Dragon Li (cat breed)

The **Dragon Li** is a recently established Chinese breed of domestic cat (also called **Chinese Li Hua** or **China Li Hua** as a standardized breed, depending on breed registry). It was developed from a common landrace of cats in China, known as 貍花貓, Pinyin: ***líhuā māo***, literally 'fox flower cat' (sometimes shortened to 花貓 *huā māo* or 貍貓 *lí māo*); the native cats are featured in some Chinese folklore stories. The derived standardized breed is recognized by China's Cat Aficionado Association (CAA) the US-based, international Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) (Later revoked).

###### Other names

Chinese Lia Hua

*Líhuā māo* (貍花貓)

## Physical characteristics

The Dragon Li displays a unique golden-brown, broken-mackerel (also known as broken-striped) tabby pattern; distinctive ear tipping; large round almond shaped luminescent yellow/green eyes; and a strong full bodied stature reminiscent of its wild nature.

## Origin

The eponymous Dragon Li is thought in China to be a natural self-domesticating breed by way of a wildcat subspecies, the Chinese mountain cat (*Felis silvestris bieti*). While this theory is still somewhat controversial, it has also not been scientifically disproven, and is therefore widely accepted as the origin of this breed within established breeding sources in China. (All other cat breeds in the world are known to be descended from *F. s. lybica*, the African wildcat.)

The Chinese character interpretation is based on a legendary description rather than a fully accurate contemporary portrayal of the *lí hua māo*, and as a result, this cat had been confused with the wild fox by the Chinese. For this reason, the literal translated characters for *lí hua māo* read as 貍 referred as 'Common raccoon dog'; 花 from 花纹 for 'pattern', referring to raccoon patterns; and 貓 'cat'.

*Li hua mau* is the prevalent name for the original variety in China. More recently, the names **Chinese Li Hua** and **Dragon Li** have been used internationally for the standardized breed. The dragon is a potent symbol in Chinese folklore, standing for power and good luck.

## Popularity

The Dragon Li debuted as an experimental-class standardized breed in Beijing, China, in January 2004 All-breed Judges Dolores Kennedy and Barb Belanger of the American Cat Fanciers Association (ACFA) were guests of the Cat Aficionado Association (CAA) and judged the event. There were four of these pedigreed Dragon Li in the United States as of 2017.

In 2005, a male specimen named Needy, presented by its owner Da Han, was shown and won its class as first place CAA champion. The event was judged by John Douglas Blackmore of the ACFA. Needy was then "married" to a breeding partner in an elaborate mockup of a traditional Chinese wedding ceremony, attracting some press coverage. In February 2010, the **Li Hua** was accepted for showing in the miscellaneous class by the international (US-based) Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA). Since gaining international recognition, and due in part to its limited availability, the Dragon Li / Chinese Li Hua has now become of interest to cat fanciers internationally.

The Chinese literary legend "The Cat for Crown Prince Conspiracy" (狸貓換太子 *Lí Māo Huàn Tài Zĭ*) utilizes a *lí hua māo* as its central theme. The story has more recently served as the basis for the third episode (rendered "Wild Cat Exchanged for Crown Prince" in English) of the Hong Kong television series *Justice Pao* (包青天 *Bāo Qīng Tiān*).