Talk:Domestic longhaired cat
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If long-haired cats are ill-adapted for outdoor life, how did long hair come about in the first place? was it through successive breeding, and if so, when? -- Tarquin
Longer hair and thicker coats were a natural adaption to cold climates, but it wasn't anything like as long and thick as a persian for instance. Orientals, which developed in warmer climates, tend to have less bodyfat and much thinner shorter coats for coolness. But I haven't written that article yet :) Today's cats have very little resemblance to the 'natural' product - they've been specifically bred for appearance and even the household moggies are fairly remote from the original cats. I have no idea exactly WHEN the breeding occured... ~~