Just like the recognized dog breeds, each cat breed has a set of well-known appearance and behavioral traits. Coat length is probably the most influential characteristic as far as care and allergies goes so we've used that to group the breeds below.
Click a breed name to open a mini-profile with additional information that should also be considered when deciding which breed is the best choice for you. Things like how well the cat might get along with children and other pets and how cuddly or vocal they are can significantly affect your day-to-day relationship with your pet. Careful consideration really pays off as cats often live a decade or more so hopefully you will likely be living with your choice for a long time.
Short-haired Cat Breeds | Long-haired Cat Breeds | Semi Long-haired Cat Breeds |
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AbyssinianThe Abyssinian is a somewhat delicate shorthair breed. They normally weigh between 8 - 13 lbs and have minimal grooming requirements. According to the Cat Fanciers Association they rank number 5 in popularity out of 42 breeds. The Abyssinian doesn't tend to tolerate children well and are only a little better with cat friendly pets. They are very affectionate, like a lot of attention and are moderately independent. This breed is extremely playful and not very vocal. The Abyssinian rarely chooses sit in your lap. American ShorthairThe American shorthair is a hardy shorthair breed. They normally weigh between 9 - 15 lbs and have minimal grooming requirements. According to the Cat Fanciers Association they rank number 8 in popularity out of 42 breeds. The American shorthair has a high tolerance for children and cat friendly pets. They are moderately affectionate, like moderate of attention and are very independent. This breed is very playful and not very vocal. The American shorthair sometimes likes to sit in your lap. American WirehairThe American Wirehair is a fairly hardy shorthair breed. They normally weigh between 8 - 13 lbs and have low grooming requirements. According to the Cat Fanciers Association they rank number 40 in popularity out of 42 breeds. The American Wirehair has a moderate tolerance for children and cat friendly pets. They are very affectionate, like a moderate of attention and are moderately independent. This breed is very playful and somewhat vocal. The American Wirehair sometimes likes to sit in your lap. BombayThe Bombay is a fairly hardy shorthair breed. They normally weigh between 8 - 12 lbs and have minimal grooming requirements. According to the Cat Fanciers Association they rank number 39 in popularity out of 42 breeds. The Bombay has a high tolerance for children but is a little less tolerant of cat friendly pets. They are very affectionate, like moderate of attention and are a little independent. This breed is very playful and somewhat vocal. The Bombay likes to sit in your lap. British ShorthairThe British shorthair is a fairly hardy shorthair breed with a longer than average lifespan. They normally weigh between 9 - 15 lbs and have moderate grooming requirements. According to the Cat Fanciers Association they rank number 16 in popularity out of 42 breeds. The British shorthair has a high tolerance for children and cat friendly pets. They are moderately affectionate, like minimal of attention and are very independent. This breed is moderately playful and somewhat vocal. The British shorthair will occasionally sit in your lap. BurmeseThe Burmese is a fairly hardy shorthair breed with a longer than average lifespan. They normally weigh between 7 - 12 lbs and have minimal grooming requirements. According to the Cat Fanciers Association they rank number 12 in popularity out of 42 breeds and are judged to have high intelligence by most owners. The Burmese has a high tolerance for children and cat friendly pets. They are extremely affectionate, like a lot of attention and are a little independent. This breed is very playful and extremely vocal. The Burmese loves to sit in your lap. ChartreuxThe Chartreux is a somewhat delicate shorthair breed. They normally weigh between 9 - 15 lbs and have low grooming requirements. According to the Cat Fanciers Association they rank number 25 in popularity out of 42 breeds and are judged to have high intelligence by most owners. The Chartreux has a high tolerance for children and a high tolerance for other cat friendly pets. They are very affectionate, like a moderate of attention and are moderately independent. This breed is very playful and not very vocal. The Chartreux likes to sit in your lap. Colorpoint