Translation question

I'm in search for the correct English term that describe a shorthaired
cat that does not have a pedigree or belong to a recognized cat breed.
I need it for a good friend who is translating a part of her site
(about hand rearing kittens) from Dutch into English.

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In my search on the internet I found the following words, but which one
is the correct one?

Domestic cat
Stray cat
Moggie
House cat
breedless cat
Domestic shorthaired cat

Thank you in advance for your effort and your answers.

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On Jul 2, 5:35*am, Nick <[Registered users can see links. ]> wrote:

domestic shorthair

On Wed, 02 Jul 2008 11:35:30 +0200, Nick wrote:


That would depend on the target audience: for a general audience, I'd use
"domestic shorthair", understanding that the term actually refers to a
specific breed of shorthairs; for more cat aware people - those who are
likely to know that "domestic shorthair" is a specific breed and are
familiar with cat jargon and slang, I'd use "moggie" (short for "mongrel",
which I would *never* use for a cat because of its association with dogs).

The most generic term is simply "cat" - in general usage, if the cat is
something other than a random bred shorthair, a modifier woudld be used if
needed: "Main Coon type" (or other breed "type" if the cat isn't the breed
but resembles it), "longhair", or its breed name if it is a specific
recognized breed. For example, I could say I have fifteen cats: four
longhairs, of which one is a Main Coon Cat type, and eleven other cats.
(None of mine is known to be any specific breed, most are actually barn
cats, including two longhairs and a red tabby colorpoint, or something
similar.) I think the best general usage might be to refer to breeds by
name and everything else as "cat".

--
T.E.D. ([Registered users can see links. ])

"Nick" <[Registered users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:[Registered users can see links. ]...

My vet uses DSH (for "domestic shorthaired) on his office forms. Most
people I talk to use that term or "mixed breed." I rather like the English
term "moggie." I don't know that there really is a "correct" term, but
"stray cat" certainly would not be a good description unless the cat really
is stray (not a person's beloved pet, for example).

MaryL

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Like Mary says, there isn't really a generic term for a non-pedigreed
cat. An old term is "alley cat," but that often has negative
connotations. I would just used mixed breed or domestic shorthair as
well.

Rene

Nick wrote:

In Great Britain it's "moggie". In the U.S. it's "domestic shorthaired cat".

Noon Cat Nick krabde zich op donderdag 3-7-2008 op het hoofd en
schreef:

Thanks all for the answers ;-)

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Nick expressed precisely :

British Shorthair.

--
Count Baldoni

DSH is what the vet and other organizations use.
Domestic Short Hair.

Coloration can be added as well, as in "tabby".
I've seen moggie on the internet, but never heard it from the Humane Society
or a vet.
I'll have to check its origin.

Mine is now over 16 years old.


"Baldoni" <[Registered users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:[Registered users can see links. ]...

I'd suggest the term "moggie" be dropped from the list of possibilities,
because although many of the negative associations may have been dropped by
usage, it still carries them.

The main distinctions seem to be long and short-hair, and the pattern of
colour markings, outside of specific breeding circles.


"Ralph" <[Registered users can see links. ]> wrote in message news:galval$nle$[Registered users can see links. ].ca...