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Learn about all the different cat breeds with our expert reviewed, thoroughly-researched breed guides to help you do the best for the feline in your life.
The golden ratio reveals the most beautiful cat breeds
It should come as no surprise that we are cat people, and we think every cat is beautiful, but it would be fair to say that some cats are perhaps a little more beautiful than others. The face of a feline can look regal, cute, or even a little squashed, but we love them all the same.
With that being said, we wanted to find out which cats are scientifically the most beautiful. Of course, we are more often concerned with cat health rather than looks, but that wasn’t going to stop us from scouring the internet for the most beautiful breeds.
So, how do you find out which cats wouldn’t look out of place on a catwalk and which cats are better known for their personalities? We didn’t want our bias to get in the way, so we used the golden ratio to work out the answer once and for all.
By measuring the distance between certain points on the face, such as the eyes, nose, and mouth, we were able to calculate how closely the face ratios of each cat aligned with the golden ratio. This is a ratio that defines beauty by its proportions. When used to measure the faces of celebrities, supermodel, Bella Hadid ranked the highest, with Beyonce coming 2nd.
So, which breed is the supermodel or Queen Bey of cats?
We have a three-way tie for the top spot with three breeds all scoring within 0.03 of the golden ratio of 1.62.
This gorgeous cat breed is known for its regal looks and long, thick coat. They tend to be quite large, with adults weighing in at roughly 12-16 pounds and standing at around 9-12 inches tall.
As the name suggests, these cats originated from Northern Europe, and their ancestors are thought to have been first introduced to Norway by the Vikings over 1,000 years ago.
Owning the most beautiful cat in the world doesn’t come cheap, with this breed usually costing anywhere between $900-$1,500.
These smart felines may be beautiful, but they’re not just a pretty face. Known for their intelligence, Russian Blues can learn how to open doors, play fetch, and even which places of the house they shouldn’t be getting into.
Their silvery coloring and green eyes make them a particularly striking cat, so they are an incredibly popular breed.
If you want to own a Russian Blue, however, you can expect to pay anywhere between $1,000-$1,700.
What this little cat lacks in tail, it makes up for in cuteness. They are known to be a playful and sociable breed, making particularly strong bonds with their humans. Owners will need to give these cats plenty of stimulation and attention, but they’ll be well rewarded with a loyal and loving feline companion.
Owning a Manx can set you back anywhere between $500-$1,500 as the breed has a variety of colors and markings.
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Of course, we use the word ‘ugly’ very lightly here as we think all cats are beautiful. However, by the standards of the golden ratio, there are a few felines who fall a little (and in some cases, a lot) short of this beauty standard.
This flat-faced feline sadly takes the top spot as the ugliest cat breed. As the golden ratio looks at the measurements between key facial features, the squashed nose, and large eyes give it a somewhat unusual ratio score and a unique appearance.
While they may not be the prettiest cats in the world, Himalayans have a lovely nature and are known for being particularly affectionate with their favorite humans.
The price range on Himalayan cats is wide, so you could be looking at a cost of anything from $200-$3,000 to own one.
These strange-looking cats have a rather short history, having been first bred in 1994 when a hairless Donskoy was crossed with an Oriental Shorthair. Their large pointed ears and triangular face give them quite a striking look, while their coats can change over their lifetime.
The Peterbald is known for being a little dog-like, with a loyal and affectionate nature towards their humans.
These cats are still relatively rare, so they don’t come cheap. You can expect to pay between $1,700-$3,000 if you wanted to own one yourself.
Rounding out our list of top three ‘ugliest’ cat breeds is the sweet and sassy Persian. While they may have a squashed little face, similar to that of the Himalayan, they have been around for thousands of years, with cats bearing a striking resemblance to Persians being immortalized in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics.
These felines are quite the glamor puss’ with thick, gorgeous coats and a lounge-loving nature. They may not have the facial ratio to match Queen Bey, but they are certainly queens (and kings) in nature!
Owning one of these cats will set you back anywhere from $1,300-$3,000.
Looking at 46 of the best-known breeds, we used images of these cats from Shutterstock in order to measure their facial features. As we were only concerned with ratios, the difference in size between images did not impact the overall result.
We took measurements for the following features before running the numbers through a golden ratio calculator to get the ratio score for each breed:
Length of face
Top of head to pupils of eyes
Pupils to nose tip
Pupils to mouth
Width of nose
Distance between outer corners of eyes
Width of face
Bottom of ears to pupils
Nose tip to chin
Mouth to chin
Lenth of mouth
Nose tip to mouth
With this ratio score, we were then able to work out the difference between each breed’s score and the golden ratio of 1.62, ranking each breed on how close their ratio score was to the ideal.
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Learn about all the different cat breeds with our expert reviewed, thoroughly-researched breed guides to help you do the best for the feline in your life.