Top 10 Cat Breeds with the Most Inaccurate Names

Cat fanciers have often developed show breeds that differ from the original type, such as Persians and Siamese. Still, these breeds originated in those countries; and the original types are also bred. This list is for breeds with 'exotic' but inaccurate names, given by fanciers.
The Top Ten
1 Himalayan

Originally a cross of Persian and Siamese, it is a colorpoint Persian. Named after a rabbit breed, the Himalayan, with similar markings. This cat is not from the Himalayas.

So basically just name it after any place that sounds cool no one's gonna notice.

Damn why are all these cat names geographic...

2 Tonkinese Tonkinese are a domestic cat breed produced by crossbreeding between the Siamese and Burmese. They share many of their parents' distinctively lively, playful personality traits and are similarly distinguished by a pointed coat pattern in a variety of colors.

Originally a Siamese/ Burmese cross; not from Vietnam.

3 Balinese The Balinese is a long-haired breed of domestic cat with Siamese-style point coloration and sapphire-blue eyes.

A long-haired version of the Siamese; not from Bali.

4 Bombay
5 Bengal The Bengal is a domestic cat breed developed to look like exotic jungle cats such as leopards, ocelots, margays and clouded leopards.

It looks like the Bengal tiger, actually from India. A lot of them are supposed to be taken with extra context.

A hybrid of Asian leopard cats and domestic cats in the United States; not from India.

6 Cymric
7 Havana Brown

Said to be named after the color of a Havana cigar, this cat is not from Cuba.

8 Somali A breed of domestic cat that originated from the longhaired variant of the Abyssinian, the Somali is characterized by its bushy tail and tufted ears. Known for its playful and intelligent nature, this breed has a medium-length, ticked coat and enjoys interactive play.
9 Javanese The Javanese is a breed of domestic cat recognized by the Cat Fanciers Association as a show cat. It is an oriental-type longhair.

There have been several breeds of cats called 'Javanese', and none of them came from Java. In The International Cat Association (TICA) and Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA), the Javanese is a color variant of the Balinese. Also called Colorpoint Longhair.

10 Serengeti

I love this name. Though they resemble servals, Serengeti cats are not from Africa.

The Contenders
11 Savannah

A hybrid of the African serval and domestic cats; not from Africa.

12 Exotic Shorthair A breed developed through the crossbreeding of Persians with American Shorthairs, the Exotic Shorthair retains the Persian's calm temperament but with a short, plush coat. It is a medium-to-large domestic cat breed that is generally easygoing and affectionate.

A short-haired version of the show-type Persian; from the United States, so not 'exotic'.

13 Oriental Shorthair The Oriental Shorthair is a breed of domestic cat that is closely related to the Siamese. It maintains the modern Siamese head and body type but appears in a wide range of coat colors and patterns.

These are non-colorpoint colors of the show-type Siamese, so not actually from East Asia.

14 Oriental Longhair

These are non-colorpoint colors of the Balinese, so not actually from East Asia.

15 Singapura The Singapura is one of the smallest breeds of cats, noted for its large eyes and ears, brown ticked coat and blunt tail.

This little breed has strange origins, with cats imported and exported between the United States and Singapore. They may have some ancestry from Singapore, but are mostly an American creation.

16 Sphynx The Sphynx is a breed of cat developed through selective breeding starting in the 1960s, known for its lack of a coat, though it is not truly hairless.
17 Khao Manee
18 Birman
19 Pixiebob
20 Turkish Angora The Turkish Angora is a breed of domestic cat. Turkish Angoras are one of the ancient, natural breeds of cat, having originated in central Turkey, in the Ankara region.
21 Maine Coon
22 Persian
23 Abyssinian The Abyssinian is a breed of domestic short-haired cat with a distinctive "ticked" tabby coat, in which individual hairs are banded with different colors. It's thought to have been originated in Southeast Asia.
24 American Shorthair The American Shorthair is a breed of domestic cat believed to be descended from European cats brought to North America by early settlers to protect valuable cargo from mice and rats.
BAdd New Item