Breeds of white cats isn’t quite the right phrasing. There is no one breed of cat that is only white, nor is “white cat” a breed. White is really just a color option, and a lot of different breeds of cats can be white cats. The most notable and beautiful of a snowy white cat breed is from specific cat breeds, and what it takes to care for them, are as follows.
Himalyan
Like its cousin the Persian, Himalyan cats have beautiful, soft, long coats of fur. Their fur is almost double-layered to help protect them against the cold winters of the Himalyan region. As such, these cats need a lot of grooming. You will need to brush them daily and bathe them whenever their fur gets a little bit dingy. Himalayans come in a variety of colors, but they are most striking when they are pure snowy white with blue eye color. You can tell a Himalayan apart from a Persian because Himalayans have the more compressed muzzle and nasal bridge and long, thin legs. Their coat color is slightly different as well.
Persian
The Persian feline originates in Iran, a great distance from its cousin the Himalayan. However, they have features that are similar. The Persian has long, silky white fur that is less dense but still luxurious. Its white coat color will be mostly white, but it is difficult to get true white coat color in a Persian. It may have a cream, buff, or gray tinge to the fur along its back and tail or ears that is barely noticeable unless you set the cat next to a really whitewall or another really white animal. They don’t necessarily have a dominant white gene Persians are often very finicky eaters, so you will have to find a diet that is ideal for your Persian’s sensitive stomach and picky tastes.
Ragdoll
This wildly popular breed is so adorable that it is impossible not to love one when you pick it up. These kitties droop when you pick them up, just like a ragdoll, and they absolutely love to be held and cuddled. If you are looking for a kitty that will attempt to get petted and loved by every member of your family, the ragdoll is the right choice. Ragdolls are one of the amazing cat breeds. A cat owner can fall in love very easily.
Every ragdoll comes with beautiful blue eyes, a trademark of the breed. The eye colour and coat colour are distinct in this white cat breed. However, their silky-soft, almost Angora-like fur comes in so many different colors. Turkish angora is another name for this cat breed and sometimes they have one blue eye. You might be hard-pressed to find an all-white one unless you run into a breeder that breeds only white ragdoll cats. Like the other long-haired breeds, you will need to brush your ragdoll daily to keep him/her from coughing up a lot of unpleasant hairballs. Special food for hairball digestion as well as all-natural hairball treats and treatments can help.
Russian White
A Russian White is quite possibly the only cat that specifically includes “white” in its breed name. However, it is actually a derivative breed of the Russian Blue. Years of very skilled breeding have reduced most of the “blue” color from this cat’s coat such that it appears very white, but on occasion, a slightly blue kitten will be born to Russian White parents. They have very vibrant green eyes and short fur.
Van Cat or Van Kedisi
This Armenian breed is very white, but often has a ruddiness to its head and hindquarters. Its eyes are almost always gold or blue, and many cats from this breed end up with heterochromia, or one blue eye and one gold eye. The heterochromia offset by the white fur makes the Van Kedisi very striking indeed. They also make interesting offspring.
Sadly, they remain mostly feral near or in Turkey and their numbers are dwindling. If you are offered a Kedisi cat as a pet, question its authenticity and then question how it got here to the states because most of the surviving cats are still in their native country. If genetic testing proves its breed, the animal may have been brought here illegally, in which case you would be rescuing it and returning it to its homeland.
British Longhair
Being a cat lover, many love the British Longhair breed for two reasons. One, the fur is almost always very curly and very long, giving it the appearance of a Curly Rex if a Curly Rex had really long fur. Two, its sourpuss face belies its very gentle and loving nature. Grooming this cat is a twice-a-day feat to prevent hairballs and digestion problems, and it needs a proper diet to keep its fur wooly-soft and luxurious.
British Shorthair
For people who want a really soft coat on their kitty but not all the work involved with the British Longhair, they get a British Shorthair instead. British Shorthairs have lovely soft coats like their Longhair cousins, but it lacks the curly wooly sheep look and the excessive length of the Longhair. The Shorthairs frequently have some coat markings too, which means that even the whitest of British Shorthairs will not be totally and completely white.
Angora
Perhaps the most iconic of all-white cats is the Angora. Like Angora goats and Angora rabbits, these cats have fur that is so undeniably soft you can’t stop petting it. However, Angoras have exceptionally high shed rates, which means all of that petting and brushing is going to leave a lot of fur everywhere.
Angoras benefit from consuming a lot of natural “cat grass” to aid in digestion of all of their fur that they ingest when they groom themselves. You can grow patches of “cat grass” in your home and place it where your Angora can nibble it. You should also know that people who have allergies to cats are almost always allergic to Angora cats, something to keep in mind if you have family members that might be allergic.
Albino
The Albino cat is not really a breed. They are the result of genetic defects that cause these cats to have no pigment in their fur coats and give them pinkish or red eyes. The albino cat can end up with very pale blue eyes that look almost white or silver. They tend to be predisposed to congenital deafness and/or blindness, something you can have your vet check for if you choose to buy or adopt an albino kitty.
These white cats, along with their genetic defect, albinism in coloration often have defects in their hearts, kidneys, and/or bone structure. They need lifelong care and they cannot go outside because they will get bad sunburn due to the lack of melanin in their skin/fur. Keep your albino white cat indoors all the time and keep him/her amused with lots of toys. While they can still nap in a sunny patch on the floor, make sure they do so with the blinds closed almost all the way.
So Many Cats With White Coats
So many cats with white coats are typically bred to get that white coat. It is rare to have a kitten born by accidental breeding that is all white. There’s almost always a little bit of some other color or tint present or white spotting. There are so many breeds with color variations too that you could get any number of breeds of cats that bear white kittens. If you are lucky enough to find an all-white cat of any breed, you should take it home because they are rare little genetic treasures indeed.
