For us, Malaysians, a cat of unknown parentage is often referred to as a domestic cat, a stray or street cat, or even a pariah cat. Did you know they are known as moggies in other parts of the world, which is a much cuter name!
Purebred cats are felines that come from a pure, specific, and known ancestry. A moggy or moggies, as they’re known, are the exact opposite.
Moggies are the equivalent of mongrel dogs, and they are often referred to as the domestic shorthair cat. Unlike pedigrees that you purchase from breeders, you can usually find plenty of moggies in animal shelters and the streets.
A moggy cat is the most common domesticated cat. They come in a variety of colors, shapes, sizes, and markings. Moggies are well-loved and are a preferred kind of cat to adopt because they are full of surprises.
You can't predict what moggies look like as adults, but you can compare their looks to the most common types of cats to identify their breed.
Moggies are a lot of fun to have as pets and adopting this cat can be an enriching experience.
Basic Information on a Moggy Cat
Moggies are generally healthier cats that require minimal maintenance. They have a life cycle of 15 to 20 years and are considered medium-sized cats.
Male moggies are usually larger than females, and they can weigh up to 9 pounds. Due to their mixed-breed heritage, their behavior and temperament is pretty unpredictable, but they are generally friendly, laidback, and easy-going cats.
How to Identify the Types of Moggy Cat
Identifying the type of moggy cat you own is a complicated and almost impossible process. This is because moggies are mixed-breed cats whose parents could be two or more different breeds. This makes it extremely difficult to trace its kind.
However, you can check for which kind of moggy cat you own based on the color of their coat and the length of their coat hair.
Coat Color And Pattern
Some of the patterns that moggy cats come in are: solid, tabby, bi-color, tri-color, calico, tortoiseshell, or color point. While there are many colors moggy cats come in, the most common colors are: white, ginger, grey, black (tuxedo), or cream.
Ginger tabby
Grey tabby
Calico
Tuxedo
Tortoiseshells
Coat Length
You can however, check and compare your moggy with the most common mixed-breed cats and identify which description it is closest to. Here are some of them:
Short-haired Moggies
This is the most common moggies. If your moggy’s coat is at least 1.5 inches thick then it could fall under this category. It’s because of their shorter coats that short-haired moggies don’t require daily grooming and are considered low maintenance pets. Some common breeds that can be possibly mixed as short-hair moggies are British shorthair, American shorthair, the Burmese, the Bengal, the Manx, and the Savannah.
Medium to Long-haired Moggies
Medium to long-haired moggies have coats thicker than 1.5 inches which can grow up to 5 inches in thickness based on the kind of breed. These cats usually shed considerably and require attention and regular grooming. If your moggy’s coat is thick it could probably fall into this category. Usual breeds of long-haired moggies are the Ragdoll, the Persian, the Maine Coon, or the Norwegian Forest mix.
Hairless Moggies
Hairless moggies, as the name suggests, are rare finds and usually appear to have no hair on their coat. However, they’re not actually hairless. Their coat is covered in a very fine, suede-like layer of hair which isn’t usually noticeable until you examine it closely. If your moggy is hairless it can be classified under this category. Breeds that can be categorized in hairless moggies include the mix of the Sphynx, the Peterbald, the Bambino, or the Cornish Rex.
Bottom Line
Identifying the type of your moggy cat is entertaining, but the type of cat you have, whether moggy or not, should not matter too much because all cats deserve the same amount of love and care.