However, you may actually be surprised at some of the more rare and unique of the species.

I'm Bob from W5L and join me as I take you through 14 of the most rare and exotic cats.

14.

Serval Let's start off with easily one of the most

exotic cats out there, the Serval.

You'd be forgiven for not knowing about this special cat, as it's from Africa.

But what I told you that the Serval is actually pretty popular in the US as a pet?

What makes this particular cat so interesting is its size and it's look.

It's actually pretty tall for a cat, and because of its look, if you saw one of these in the

confines of your hometown or city, you might think it's a cheetah.

Yet, it's not.

Funnily enough, the Serval is a rather docile cat.

It doesn't climb, it likes being quiet, and it only hunts small prey.

And for those wondering, no, there has been no confirmed cases of a Serval killing a human.

13.

Peterbald Here's a unique cat that will make you do

a double take.

the Peterbald are a species of cat that are found mostly in Russia, and have a trait of

not having hair.

So they're quite literally bald cats.

Though, to be fair, not all of them are bald, some do get hair, but they do often lose it.

So, what kind of personality does a Peterbald have?

Well, it's actually quite a playful species of cat.

More than that though, it's intelligent.

So while it may not look the part, it'll likely understand you better than most cats on this

list or in the world today.

On a side note, this seems to resemble a cat who was owned by a certain Dr. Evil...

12.

Korat Though cats are accepted in most cultures

in the world, that doesn't mean they don't get their fair share of superstitions attached

to them.

A black cat for example can be viewed as bad luck, but also, there are good luck cats.

One of which is the Korat.

Why is the Korat considered lucky?

Well, it's because of its rarity.

To the extent that during the 14th century they were a sign of status and honor in the

Thai government.

Some were even given away as gifts to foreigners as a symbol of good faith.

That's quite a gift, huh?

Fast forward to today, and the Korat is still extremely rare.

Their blue coat of fur is often never seen in the wild or in the home.

Even cat shows don't get this rare species that often.

This is likely because of their more reserved nature.

They apparently don't like loud noises, which means a city would drive them notes, and their

noses are very sensitive to smells.

Which would also rule a city out.

So hey, if do ever see a Korat, regardless of the circumstance, go buy a lottery ticket,

because your day might just be lucky.

11.

Caracals Heading back to the exotic kinds of cats,

the Caracals is one that is both stunning to look at, and is very interesting in terms

of how it acts.

You see, Caracals are a type of Lynx, another exotic cat that has been known to have some

aggressive tendencies at times.

Because of this, you might think that the Caracals are the same , but you would be wrong.

In fact, many look at the Caracals as having the looks of a Lynx, but the personality of

the Serval.

Some even believe they are more "well-mannered" than Servals, which is saying something.

They also tend to act more like cats, as they use hissing as communication, and are very

independent.

Which...to be honest, is a problem at times, because they when they go into a playful state,

they've been known to wreck just about anything in their path.

They have been known to be taken in as pets, but these ones seem to be a bit more high-maintenance.

You've been warned.

10.

The Norwegian Forest Cat Here's a cat story you might like.

The Norwegian Forest Cat is a breed of cat that is very popular in Europe.

However, during World War II, this particular cat was almost made extinct.

It survived however due to the efforts of the Norwegian Forest Cat Club.

They saved the cats and then used a special breeding program to help bring their population

numbers back up to acceptable levels.

Because of that, they were declared a species, the Norwegian Forest Cat, in the 1970's.

I find this particularly heartwarming because when you think of extinct animals, rarely

do you think of small cats like this one.

Yet, it happens.

Thankfully, it didn't happen here.

If you are up for getting this cat, you can be in for a long haul with them, as they can

live up to 16 years.

However, you need to make sure you take care of them, because they have been known to get

Kidney Disease and Heart Disease.

9.

Serengeti Sometimes, you're not born into the world

an original, you're created, and cats have been breed that way for a long time believe

it or not.

A great example of this is the Serengeti.

This species is a recent addition to the cat world, as they were "developed" in the 1990's

by crossing the Bengal and Oriental Shorthair species.

Because of this, they have a look that has been likened to the Serval, yet they're entirely

different in every way.

The Serengeti has been described as a "confident, active, and graceful" cat, which sounds like

a perfect cat in my mind.

How about you?

Add to that, the breeding technique that helped create this particular cat has inspired others

around the world.

Makes you wonder what will be "developed" next.

8.

Ocelot Ocelot's are one of the more known exotic

species of cats in the world.

Mainly because they're gorgeous, and people have tried to make them pets for quite some

time...with mixed results.

Have you ever seen Archer?

Yeah, that's a good example of how not to raise an Ocelot.

Though you can truly understand why people would want to try and make an Ocelot into

a pet.

Their fur is stunning, and the way they look at you with those eyes is something special.

But, they can be a handful.

For example, they don't take well to commands, and will downright ignore you at times (cats,

am I right?)

Furthermore, they have a particular odor that can be overwhelming at times.

