“Foreign” vs. “cobby”

Serious cat fanciers describe cats’ body types as either “foreign” or “cobby”—essentially, slim or stocky. The quintessential foreign breed is the Siamese: slim and lithe, the cat equivalent of what would be called a swimmer’s build in a human. The cobby body is heavier, shorter in the legs and sits closer to the ground.

Persians are the classic example of the cobby body. Naturally some breeds fall somewhere in between, and they are called “moderate” or “modified.” The average mixed-breed house cat is a moderate.