These beautiful Asian cat breeds possess unique and fascinating features and behaviors. Some have their own markings and fascinating personalities. Others are ancient breed of cats that were worshiped like a god, and were believed to bring good luck.
The Siamese
The Siamese cat is a small to medium cat that traces its origin in Thailand. Aside from the distinct color point patterns, this feline has a long, slender body, long wedge-shaped head, almond-shaped blue eyes, long neck and tail. The breed is also recognizable by the colored points on their ears, face, tail and feet. The pointed color scheme include Apricot or Caramel, Blue, Chocolate, Cinnamon, Cream, Fawn, Lilac, Red, Tabby, Tortie (Tortoiseshell). Siamese are a very intelligent, very affectionate, extremely vocal, active, playful, and very people orientated cats.
The Balinese
The Balinese cat is not actually from Bali, Indonesia but rather a product of human-controlled breeding efforts. Looking like a Siamese cat in most respects, the breed is characterized by its long, slim body, semi-long silky coat, vivid blue eyes, and a plumed tail. Two known Balinese varieties are now being bred — “traditional” and “contemporary”. The traditional variety has a much longer coat than a contemporary breed. Color ranges from blue, chocolate, cream, lilac, red, seal, cream, and patterns including lynx (tabby) point and tortie point. An elegant, regal-looking and beautiful cat, the Balinese can weigh up to 3.1 -4.2 kilograms. Balinese has a life span of 18 to 21 years. The breed is active, very intelligent, affectionate, friendly and like to interact with humans.
The Dragon Li
The Dragon Li, commonly known as Li Hua and Li Hua Mao (Fox Flower Cat) is a Chinese Cat breed with its short, golden-brown fur and broken mackerel tabby pattern. This beautiful cat breed owns a powerful body, almond-shaped yellow/green eyes, and unique ear tipping. Also, Dragon Li has a rounded head, and medium-sized ears, round paws, medium-sized tail and well-muscled legs. Originating from the Chinese Mountain Cat, the breed is highly intelligent, loving, friendly, independent, and like to interact with children and other pets. Young ones are very active, but take on a reserve behavior as they grow up. Adult males weigh 5 kilograms or more.
The Birman
The Birman, also called the “Sacred Cat of Burma”, is a domesticated cat breed that originated in Burma. The breed is known for its distinctive blue eyes and having all four paws in pure white color. The first Birman cats were sealed-point, but other color-point pattern exist, including: bluepoint, Blue-Cream point, Cream-point, Chocolate-point, Chocolate Tortie point, Lilac-point, Lilac, Tortie point, and Seal Tortie-point. It has a medium-length, silky coat, semi-long, silky hair, a Roman nose, and relatively small ears compared to other cat breeds. Adult males weigh between 3.5 – 4 kilos. This beautiful Asian cat breed is very intelligent, playful, affectionate, gentle, active and a ‘people-oriented’ cat.
The Siberian
The Siberian or the ‘Siberian Forest Cat’, is an ancient, domestic cat breed that originated in Russia and was first imported to the United States in 1990. It is a medium to large cat with semi-long fur, muscular body, wedge shaped head, broad chest and forehead, medium sized ears, and big, well rounded paws. Color pattern includes range tabby, solid, tortoiseshell and color-point. Siberians have a sweet temperament, intelligent, friendly, caring, and fun-loving felines.
The Japanese Bobtail
The Japanese Bobtail is a domestic cat breed native to Japan and Southeast Asia, known for its unusual rabbit-like “bobbed” tail. It has a long and lean body; soft and silky coat; high, chiseled cheekbones; large eyes and ears. A medium sized breed of cat, adults weigh between 3.5 – 4 kilos. The Japanese Bobtail can come in any color, including the Predominantly-white calicoes, black and white, and red and white. This beautiful Asian cat breed can come in two varieties – Shorthaired and semi-longhaired. The Japanese Bobtail is an intelligent, affectionate, active, strong-willed, and highly-energetic cat.
The Korat
The Korat is a domestic breed of cat native to Thailand, famous for its distinctive blue-gray coat tipped with silver. A small to medium sized cat, this beautiful Asian cat breed has a well-muscled body, short haired fur, heart-shaped head, broad chest, and large, yellowish-green eyes. Adult males weigh between 3. 2 – 4.1 kilograms. Korats are active, agile, highly-intelligent, affectionate, and playful breed of cat.
The Oriental
The Oriental cat breed is fundamentally a Siamese cat having a different coat color and patterns. The breed comes in 300 or more color and pattern combinations including solid ebony, pure white, blue, red, brown, fawn and chestnut. Coat patterns include: Solid Color, Bicolor, Tricolor/Calico, Smoke, Shaded, Tabby, and Tortoiseshell. It has a muscular body, an angular head, long neck, round, almond-shaped eyes, large flaring ears, slender legs, and wispy tail. Orientals are known to be highly-intelligent, affectionate, loyal, and playful breed of cat.
The Singapura
One of the smallest breeds of cats, The Singapura is a small to medium-sized cat, native to Singapore. It has a muscular body frame, a very short and fine coat, large almond shaped eyes, large, pointed ears, and slender tail. The Singapura cat breed comes in only one color – sepia agouti (a rich, warm sable brown ticking on a warm old ivory background. A full grown male usually weighs 2.7 – 3.6 kilograms. The Singapura is an intelligent, very affectionate, gentle, friendly, and people-oriented cat.
The Turkish Van
The Turkish Van, nicknamed the Swimming Cat, is a large, agile domestic cat that traces its origin around Ankara, in central Turkey. This beautiful Asian cat breed is known for its unusual love of water and swimming, and its fascinating semi-long haired, water resistant single coat. This feline has stocky and muscular body with short necks, cashmere-like coat, eyes of different colors, and a colored and ringed full brush tail. Male Vans grow to about 7 kg, and can measure up to 1 m long from nose to tip of tail. Traditionally, the Turkish Van is an all-white cat, with colored patches limited to the head and tail. Turkish Vans are very intelligent, energetic, agile, affectionate, loving and simply enjoy having a bath.
adorable cats <3
I love cats! Any of them will do just fine! Meow!
Dragon Li pala tawag dyan, very common yang ganyan diba Kuya?
I am not a cat person, but I would love to have The Turkish Van.
they are indeed quite beautiful and unique.
I like the Siamese cat but I only have Dragon Li cat here in our neighbors house..hahahaha…laging nasa bahay namin…parang ako ang owner. Hahahaha….
Not really a cat person, but I wouldn't mind owning that adorable Turkish Van cat, just as long he gets along well with my dogs.
The oriental looks a bit weird but all these cats are a keeper.
I really like the Siberian cats, they are so fluffy.
I like the Siamese because it looks different.
OOOh. so that one is called a Birman, that one is actually one of the more intriguing cat breeds I've seen, so this info helped a lot.
I'm a feline lover ever since I was a kid. Had to let go of all my cats since my daughter has asthma.
I love cats but I never had a pet cat. These Asian breeds are rally cute.
Wow, a swimmer! That is the cat for me: a Turkish Van.