Looking for some gorgeous fluffy black cat breeds to adopt?
How about ginormous ebony felines?
From big to small, fleecy to sleek, we’re checking out all the most beautiful black cats that you can adopt.
Let’s dive in!
- Related: 10 black cat breeds you’ll fall in love with
Black Cat Breeds You Can Adopt Today
When compared to other cat breeds, all-black cat breeds have had it rough.
They have been involved in superstition in several cultures worldwide.
Some believed they brought happiness and good luck, while others thought black cats signify a bad omen.
For instance, in Japan, women are advised to own black cats to “increase” their chances of finding suitors for marriage.
Recently, though, there’s been a disturbing trend of black cat owners abandoning their felines for being too “un-photogenic.”
In other words, these owners ditched their ebony felines simply because they didn’t “pop” on Instagram as well as lighter-colored cats.
According to the RSPCA, 70% of the abandoned cats in their care were black, and they reported that people are less likely to adopt black cats from the shelters.
But black cats are like any other cat. They have great personalities, lovable characteristics, and they are gorgeous too.
Solid black cats can either be coal black, dark brown, or grayish black. And they can be a crossbreed or a pure breed.
According to the Cat Fanciers’ Association, there are 22 cat breeds with solid black coats.
They range from short-haired to long-haired fluffy black cat breeds.
If you’re seeking to add one of these felines to your family, below are some of the gorgeous black cat breeds you can adopt.
Fluffy Black Cat Breeds
Let’s start with the floosters, shall we? You may be surprised to find out that not all fluffy black cats have long hair! Keep reading to see what I mean.
1. Persian
According to the Cat Fanciers’ Association, the Persian cat breed is one of the world’s most popular cat breeds.
They have long fluffy, silky hair, expressive copper-colored/golden eyes, and a snub nose. Persian cats originated from Persia (Modern Day Iran).
And like most modern breeds, some selective breeding was done to give it the features it has today.
These fluffy cats are high-maintenance cats due to their luxurious long and soft coats.
So keep that in mind when considering adopting this breed. It’s also best to keep them indoors most of the time. This helps maintain the coat at a desired length and shape.
2. British Shorthairs
With “shorthair” in the name, you wouldn’t expect these felines to be all that fluffy.
Sure, they don’t have the long luscious locks of their Persian counterpart, but they still know how to bring on the floof.
British Shorthairs are some of the oldest cat breeds globally and the most pedigreed cat in the UK.
They are famous for their calmness, plush coat, and golden eyes.
The Blue British Shorthair was the most common, but breeders have developed other colors and patterns.
The CFA acknowledges the red, black, gray, silver, and cream solid colors and various tabby patterns.
You may sometimes mistake them for the Scottish Fold. But the Fold has folding ears while the British Shorthair’s ears are triangular and pointed.
3. Japanese Bobtails
The Japanese Bobtail is another old cat breed that has been around since the 17th century.
It’s native to Japan and Southern Asia. Japanese Bobtails are a crucial phenomenon in Japan’s traditional folklore.
And like the American Bobtail, they feature a bobbed tail. And they come in a wide variety of coat colors, including black, white, and patterns.
There are long-haired and short-haired Japanese bobtails. The long-haired variety tends to have a silky and fluffy coat that’s often easy to maintain.
Japanese bobtails are friendly to their owners, strangers, and even to other pets.
And since they’re more susceptible to becoming obese, you need to engage them in physical activity frequently.
4. Chantilly-Tiffany
Often described as a moderate cat with no extremes, the Chantilly-Tiffany is another amazing black cat breed with yellow eyes that will melt your heart. Common colors besides black include blue, chocolate, lilac, platinum, and silver.
Tiffany, for short, has semi-long fur with little or no undercoat that is silky and soft to the touch. It’s an affectionate and sweet cat breed that thrives on human attention without being overly demanding.
However, these fluffy black cats can be a bit “talkative” when you ignore them for too long.
Large Black Cat Breeds
Looking for one of the largest fluffy black cat breeds? Check out these two beauties!
5. Bombay
Are you looking for black cat breeds with green eyes? Then you can’t go wrong with the adorable and mysterious Bombay, the only cat exclusively in black.
The Bombay is a short-haired crossbreed between the American shorthair and the Burmese.
Being a mix between American Shorthair and Burmese, Bombay cats have a deep black coat, similar to the black Indian leopard.
It was also named after a city in India where black panthers are quite common.
I bet you’ll love the strikingly glossy smooth black coat and bright yellow eyes. And what’s more? It’s the only cat breed that comes in one color exclusively.
Considering they retain the American Shorthair’s personality and the Burmese’s athletic body, there’s nothing not to like with this cat breed starting with B.
As a whole, Bombay cats are easy-going, affectionate, and bond strongly with their owner.