ShorthairThe Colorpoint shorthair is a somewhat delicate shorthair breed. They normally weigh between 5 - 9 lbs and have minimal grooming requirements. According to the Cat Fanciers Association they rank number 23 in popularity out of 42 breeds and are judged to have very high intelligence by most owners. The Colorpoint shorthair has a moderate tolerance for children and cat friendly pets. They are very affectionate, like bunches of attention and are not very independent. This breed is extremely playful and very vocal. The Colorpoint shorthair will occasionally sit in your lap. Cornish RexThe Cornish Rex is a somewhat delicate shorthair breed. They normally weigh between 6 - 10 lbs and have minimal grooming requirements. According to the Cat Fanciers Association they rank number 13 in popularity out of 42 breeds. The Cornish Rex has a low tolerance for children and cat friendly pets. They are extremely affectionate, like bunches of attention and are a little independent. This breed is extremely playful and not very vocal. The Cornish Rex loves to sit in your lap. Devon RexThe Devon Rex is a fairly hardy shorthair breed. They normally weigh between 6 - 10 lbs and have minimal grooming requirements. According to the Cat Fanciers Association they rank number 14 in popularity out of 42 breeds and are judged to have high intelligence by most owners. The Devon Rex has a moderate tolerance for children and cat friendly pets. They are extremely affectionate, like a lot of attention and are a little independent. This breed is very playful and somewhat vocal. The Devon Rex loves to sit in your lap. Egyptian MauThe Egyptian Mau is a fairly hardy shorthair breed with a longer than average lifespan. They normally weigh between 7 - 11 lbs and have minimal grooming requirements. According to the Cat Fanciers Association they rank number 20 in popularity out of 42 breeds and are judged to have high intelligence by most owners. The Egyptian Mau has a moderate tolerance for children and cat friendly pets. They are very affectionate, like a lot of attention and are moderately independent. This breed is extremely playful and very vocal. The Egyptian Mau will occasionally sit in your lap. European BurmeseThe European Burmese is a fairly hardy shorthair breed with a longer than average lifespan. They normally weigh between 7 - 12 lbs and have minimal grooming requirements. According to the Cat Fanciers Association they rank number 29 in popularity out of 42 breeds and are judged to have high intelligence by most owners. The European Burmese has a high tolerance for children and cat friendly pets. They are extremely affectionate, like a lot of attention and are a little independent. This breed is very playful and very vocal. The European Burmese loves to sit in your lap. Exotic ShorthairThe Exotic shorthair is a somewhat delicate shorthair breed. They normally weigh between 9 - 14 lbs and have low grooming requirements. According to the Cat Fanciers Association they rank number 3 in popularity out of 42 breeds. The Exotic shorthair has a high tolerance for children and cat friendly pets. They are extremely affectionate, like a lot of attention and are a little independent. This breed is moderately playful and not very vocal. The Exotic shorthair sometimes likes to sit in your lap. Havana BrownThe Havana Brown is a fairly hardy shorthair breed. They normally weigh between 7 - 12 lbs and have minimal grooming requirements. According to the Cat Fanciers Association they rank number 37 in popularity out of 42 breeds and are judged to have very high intelligence by most owners. The Havana Brown has a moderate tolerance for children and cat friendly pets. They are very affectionate, like bunches of attention and are a little independent. This breed is very playful and not very vocal. The Havana Brown sometimes likes to sit in your lap. Japanese BobtailThe Japanese Bobtail is a fairly hardy shorthair breed. They normally weigh between 6 - 10 lbs and have low grooming requirements. According to the Cat Fanciers Association they rank number 27 in popularity out of 42 breeds and are judged to have high intelligence by most owners. The Japanese Bobtail has a high tolerance for children and cat friendly pets. They are extremely affectionate, like a lot of attention and are a little independent. This breed is extremely playful and very vocal. The Japanese Bobtail sometimes likes to sit in your lap. KoratThe Korat is a somewhat delicate shorthair breed with a longer than average lifespan. They normally weigh between 7 - 12 lbs and have minimal grooming