Feline Glossary

Plain-English definitions of 40+ pedigree cat, cattery, health, and nutrition terms used across our breed pages and guides.

Reviewed by our consulting veterinarian · Curated by the DesignerCats Editorial Team

AVS Licensed Cattery

A cattery in Singapore licensed by the Animal & Veterinary Service (under NParks) to legally breed and sell pedigree cats. Licensing covers facility welfare, record-keeping, and microchipping.

Pedigree

A documented genealogy proving a cat's lineage across at least three generations, issued by an international registry such as TICA, CFA, or FIFe.

TICA

The International Cat Association — one of the world's largest genetic registries for pedigree and household pet cats.

CFA

Cat Fanciers' Association — the world's largest registry of pedigree cats, headquartered in the United States.

FIFe

Fédération Internationale Féline — the European-based federation of national feline registries that issues international pedigree standards.

FVRCP

Core feline vaccine protecting against Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus, and Panleukopenia. Recommended for every kitten from 6–8 weeks of age.

FeLV

Feline Leukemia Virus — a contagious retrovirus. Testing and vaccination are part of any responsible cattery's kitten protocol.

FIV

Feline Immunodeficiency Virus — a lentivirus affecting domestic cats; pedigree kittens are screened before sale.

WSAVA

World Small Animal Veterinary Association — publisher of the global feline vaccination guidelines DesignerCats follows.

AAFP

American Association of Feline Practitioners — issues feline life-stage and preventive-care guidelines used by veterinarians worldwide.

Spay / Neuter (Sterilisation)

Surgical sterilisation of female (spay) and male (neuter) cats. Recommended between 4–6 months of age unless breeding rights apply.

Read more: Sterilisation timing guide →

Microchipping

Implantation of a unique ISO-standard RFID chip under the cat's skin for permanent identification — mandatory for all licensed cats in Singapore.

Colourpoint

A coat pattern where the cat's face, ears, paws, and tail are darker than the body — seen in Ragdolls, Persians, Birmans, and Siamese.

Lilac

A diluted chocolate coat colour appearing as pale frosty grey with pinkish tones. Recognised in British Shorthair, British Longhair, and Oriental breeds.

Blue

A diluted black coat colour appearing as solid slate-grey. The signature colour of British Shorthair and Russian Blue cats.

Calico

Tri-colour coat (white + black/blue + orange/cream). Almost exclusively female due to X-linked colour genetics.

Tortoiseshell

Two-colour mottled coat of black and red (or their dilutes). Like calico, almost always female.

Tabby

Coat pattern of stripes, swirls, spots, or ticking. The four classic tabby variants are mackerel, classic, spotted, and ticked.

Bicolour

Coat combining white with one other colour, typically with a defined pattern such as van or harlequin.

Rosette

A spotted coat marking where each spot is outlined by a darker ring — the defining feature of the Bengal breed.

Flame Point

A red/orange variant of the colourpoint pattern, seen in Ragdolls, Persians, and some Munchkins.

Mitted

A Ragdoll pattern showing white 'mittens' on all four paws while retaining colourpoint markings on the face, ears, and tail.

Polydactyl

A genetic trait producing extra toes on one or more paws. Common in Maine Coons and historically prized as good-luck cats.

Rex

A mutation producing a curly or wavy coat. Seen in Devon Rex, Cornish Rex, Selkirk Rex, and LaPerm breeds.

Hypoallergenic

Breeds that produce relatively low levels of the Fel d 1 protein, easing reactions in some allergy sufferers. No cat is 100% allergen-free.

Brachycephalic

Flat-faced breeds (e.g. Persian, Exotic Shorthair) with shortened skulls. Requires extra eye and respiratory care.

Outcross

Permitted crossing of a pedigree cat with a specific other breed to maintain genetic diversity under registry rules.

Bloodline

A specific genetic line within a breed, tracing back to identifiable foundation cats — often used to describe imported UK/AU pedigrees.

Health Guarantee

A written contract from the cattery covering congenital and hereditary defects for a defined period — DesignerCats provides a lifetime health guarantee for hereditary genetic conditions.

PKD

Polycystic Kidney Disease — an inherited condition screened for in Persian, Exotic, and British breeds via DNA test.

HCM

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy — the most common feline heart disease; responsible catteries screen breeding cats via echocardiogram and DNA test.

DNA Screening

Genetic testing of breeding cats for inherited disease markers (HCM, PKD, PRA, SMA) before they are paired.

Kitten Socialisation

The critical 3–12 week period during which kittens learn to bond with humans and other animals. Cattery-raised kittens benefit from in-home socialisation.

Weaning

Gradual transition of a kitten from mother's milk to solid food, usually completed by 8 weeks of age.

Raw Diet (BARF)

Biologically Appropriate Raw Food — a feeding philosophy based on raw muscle meat, organs, and bone designed to mirror a cat's ancestral diet.

Fresh Cooked Diet

Human-grade, gently cooked whole-food meals formulated to complete nutritional standards — an alternative to raw for owners wary of bacterial risk.

Taurine

An essential amino acid cats cannot synthesise. Deficiency causes blindness and heart disease, so it must be supplemented in every complete feline diet.

Pet Relocation

Door-to-door service that handles IATA-compliant flight crates, export permits, vaccinations, and quarantine for cats moving between countries.

Cattery

A licensed facility that breeds, raises, and sells pedigree cats. DesignerCats uses 'cattery' (never 'breeder') to denote our AVS-licensed operation.

HDB-Approved Cat

Under Project ADORE and the 2024 HDB cat framework, all pet cats in HDB flats must be licensed, microchipped, and sterilised by the required age.

Missing a term? Suggest a glossary entry.

AVS-licensed Singapore cattery since 2011 (AS25A00005) — an imported kittens cattery specialising in 15 different breeds in Telok Kurau, an educational cattery experience families across Singapore have trusted for more than a decade. Ethically raised TICA-registered pedigree kittens for sale from UK, AUS, EU & US champion bloodlines, with a lifetime health guarantee for hereditary genetic conditions and island-wide hand-delivery.

🍳 Every pedigree kitten is raised in a home environment, health-checked, vaccinated and microchipped, and fed our in-house raw & cooked gourmet diet, manufactured by our affiliated company Raw Gourmet Singapore and available to continue at home.

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Last updated: 8 September 2026