They crave attention, and they are very generous with it too. Bombay cats are also child-friendly and easy to maintain.
Interestingly, even their paw pads are black, something uncommon in other black cats.
Since they’re a black cat breed with short hair, they shed very little and require minimal grooming.
But Bombay cats are so playful and mischievous that some people consider these black beauties an aggressive breed.
6. Maine Coon
Also known as a gentle giant, the Maine Coon Cat breed is one of the world’s largest cat breeds.
It also boasts numerous Guinness World records for being the largest and the most muscular cat.
And it’s one of the breeds that can jump really high. But despite being a “giant cat,” the Maine Coon cat breed is friendly, curious, and devoted to the owner.
Their origin isn’t clear yet, but some people associate it with the Siberian and Norwegian Forest Cats.
History shows people widely used them in ships and homes due to their superb mouse-hunting skills.
Maine Coons have a distinctive thick, large, silky, and water-repellent coat that’s actually an adaptation to the Maine climate in the United States.
They are also not high-maintenance cats. Grooming at least twice a month is enough.
Maine Coons also come in 5 solid colors: black, blue, cream, white, and red.
Black Cat Breeds with Short Hair
Looking for a cat with shorter locks that are easier to maintain? Check out these next four beauties.
7. American Shorthair
The American Shorthair is one of the most popular domestic cats.
This breed was likely bred from the European Shorthair and other cats that came with sailors from Europe.
Their primary role was to control the rodent population.
The most distinct feature about this breed is the muscular body and a thick, dense coat that becomes denser when winter kicks in.
Unlike the Bombay cats, American Shorthairs come in a wide variety of colors that you can choose from.
These include black, blue, chinchilla, cream, brown, red, silver, white, and golden.
Since they’re working cats, American Shorthairs require regular exercise and regular grooming.
They make good companions love attention, but they can also perfectly play on their own when they need to.
8. Cornish Rex
The Cornish Rex is not your typical looking cat. It has a unique coal-black curly coat, large high-set ears, an egg-shaped head, and a curved body.
The curl is a result of a genetic mutation. Cornish Rex cats originated from England in the 1950s when an unusual cat was born among a barn of cats.
This cat was crossbred with other cats, including the Siamese, to give it the looks it has today.
Cornish Rex cats also resemble greyhounds due to body shape, and they love playing various pet games such as fetch, acrobatics, and racing.
They come in solid colors as well as varying colors and patterns. The solid shades include black, white, orange, or blue.
And they also come in varying patterns. Before adopting a Cornish Rex, bear in mind that they sometimes suffer from hair loss and are sensitive to cold climates.
9. Devon Rex
The Devon Rex are medium-sized playful and intelligent cats.
Sometimes they’re referred to as “alien cats” due to their unique body shape and appearance.
They look like the Cornish Rex, but they experienced different gene mutations.
Devon Rex cats can learn new tricks faster than most cats, but they can be a little mischievous, and motivating them is sometimes a challenge.
They are also known for occupying the top-most areas in the room or your house’s hidden sections where a larger cat wouldn’t fit.
Since they only feature guard hair, Devon Rex requires special care to protect their skin, but they’re not high-maintenance cats.
10. Sphynx
Sphynx cats are friendly and adventurous in nature, and characterized by a lack of hair throughout the body.
But some of them may have fine hairs that make their skin texture a little leather-like. Also, some may have whiskers, while some may not.
Their coats are colored just like the fur would if they had fur.
This includes solid colors, tabbies, torties, and any other patterns you’ll find in furred cats.
Even though it’s associated with the Donskoy and Peterbald (hairless cats), the Sphynx cats we have today originated from Canada through selective breeding.
11. Oriental
With their long heads, tall ears, and slender legs, black Oriental cats can seem quite spooky.
However, they are one of the best cat breeds for children despite their tendency to talk in a loud, raspy voice.
Oriental cats come in more than 300 colors and patterns, unlike the Siamese from which people developed the breed.
But we can all agree that black Oriental cats are stunning with their short black coat and cheerful disposition.
Long Haired Black Cat Breed
12. American Bobtail
American Bobtails are famous for their wild-but-friendly look. They are a mixture of a short-tailed Tabby and Siamese cats.
Bobtails have a distinctive muscular body, a bobbed tail (significantly shorter than a regular cat’s tail), and a naturally-looking hunting gaze.
They also have unique brown or black paw pads.
There are Bobtails born with no tails, and they are referred to as rumpies.
Bobtails are known for being friendly to humans and animals alike, loving, and less vocal. Being less-talkative doesn’t make them shy, though.
They are also very energetic and brave.
They come in solid colors, such as the Black bobtails, but some of them may have a combination of several colors and different patterns.
13. Russian Black
Most of you probably are familiar with Russian Blues and their unusual coat color and soul-piercing green eyes. But you probably don’t know that there’s such thing as a Russian Black, developed from a Russian Blue.
