Happy National Moggy Day

The last day of July is National Mutt Day, set aside to celebrate canines of mixed heritage. But what about mixed-breed felines?

If you have a dog with DNA potpourri, you might say he's a Heinz 57 or a mutt. But what do you call a cat of mixed breeding? A moggy, of course! Chances are, you have a moggy and don't realize it. As far as we know, moggies don't have an official "day." So for this blog, we'll use July 31 as the date to offer special love to both mutts and moggies.

According to ASPCA Pet Insurance, there are more mixed-breed cats than dogs. Their web page notes that moggie kitties "can be a mix between two purebred cats, a purebred and a domestic cat, or two domestic cats." That can produce moggies of different sizes and interesting coat colors and patterns.

According to moggie lovers, these guys are generally intelligent, low maintenance, affectionate, and rank among the healthiest (and, therefore, longest-living) of all pure breeds. This trait is common with dogs, too, for the most part. Experts say that mixed breed dogs and cats have a wider gene pool, giving them less risk of inherited diseases.

Moggy is a bit of an odd word, and you might wonder where it began. It's a British term for "house cat" or "alley cat." Here in the U.S., we call such cats "domestic shorthairs" or "domestic longhairs." Quite some time ago, in the U.K.'s Lancashire and Cumbria areas, people would say a "moggy catcher caught a mouse." Later, the word "catcher" was dropped, leaving moggy, or cat, to hold its own in the U.K. The term simply hasn't caught on across the pond.

Here are examples of a few pure bred cats and their mixed cousins, the moggies. Check the descriptions of each to see which may be perched on the arm of your chair as you read this:

American Shorthair mix

They are of medium size and have short fur. They are pleasant companions, have medium energy, and moderate shedding. Their ancestors came to the U.S. aboard the Mayflower.

British Shorthair mix

They are of medium size, round bodies, plush coats, friendly, easy to train, and have minimal shedding. They are often called the "teddy bears" of the feline world.

Maine Coon mix

Large and loving, these guys are loyal but need daily grooming. However, they love water and tolerate cuddling.

Oriental Shorthair mix

They are very intelligent, active, and quite vocal. Similar to dachshunds and other small dogs in that they love to sleep under the bed covers.

There are other moggies to celebrate this month, including Persian, Ragdoll, Russian Blue, and more. But no matter the blend that makes up the moggies of the world, they are as beloved by their humans as their purebred counterparts. A cat is a cat, no matter its ancestry, and who doesn't love a cat? Besides, as the founder of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, once said, "Time spent with cats is never wasted."

Sources:

ASPCA Pet Insurance

https://www.aspcapetinsurance.com/resources/mixed-breed-cat/#:~:text=Moggie%20cats%20can%20be%20a,coat%20length%2C%20and%20body%20size.

Mixed Breed Cat Facts

Litter-Robot.com

https://www.litter-robot.com/blog/moggy-mixed-breed-cats/

What’s a Moggy? 9 Mixed Breed Cats