The Origin of the Highlander Breed

The Highlander breed first began development in 2004 with its roots tracing back to the Highland Lynx. An east coast breeder developed the Highland Lynx in 1993 and although given the name that included "lynx", these domestic cats were not of any lynx ancestry. These cats immediately attracted interest and a devoted following rapidly developed due to their unique looks, size, and playful, clown like personalities. Upon welcoming the Highland Lynx into our homes and families we immediately realized that these cats were special, both in personality and looks. Uniting together we worked together to set up our breeding programs and develop a standard that we all agreed to adhere to and began working to develop a cat with a "big cat look" in a purely domestic breed. In late 2005 we took the name Highlander to further identify our cats as a breed of their own merit. We worked diligently to educate the public; to bring about an awareness of how special these cats are, both in personality and looks; and mostly to earn respectability for this breed and eventual championship status as a member of the cat fancy in one of the largest cat registries in the world, TICA. Our foundation cats were carefully hand picked for the qualities important to our development in producing the Highlander’s "big cat look", with domestic short hair and domestic long hair being allowed as acceptable outcrosses when needed. It is important to note that Highlanders have never used any other recognized breed as an outcross. We have carefully selected each and every Highlander foundation cat by a combination of the unique Highlander profile that immediately draws attention to the long-sloping forehead, intense wide set eyes are separated by a wide nose with substantial nose leather to give Highlander a look of its own.  The nose, muzzle, and chin form a blunt look to give an overall boxiness in profile. The Highlander has also maintained the loose curl that affects the top 1/3rd of the ear. It is not a tight curl like the American Curl and we believe it came from a Canadian breed called the Hemingway Curl through the Highland Lynx. These incredible features all ties together to visualize the unique "big cat" look of the Highlander breed in a domestic cat. Highlander breeding programs continue to selectively breed to protect and enhance this distinctive look as well as to enhance the bloodlines to keep them genetically different and pure from other breeds. Although their look is one of power and fierceness, Highlanders are a fun-loving, good natured cat that constantly entertains its humans with zany antics and enjoys being the center of attention.

Breed Traits and Physical Characteristics