Some cat clubs don’t recognize Russian Blues in any other colors, but some do accept Russian Blues in black and white.
Accepted or not, Russian Blacks are magnificent cats that can enchant you with their striking green eyes and mellow temperament.
They also have a soft, dense coat and don’t shed much fur, which makes them a hypoallergenic cat breed.
So, if you’re looking for black cat breeds with short hair, the Russian Black is an excellent choice.
14. Scottish Fold
The Scottish Fold cat originated in Scotland, and it’s famous for the genetic mutation that affects their cartilage, causing the ears to fold.
Newly-born kittens have straight ears, but the ears start folding when they are 3 to 4 weeks old.
The folding-ears make them resemble an owl or a teddy-bear. Scottish Fold cats are quite friendly to humans and other pets.
They can also be long-haired or short-haired. Besides the folding ears, Scottish Fold cats have unique and entertaining purrs and meows.
They come in varying solid colors, including black, as well as a mixture of different colors.
15. Selkirk Rex
The Selkirk Rex is partly similar to the other Rexes due to the curly coat.
However, thanks to crossbreeding with the British Shorthairs, Exotic Shorthairs, and the Persian Cats, it has normal hair.
The hair is curly, more like the cat was hit by electric shock, but it’s gorgeous and fun to brush.
But make sure you learn the correct combing technique and use the appropriate brush.
Selkirk cats are known to be clownish and playful even in their senior years. This makes them an ideal family pet.
Dark Brown Cat Breeds
Ok, so I’m cheating a bit here. These kitties aren’t technically fluffy black cats, but their coat is so dark brown that they’re just a hair (pun intended) away from being ebony.
16. Havana Brown Cat
The Havana Brown Cat is a rare breed considering not many people own them, and it’s one of the few cats that are all-brown.
It comes with various brown color variations ranging from mahogany to brown-black colors and irresistible green eyes.
The Havana Brown Cat resulted from breeding the Chocolate Point Siamese and the Black domestic cats.
Havana Brown cats are sometimes talkative. I guess that’s because they retained some of the Siamese breed characteristics.
But overall, they’re adventurous, friendly, and easy to maintain.
17. York Chocolate Cat
Don’t be surprised if you’ve never heard about the York Chocolate cat. It’s a rare cat breed that was developed from a black and white farm cat in the 80s.
While they aren’t as black as other cats in this list, they’re far too cute to leave them out.
Unlike most farm cats, the York has a lustrous coat, medium-long fur, fluffy tail, and piercing gold, green, or hazel eyes.
Their silky hair is soft to the touch and mat-resistant, so grooming is minimal.
Most York cats are chocolate brown, lavender, or a mix of these two colors.
They are affectionate, love to cuddle and get along with other pets/children. But they can be clingy because they crave human attention and don’t like to be alone.
What are the black and brown cat breeds called?
The black and brown color mixture doesn’t belong to a specific breed, but cats with such a pattern are referred to as Tortoiseshell cats or torties.
Generally, torties combine two colors, and white is not one of the colors. Most patterns include black and brown, red and black, or cream and blue.
This pattern occurs as a result of a combination of various color genes.
More often than not, tortoiseshell cats are usually female. Most male cats end up with solid colors.
What breed of cat has black paw pads?
In most cases, the paw pad’s color corresponds with the coat and fur’s color. That’s why most black cat breeds have black paw pads.
In rare cases, the paw pad color may match the nose’s color.
Why are black cats so silky?
Black cats have a soft, shining, and silky coat as a result of their genetic makeup.
This makeup leads to the production of a lot of melanin.
According to researchers, the genetic makeup that makes their coats silky also protects them from various diseases that cats suffer from.
And since most conditions that affect humans can also affect cats, this discovery can help researchers study these diseases as they look for a cure.
Do black kittens stay black?
The chances of your cat giving birth to black kittens depend on the genes.
Two types of genes determine the characteristics of the kitten – the recessive and dominant genes.
If one or both parents are carriers of the dominant gene, some of the kittens will be born with the black gene.
If a kitten is born black, he or she will most likely stay black.
The coat may change to a copper-ish or rusty colors as they age or as a result of a disease, but they will often remain black.
Are black cats usually male or female?
It’s possible to find both male and female black cats.
While some research suggests that there are more males than females, it’s not really supported by a large-scale study.
However, male kittens born to a mom with black fur will always be black.
So that could explain why people think there are more male than female ebony kitties overall.
What are your favorite fluffy black cat breeds? How about short-haired ebony kitties? Share below!
Check this BLACK CAT BREED WEB STORY
Ben is an animal lover, blogger, and all around geek. He divides his love equally between his family, his animals, and his video games. In his spare time he is attempting to get a blog off the ground. Boy, are they heavy!