requirements. According to the Cat Fanciers Association they rank number 35 in popularity out of 42 breeds and are judged to have high intelligence by most owners. The Korat has a moderate tolerance for children and cat friendly pets. They are extremely affectionate, like a lot of attention and are a little independent. This breed is very playful and moderately vocal. The Korat likes to sit in your lap. OcicatThe Ocicat is a fairly hardy shorthair breed. They normally weigh between 9 - 15 lbs and have minimal grooming requirements. According to the Cat Fanciers Association they rank number 18 in popularity out of 42 breeds and are judged to have high intelligence by most owners. The Ocicat has a high tolerance for children and cat friendly pets. They are very affectionate, like a lot of attention and are a little independent. This breed is extremely playful and very vocal. The Ocicat sometimes likes to sit in your lap. Russian BlueThe Russian Blue is a hardy shorthair breed. They normally weigh between 6 - 10 lbs and have low grooming requirements. According to the Cat Fanciers Association they rank number 19 in popularity out of 42 breeds and are judged to have high intelligence by most owners. The Russian Blue has a high tolerance for children and cat friendly pets. They are moderately affectionate, like a moderate amount of attention and are very independent. This breed is moderately playful and not very vocal. The Russian Blue will occasionally sit in your lap. SiameseThe Siamese is a somewhat delicate shorthair breed with a longer than average lifespan. They normally weigh between 7 - 11 lbs and have minimal grooming requirements. According to the Cat Fanciers Association they rank number 4 in popularity out of 42 breeds and are judged to have very high intelligence by most owners. The Siamese don't tend to tolerate children well and are only a little better with cat friendly pets. They are very affectionate, like bunches of attention and are not very independent. This breed is extremely playful and extremely vocal. The Siamese likes to sit in your lap. SingapuraThe Singapura is a somewhat delicate shorthair breed. They normally weigh between 6 - 10 lbs and have minimal grooming requirements. According to the Cat Fanciers Association they rank number 31 in popularity out of 42 breeds and are judged to have high intelligence by most owners. The Singapura has a moderate tolerance for children and cat friendly pets. They are very affectionate, like bunches of attention and are very independent. This breed is extremely playful and somewhat vocal. The Singapura likes to sit in your lap. SphynxThe Sphynx is a fairly hardy shorthair breed with a longer than average lifespan. They normally weigh between 8 - 13 lbs and have very high grooming requirements. According to the Cat Fanciers Association they rank number 10 in popularity out of 42 breeds and are judged to have very high intelligence by most owners. The Sphynx has a high tolerance for children and cat friendly pets. They are extremely affectionate, like bunches of attention and are not very independent. This breed is extremely playful and very vocal. The Sphynx likes to sit in your lap. TonkineseThe Tonkinese is a fairly hardy shorthair breed with a longer than average lifespan. They normally weigh between 7 - 12 lbs and have minimal grooming requirements. According to the Cat Fanciers Association they rank number 15 in popularity out of 42 breeds and are judged to have high intelligence by most owners. The Tonkinese has a high tolerance for children and cat friendly pets. They are very affectionate, like a lot of attention and are a little independent. This breed is very playful and very vocal. The Tonkinese sometimes likes to sit in your lap. |
BalineseThe Balinese is a somewhat delicate longhair breed. They normally weigh between 7 - 12 lbs and have low grooming requirements. According to the Cat Fanciers Association they rank number 36 in popularity out of 42 breeds and are judged to have very high intelligence by most owners. The Balinese has a moderate tolerance for children and cat friendly pets. They are very affectionate, like bunches of attention and are not very independent. This breed is extremely playful and extremely vocal. The Balinese will occasionally sit in your lap. HimalayanThe Himalayan is a somewhat delicate longhair breed with a longer than average lifespan. They normally weigh between 9 - 14 lbs and have very high grooming requirements. According to the Cat Fanciers Association they rank number 1 in popularity out of 42 breeds. The Himalayan