Editing Moggy (section)

==Domestic long-haired==
{{anchor|Domestic longhair}}
A domestic long-haired cat is a [[cat]] of mixed ancestry&nbsp;– thus not belonging to any particular recognised [[List of cat breeds|cat breed]]&nbsp;– possessing a coat of semi-long to long fur. Domestic long-haired cats should not be confused with the [[British Longhair]], [[American Longhair]], or other breeds with "Longhair" names, which are [[Cat breed|standardised breeds]] defined by various registries.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.aspcapetinsurance.com/resources/domestic-shorthair-cat-facts/ |title=Domestic Shorthair Cat Facts |access-date=3 February 2022 |archive-date=3 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220203013743/https://www.aspcapetinsurance.com/resources/domestic-shorthair-cat-facts/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Other generic terms are in [[British English]], ''moggie'' and in [[American English]] ''alley cat''. Domestic long-haired cats are the third most common type of cat in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.rover.com/blog/americas-most-popular-cat-breeds/ |title=America's Most Popular Cat Breeds |access-date=3 February 2022 |archive-date=3 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220203193650/https://www.rover.com/blog/americas-most-popular-cat-breeds/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

In the [[cat fancy]], and among [[veterinarian]]s and [[Animal control officer|animal control]] agencies, domestic long-haired cats may be classified with organisation-specific terminology (often capitalised), such as "Domestic Longhair" (DLH); "House Cat, Longhair" (HCL);<ref name="FIFe1" /><ref name="FIFe2" /> or "Semi-Longhair Household Pet".<ref name="WCF" /> Such a pseudo-breed is used for registry and [[Animal shelter|shelter]]/[[Animal rescue group|rescue]] classification purposes, and breeds such as the Persian cat. While not bred as [[show cat]]s, some mixed-breed cats are actually [[Pedigreed cat|pedigreed]] and entered into [[cat show]]s that have non-purebred "Household Pet" divisions. Show rules vary; [[Fédération Internationale Féline]] (FIFe) permits "any eye colour, all coat colours and patterns, any coat length or texture, and any length of tail"<ref name="FIFe2" /> (basically any healthy cat). Others may be more restrictive; an example from the [[World Cat Federation]]: "The colours chocolate and cinnamon, as well as their dilution (lilac and fawn) are not recognized in any combinations ...[and] the pointed pattern is also not recognized".<!--Don't change the spelling; WCF appears to use Oxford spelling, i.e. -our but -ize.--><ref name="WCF" />
[[File:A domestic longhair cat.jpg|thumb|A domestic long-haired tabby and white [[bicolour cat]]]]
[[File:Tuxedo longhair cat - Spanky.jpg|thumbnail|left|This domestic long-haired cat appears to be of partial [[Persian (cat)|Persian]] ancestry, with a relatively flat nose and fine hair.]]
[[File:Semi-Longhaired-Ginger-Black-White-Torbie.jpg|thumb|Semi Longhaired Ginger, Black and White Torbie]]

Domestic long-haireds come in all genetically possible cat colours including [[tabby]], [[Tortoiseshell cat|tortoiseshell]], [[bicolour cat]], and [[Smoke cat|smoke]]. Domestic long-haireds can have fur that is up to six inches long. They can also have a mane similar to a [[Maine Coon]]'s, as well as toe tufts and ear tufts. Some long-haired cats are not able to maintain their own coat, which must be frequently groomed by a human or may be prone to matting.{{citation needed|date=August 2023}} Because of their wide gene pool, domestic long-haireds are not predisposed to any genetically inherited problems.

===History===
Having apparently originated in [[Western Asia]], domestic long-haired cats have been kept as pets around the world for several centuries. During the 16th century, the first long-haired cats were imported into Europe. In the mid-17th century, when the [[Great Plague of London]] decimated much of [[London, England|London]]'s human population, the number of cats started to recover after centuries of persecution, as they were encouraged as protectors from flea-carrying rats.<ref name="World Encyclopedia of Cats">{{cite book |title=World Encyclopedia of Cats |first=Angela |last=Sayer |pages=40–41 |publisher=Chartwell Books |location=Secaucus, New Jersey}}</ref>

How the variant developed is still a matter of speculation. The long coat may have been the result of a [[Recessive gene|recessive mutant gene]]. When a long-haired cat is mated to one with a short coat, only short-haired kittens can result; however, their offspring, when mated, can produce a proportion of long-coated kittens. Successive litters of early European long-haired cats produced more and more long-coated offspring, which were more likely to survive in the cooler European climates. By the year 1521, around the time they were first documented in Italy, the variety had become fixed after only a few generations.<ref name="Domestic Cat × Pallas's Cat">{{cite web |url=http://www.macroevolution.net/felis-catus-x-felis-manul.html |title=Domestic Cat × Pallas's Cat |publisher=Macro Evolution |access-date=2 June 2014 |archive-date=20 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180120073427/http://www.macroevolution.net/felis-catus-x-felis-manul.html |url-status=live}}</ref>[[File:Mia Moran's cat Fish staring outside a window at snow - Dec 2022.jpg|thumb|alt=A red tabby cat domestic long-hair and Maine Coon mix at 7 months staring outside a window at snow|A red tabby cat domestic long-hair and Maine Coon mix at 7 months]]In the late-18th century, [[Peter Simon Pallas]] advanced the hypothesis that the [[manul]] (also known as Pallas's cat) might be the ancestor of the long-haired domestic cat.<ref name="Domestic Cat × Pallas's Cat" /> He had anecdotal evidence that established even though the male offspring would be sterile hybrids, the female offspring could again reproduce with domestic cats and pass on a small proportion of the manul's genes.<ref name="Long Haired Cats">{{cite web |url=http://messybeast.com/longhair-cats.htm |title=Long Haired Cats |year=2013 |author=Sarah Hartwell |publisher=Messy Beast |access-date=2 June 2014 |archive-date=1 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141001153554/http://messybeast.com/longhair-cats.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> In 1907, zoologist [[R. I. Pocock|Reginald Innes Pocock]] refuted this claim, citing his work on the skull differences between the manul and the Angoras or Persians of his time.<ref name="Long Haired Cats" /> This early hypothesis overlooked the potential for crossbreeding within the family [[Felidae]]. For example, the [[Savannah cat]] is a crossbreed between a [[domestic short-haired cat]] and a wild [[serval]]—both of which have different skulls and evolutionary lineage. Furthermore, hybrid females in the related genus ''[[Panthera]]'', such as [[liger]]s and [[tigon]]s, have successfully mated, producing [[tiliger]]s and [[litigon]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/barcrofttv/taligers-half-tiger-half-liger-cubs-born-in-usa-af4a |title=Taligers: Half Tiger Half Liger Cubs Born In USA |date=14 April 2014 |website=BuzzFeed |language=en |access-date=4 April 2019 |archive-date=4 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190404053243/https://www.buzzfeed.com/barcrofttv/taligers-half-tiger-half-liger-cubs-born-in-usa-af4a |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Singh |first=Atiya |title=Okapis and litigons in London and Calcutta |journal=New Scientist |date=25 April 1985 |issue=1453 |pages=7}}</ref>

The first modern, formal breeds of long-haired cats were the [[Persian cat|Persian]] and the [[Angora cat|Angora]] (named after [[Ankara, Turkey]]) and were said to have come from those two areas.<ref name="World Encyclopedia of Cats" />