Thursday, July 9, 2020

Most Popular Cat Types and Names in Japan

Are you a cat lover? You might find this information interesting.


It is estimated that 99.5% of Japanese cats are exclusively indoor pets. (Source Anicom Pet Insurance). I sometimes see cats without owners, but not as often here as in the US or other countries.  Kittens are very expensive at the pet store. 



The most popular cat breeds in Japan in 2020 are - - - 

1. Scottish fold 18.1%

2. Munchkin 11.2% 

3. American shorthair 9.9%

4. Mixed breed 9.4%

5. Norwegian forest cat 7.3%

6. British shorthair 6.5%

7. Ragdoll 5.0%

8. Bengal 4.5%

9. Maine coon 3.4%

10. Russian blue 3.3%  


The Scottish fold was the most popular breed in Japan for the twelfth year in a row.  The top three: the Scottish fold, Munchkin, and American shorthair are so popular that they account for almost 40% of all cats owned in Japan. 


The overall top five cat names in Japan are Mugi (wheat), Leo, Sora (sky), Maru, and Coco.  For female cats the top five names are Momo (peach), Mugi, Coco, Rin, and Kinako.  For male cats, the top five names are Leo, Sora, Maru, Kotetsu, and Mugi. 


What are popular names for cats in your country?


    6 comments:

    jacaranda said...

    When I was young we had a black cat called Satchemo, named after Louis Armstrong. These days it would be considered racist.

    Queeniepatch said...

    To your first question: Yes, I love cats!
    Second question: Popular cat names in Sweden. In my childhood, Missan, Tussan for females and Måns, Murre for male. I had to google to find what is trendy today. A girl cat will often be called Doris or Zelda and a boy cat Sigge or Sixten.
    Out cat is called Mimi (meaning ear, she has a scar on her ear, also it is a cute name for anyone!)

    Carol- Beads and Birds said...

    Interesting. No, I'm not fond of cats. I DON'T dislike them, I just don't want one. I hate the litter box. We had a cat when my daughter was young and I love him. He would sit at the door to go out to do his thing then cry to come in. He was house broke so to speak.

    I'm told that the lady who owned the house we just bought raised Maine Coon Cats. I think they are a cool breed.

    kiwikid said...

    I like cats too, but we are more inclined to have dogs, we have had Chowchows and they are kind of cat like. I have to go and look up those cat breeds I don't know many of them. I had a kitten years ago, it had long hair and was multi coloured called Smudge.

    Jeanie said...

    This is interesting! I have NO idea what cat names are popular here. I always named by cats after characters -- Stimpy from the Ren and Stimpy cartoon show; Gypsy for Gypsy Rose Lee (OK, I didn't know he was a boy when I named him) and Lizzie (ELizabeth Cosette) for the Queen (I got her Jubilee year and Cosette for the orphan in Les Mis.) I like the sounds of the names!

    Leonore Winterer said...

    I'm not a big fan of keeping cats indoors. Here, most cats can go outdoors, and (probably as a result) we have a lot more 'mixed' than pure breeds!