has a high tolerance for children and cat friendly pets. They are extremely affectionate, like a lot of attention and are a little independent. This breed is very playful and somewhat vocal. The Himalayan likes to sit in your lap. PersianThe Persian is a somewhat delicate longhair breed with a longer than average lifespan. They normally weigh between 9 - 14 lbs and have very high grooming requirements. According to the Cat Fanciers Association they rank number 1 in popularity out of 42 breeds. The Persian has a high tolerance for children and cat friendly pets. They are very affectionate, like a lot of attention and are a little independent. This breed is moderately playful and somewhat vocal. The Persian sometimes likes to sit in your lap. RagamuffinThe Ragamuffin is a hardy longhair breed with a longer than average lifespan. They normally weigh between 11 - 18 lbs and have low grooming requirements. According to the Cat Fanciers Association they rank number 38 in popularity out of 42 breeds. The Ragamuffin has a very high tolerance for children and cat friendly pets. They are extremely affectionate, like bunches of attention and are not very independent. This breed is very playful and somewhat vocal. The Ragamuffin likes to sit in your lap. Turkish AngoraThe Turkish Angora is a fairly hardy longhair breed with a longer than average lifespan. They normally weigh between 8 - 12 lbs and have moderate grooming requirements. According to the Cat Fanciers Association they rank number 28 in popularity out of 42 breeds and are judged to have high intelligence by most owners. The Turkish Angora has a high tolerance for children and cat friendly pets. They are very affectionate, like a lot of attention and are a little independent. This breed is very playful and moderately vocal. The Turkish Angora sometimes likes to sit in your lap. |
BirmanThe Birman is a fairly hardy semi-longhair breed with a longer than average lifespan. They normally weigh between 8 - 13 lbs and have high grooming requirements. According to the Cat Fanciers Association they rank number 7 in popularity out of 42 breeds. The Birman has a high tolerance for children and cat friendly pets. They are very affectionate, like a lot of attention and are a little independent. This breed is very playful and moderately vocal. The Birman will occasionally sit in your lap. Maine CoonThe Maine Coon is a very hardy semi-longhair breed. They normally weigh between 12 - 20 lbs and have high grooming requirements. According to the Cat Fanciers Association they rank number 2 in popularity out of 42 breeds. The Maine Coon has a high tolerance for children and cat friendly pets. They are very affectionate, like a moderate amount of attention and are very independent. This breed is very playful and not very vocal. The Maine Coon will occasionally sit in your lap. Norwegian Forest CatThe Norwegian Forest Cat is a hardy semi-longhair breed. They normally weigh between 8 - 16 lbs and have moderate grooming requirements. According to the Cat Fanciers Association they rank number 11 in popularity out of 42 breeds and are judged to have high intelligence by most owners. The Norwegian Forest Cat has a high tolerance for children and cat friendly pets. They are very affectionate, like moderate of attention and are moderately independent. This breed is very playful and not very vocal. The Norwegian Forest Cat sometimes likes to sit in your lap. RagdollThe Ragdoll is a fairly hardy semi-longhair breed with a longer than average lifespan. They normally weigh between 11 - 18 lbs and have high grooming requirements. According to the Cat Fanciers Association they rank number 6 in popularity out of 42 breeds. The Ragdoll has a high tolerance for children and cat friendly pets. They are very affectionate, like some attention and are a little independent. This breed is moderately playful and somewhat vocal. The Ragdoll likes to sit in your lap. SiberianThe Siberian is a very hardy semi-longhair breed. They normally weigh between 9 - 15 lbs and have low grooming requirements. According to the Cat Fanciers Association they rank number 30 in popularity out of 42 breeds and are judged to have high intelligence by most owners. The Siberian has a high tolerance for children and a high tolerance for other cat friendly pets. They are very affectionate, like a moderate amount of attention and are moderately independent. This breed is very playful and somewhat vocal. The Siberian sometimes likes to sit in your lap. SomaliThe Somali is a somewhat delicate semi-longhair breed. They normally weigh between 