The Golden Ratio, the ratio for the width of rectangles of 1.61803 39887 49894 84820, was named thus by the Greeks. In maths, it is known as “phi”, named after Phidias, who used it to create his architectural masterpieces. The exterior dimensions of the Parthenon in Athens, built around 440BC was one such wonder which formed a perfect golden rectangle. But the Golden Ratio can be applied to all creatures of beauty including faces, models – and cats.

New research from All About Cats used the ancient technique to analyse the facial proportions of 46 of the best known cat breeds in order to reveal the science behind the most beautiful cats in the world:

The 10 most scientifically beautiful cat breeds in the world:

Rank Cat Breed Ratio Result Difference from Golden Ratio of 1.62
1 Norwegian Forest 1.65 0.03
1 Russian Blue 1.65 0.03
1 Manx 1.59 0.03
4 Ragamuffin 1.67 0.05
4 Siberian 1.67 0.05
6 American Curl 1.56 0.06
7 Selkirk Rex 1.69 0.07
7 Siamese 1.55 0.07
9 Maine Coon 1.71 0.09
10 Egyptian Mau 1.72 0.1
10 Turkish Angora 1.72 0.1

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The 3 “ugliest” cat breeds according to science:

Rank Cat Breed Ratio Result Difference from Golden Ratio of 1.62
1 Himalayan 58.49 56.87
2 Peterbald 19.78 18.16
3 Persian 7.49 5.87

The three most attractive cat breeds, according to the ancient Greek standards of beauty, are the Norwegian Forest, the Russian Blue and the Manx, have secured a tie for the top spot, all scoring within 0.03 of the golden ratio of 1.62.

Bearing this in mind, it seems apt that it can cost between $1,000-$1,700 to purchase a Russian Blue, while a Norwegian Forest cat will set its buyer back by between $900-$1,500 and a Manx will cost between $500-$1,500.

Though all cats are the most perfect creatures in the eyes of cat people, a few felines fall short of the beauty standards of the golden ratio:

The squashed nose and large eyes of the flat faced Himalayan have landed it in the top spot for the “ugliest” cat breed, followed by the peculiar Peterbald and the sassy Persian cat. Asymmetrical faces hardly come into play on the monetary value of a cat – the price range of a Himalayan cat is between $200-$3,000, that of the relatively rare Peterbald is between $1,700-$3,000 and the Persian could fetch between $1,300-$3,000.