Eight breeds of domestic cats popular in the United States are shown on four stamps in a continuation of U.S. stamp issues honoring domestic U.S. animals. The domestic cat is related to the African wild race, which also ranges into areas of the Middle East. Domestic cats acquired wild-type genes where domestic populations were established near wild regions. Thus, domestic cat populations may differ from each other because of such regional contacts. Today such genetic exchanges are limited to those few refuges were wild cats have not been exterminated.