Oh, and they have a very "unique" mating call that will likely terrify you.

Thankfully, depending on how you look at it, Ocelots are very hard to obtain nowadays.

Maybe people have started to wise up?

7.

Ragamuffin While this may have an odd name, the Ragamuffin

is surprising unique in terms of other cats.

This particular breed was only recognized in 2003, but has taken the cat world by storm

since then.

It's a mix of specials including the Ragdoll and certain breeds of street cat, but when

you look and touch its fur and see its eyes, it's clear how special it is.

The Ragamuffin's further is almost unnaturally soft.

Even being compared to rabbits.

And for those of you who know how hard it is to keep a cats' hair from not clumping,

that's honestly not an issue with the Ragamuffin.

So it's honestly a cat you don't have to do much maintenance on.

Cool huh?

As if that wasn't enough, the Ragamuffin is actually pretty large for a domestic cat.

it has heavy bones because of it, which adds to its strength.

6.

Geoffroy's Cat From a rather big domestic cat to a very small

exotic one, let's talk about Geoffroy's Cat.

No, this isn't a cat owned by a specific person, but a whole species, and one that measure

in as one of the smallest cats on Earth, to the extent that when they're fully grown they

only weight at max eight pounds.

Yet, Geoffroy's Cats are survivors.

They were born in South America, and are so well adapted that the heat nor the cold will

affect them.

That's pretty neat.

People have an odd fascination with this breed of cat.

They apparently use it to breed a form of Safari Cat, and some have tried to make it

a pet.

Because of this, getting one is extremely hard, as their entire species are regulated

when it comes to trading for them or trying to obtain them.

Though known to be sky, they can attack when nervous or threatened.

They also prefer the quiet life, which is likely why South America suits them so well.

5.

California Spangled Developed in the US at the "urging" of anthropologist

Louis Leaky, the California Spangled is now one of the rarest cats in the world today.

Proving that even cat breeds can go out of style.

As you can see, the California Spangled was made to resemble the cats of Africa.

And you have to admit, they did a really good job.

As it looks like a Leopard, among other things of course.

Sadly, the desire for such cats also breed the Bengal and the Ocicat, which made the

popularity of the California Spangled take a nosedive.

Thus why it's so rare.

4.

British Shorthair It's well known that cats live long lives,

and have been around for a VERY long time.

But this species is one of the oldest known cat breeds ever, the British Shorthair.

This cat is so revered in the UK that it's inspired many things, not the least of which

was the look of the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland.

Plus, it's the most pedigreed breed in the country.

To be honest, it's not hard to see why people are attracted to it.

It's big, those copper eyes are both piercing and intimidating (in a good way of course),

and it has several different fur color possibilities.

Though its most famous fur is its blue-gray combination.

Thankfully, unlikely the Cheshire cat it inspired, this one doesn't vanish...or talk...that I

know of.

3.

Turkish Van This one deserves a special spot on my list

because of its unique fur and personality.

Anyone who's raised a cat knows that though they drink water, they don't bathe in it,

right?

And only jungle cats will swim in water, right?

Wrong!

Meet, the Turkish.

This cat is affectionately named the "swimming cat" because it really likes to swim!

Why?

Well, it's probably because its fur is water-resistant.

Which I honestly didn't know was possible for a cat!

Its fur is so special it doesn't even mat.

The history of the Turkish Van is also pretty interesting.

They were originally found in the 1800's in Turkey, hence the name.

And then later on were brought over to the UK.

Yet, they weren't brought to the US until 80's.

What's more, because of the Turks love for the cat, they made it hard to import for breeding

purposes.

Despite that, if you are able to get one, you'll have a very fun companion.

2.

Egyptian Mau Another cat that looks like a jungle cat,

the Egyptian Mau is unique because its spots are actually natural to it.

No breeding or development required.

But that's only the start of what makes this cat so special.

This is one of the fastest breeds of domestic cats out there.

In fact, it's been clocked at going 30MPH!

That's a fast cat, good luck catching one of them.

But wait, there's more!

The Egyptian Mau has been documented as having a very "musical' sounding voice, which is

a big plus for cat owners who don't want to hear an annoying "meow" every 5 seconds (I'm

speaking from experience on this one.)

Also, they have a very kind and gentle personality, making the Egyptian Mau a must have pet if

you can get one.

Which, sadly, brings me to the fact that there are only 7000 of these cats registered at

this time.

So they are a very rare breed.

1.

Bombay If you have been paying attention, you'll

have noticed that people really want miniaturized versions of wild big cats like Lynxs, bobcats,

jaguars, lions, etc.

Another cat that people have apparently wanted to "miniaturize" is the panther.

And because of that, the Bombay was breed.

These cats are rare, yet they really do look like a small version of a panther, but without

the aggressive nature.

The Bombay can even be leash-trained if you can believe it, proving that it's a very kind

and docile breed.

It's kind to other pets, it's kind to people, and those eyes just lure people to it.