups, related breeds in the same group are likely secondary matches. This is the foundation of our secondary lineage scoring.
Breeds: Siamese, Burmese, Balinese, Oriental SH/LH
Common traits: Wedge head, lithe body, loud vocal, colourpoint or solid coat, large ears, very social
Breeds: Maine Coon, Norwegian Forest Cat, Siberian
Common traits: Large substantial frame, semi-long shaggy or waterproof coat, tufted ears, moderate vocal
Breeds: Persian, Himalayan, Exotic Shorthair
Common traits: Flat snub face, cobby body, silent, long or dense coat, very low energy
Breeds: Bengal, Savannah, Chausie
Common traits: Wild coat phenotype, muscular elongated body, spotted or marbled pattern, very high energy, water-loving
Breeds: British Shorthair, Scottish Fold, Chartreux
Common traits: Cobby-semi-cobby frame, round head, plush dense coat, quiet temperament, calm independent
Breeds: Russian Blue, Norwegian Forest Cat, Finnish cat
Common traits: Double coat, reserved temperament, green or amber eyes, strong independent streak
A purebred cat has documented ancestry within a single recognised breed, selectively bred to meet a defined breed standard — a set of physical and temperamental traits registered with organisations such as the CFA (Cat Fanciers' Association) or TICA (The International Cat Association). Purebreds express their breed's phenotype more consistently and predictably than mixed-heritage cats.
A mixed-breed cat — classified as Domestic Shorthair or Domestic Longhair depending on coat length — carries genetic fragments from multiple ancestral lineages. This genetic heterozygosity confers significant health advantages (often called hybrid vigour) but makes phenotype prediction less consistent. Mixed-breed cats make up over 90% of the world's pet cat population.
For mixed-breed cats, our quiz is still highly informative — it identifies which phenotypic traits your cat has inherited most strongly from its multi-breed ancestry, and presents these as a percentage breakdown rather than a single breed label.
Quiz vs DNA test — an important distinction
Visual phenotype assessment — whether by quiz, photo AI, or even a professional cat judge — can only identify which breed standard a cat most resembles based on observable traits. It cannot confirm genetic ancestry. For a certified genetic breed breakdown alongside health marker screening, a specialist cat DNA test (such as Basepaws or Wisdom Panel) is required.
Systematic trait-by-trait assessment producing a percentage match with breed-specific morphological marker breakdown, care guide, and shareable result. Best starting point for any cat owner.
Uploads your cat's actual image for AI visual analysis — cross-referencing coat texture, facial structure, and body proportions. More precise for clear photos. Use alongside the quiz for confirmation.
Saliva swab analysed in a certified genetics lab. Returns precise breed percentages alongside health markers and wildcat ancestry data. Gold standard — but slow and expensive.
A vet assesses dominant breed characteristics through physical examination. Especially valuable for kittens and when breed-specific health screening is the primary goal.
A morphology-based quiz provides a strong indication of which breed your cat most phenotypically resembles — but cannot confirm genetic ancestry. Our quiz analyses 12 trait categories to produce a match percentage rather than a simple guess. For genetic certainty, a certified DNA test is required.
Phenotype identification refers to assessing the observable physical and behavioural traits of a cat — coat texture, body frame conformation, cranial morphology, ear structure — to determine which breed standard they most resemble. It is the same assessment approach used by professional cat show judges and feline geneticists as an initial classification method.
Cobby describes a short, rounded, compact cat body type with a broad chest and low-slung build — classic in British Shorthair and Persian breeds. The opposite conformation is lithe (long, lean, tubular), seen in Siamese and Abyssinian cats. Understanding body frame conformation is one of the most diagnostic traits in breed identification.
Folded ears are exclusively caused by the Fd (folded) gene mutation, which affects cartilage development throughout the body. This trait is uniquely associated with the Scottish Fold breed. No other recognised breed standard includes this trait. Note: the same mutation can cause painful osteochondrodysplasia when inherited in two copies — a significant welfare concern in the breed.
Yes — the quiz is built specifically for rescue and mixed-breed cats. When your cat's traits span more than one breed, the quiz returns a primary match plus secondary match with a percentage breakdown. This reflects the genetic reality of most domestic cats.
This quiz identifies likely breeds from your descriptions of observable traits — useful when you want to understand the 'why' behind your cat's characteristics. Our AI photo identifier analyses your cat's actual image — coat texture, facial structure, body proportions — for a more precise visual result. Using both together gives the most complete picture.
AI cat breed identifier by photo
Upload a photo to identify your cat breed from a visual image analysis — precise, instant, free.
Cat breed guides
In-depth breed profiles, care guides, and identification tips for specific breeds.
How the AI identifier works
Learn about the technology behind our visual breed identification tool.
Retake the quiz
Try the morphology quiz again with different answers to explore alternative breed matches.