There are three main groups; pedigreed (purebred), cross-bred, and non-pedigreed.

Pedigree cats are bred from the same breed of pedigreed parents therefore you will know exactly what he looks like when he is fully grown. A pedigreed cat (also known as a purebred or show cat ) is one that has been judged to be close to the physical ideal for its breed standard at a cat show. Not all pedigreed cats are show cats, many are just pets but the ones with the best conformation and personality are often shown in associations such as the CFA and TICA in the US, and the GCCF in the UK. Uncommonly, a prize-winning pedigreed show cat can be worth thousands of dollars but most are loved pets. In order to compare examples of breeds and improve stock, cat shows are held where judges evaluate the cats according to a breed standard. Pedigreed cats are often identified at birth with a breeder's mark - a small tattoo on their ear, and in recent years, they may have identifying microchip implants as well.

A popular misconception is that pedigreed cats are prone to a number of health problems that are not generally experienced by non-pedigreed moggies (mixed-breed cats). Certainly the genetic base for many breeds is quite small and inbreeding occurs. However, ethical breeders select for healthy animals as those with major health problems do not survive long. For instance, the breeding pool for CFA-registered Havana Browns was under 130 cats as of the late 1990s.

Cat breeders are continually competing to find the 'ideal' of the breed - the cats that come closest to fitting the breed standard. Because of this, the physical characteristics of a prize-winning show cat have gradually changed in some breeds. This genetic shifting is most obvious in the two oldest, most popular and most distinctive breeds of show cat - the Persian and the Siamese. However, some show cats are naturally occurring breeds that are perpetuated to keep the original look of a cat from a particular region. Examples are the Maine Coon and Turkish Van.

Cross-bred cats are the offspring of different breeds of pedigreed parents, for example, a Persian crossed with a British Shorthair.

Non-pedigreed cats have one or both cross-bred parents, making appearance, personality, and temperament difficult to predict.

Below is a summary of the advantages/disadvatages of the different types of cats.