7 - 12 lbs and have moderate grooming requirements. According to the Cat Fanciers Association they rank number 21 in popularity out of 42 breeds. The Somali don't tend to tolerate children well and are only a little better with cat friendly pets. They are very affectionate, like a lot of attention and are moderately independent. This breed is extremely playful and not very vocal. The Somali will occasionally sit in your lap. Turkish VanThe Turkish Van is a hardy semi-longhair breed. They normally weigh between 9 - 16 lbs and have moderate grooming requirements. According to the Cat Fanciers Association they rank number 34 in popularity out of 42 breeds and are judged to have high intelligence by most owners. The Turkish Van has a high tolerance for children and cat friendly pets. They are very affectionate, like a lot of attention and are moderately independent. This breed is very playful and very vocal. The Turkish Van sometimes likes to sit in your lap. |
Cat Breeds with Long and Short-haired Varieties | ||
American BobtailThe American Bobtail is a fairly hardy breed that can have either a short or long coat. They normally weigh between 9 - 15 lbs and have low grooming requirements. According to the Cat Fanciers Association they rank number 32 in popularity out of 42 breeds and are judged to have very high intelligence by most owners. The American Bobtail has a high tolerance for children and cat friendly pets. They are very affectionate, like a lot of attention and are moderately independent. This breed is very playful and moderately vocal. The American Bobtail sometimes likes to sit in your lap. American CurlThe American Curl is a fairly hardy breed that can have either a short or long coat. They normally weigh between 7 - 11 lbs and have moderate grooming requirements. According to the Cat Fanciers Association they rank number 26 in popularity out of 42 breeds. The American Curl has a high tolerance for children and cat friendly pets. They are very affectionate, like a lot of attention and are moderately independent. This breed is very playful and not very vocal. The American Curl will occasionally sit in your lap. LapermThe Laperm is a hardy breed that can have either a short or long coat. They normally weigh between 7 - 12 lbs and have moderate grooming requirements. According to the Cat Fanciers Association they rank number 41 in popularity out of 42 breeds and are judged to have high intelligence by most owners. The Laperm has a moderate tolerance for children and cat friendly pets. They are very affectionate, like a lot of attention and are a little independent. This breed is very playful and somewhat vocal. The Laperm likes to sit in your lap. ManxThe Manx is a very hardy breed that can have either a short or long coat. They normally weigh between 8 - 12 lbs and have moderate grooming requirements. According to the Cat Fanciers Association they rank number 22 in popularity out of 42 breeds. The Manx has a high tolerance for children and cat friendly pets. They are very affectionate, like a moderate amount of attention and are moderately independent. This breed is very playful and somewhat vocal. The Manx sometimes likes to sit in your lap. OrientalThe Oriental is a somewhat delicate breed that can have either a short or long coat with a longer than average lifespan. They normally weigh between 7 - 12 lbs and have minimal grooming requirements. According to the Cat Fanciers Association they rank number 9 in popularity out of 42 breeds and are judged to have very high intelligence by most owners. The Oriental has a moderate tolerance for children and cat friendly pets. They are very affectionate, like bunches of attention and are not very independent. This breed is extremely playful and very vocal. The Oriental likes to sit in your lap. Scottish FoldThe Scottish Fold is a somewhat delicate breed that can have either a short or long coat. They normally weigh between 8 - 13 lbs and have moderate grooming requirements. According to the Cat Fanciers Association they rank number 17 in popularity out of 42 breeds. The Scottish Fold has a high tolerance for children and cat friendly pets. They are very affectionate, like moderate of attention and are very independent. This breed is very playful and not very vocal. The Scottish Fold will occasionally sit in your lap. Selkirk RexThe Selkirk Rex is a fairly hardy breed that can have either a short or long coat. They normally weigh between 7 - 12 lbs and have low grooming requirements. According to the Cat Fanciers Association they rank number 24 in popularity out of 42 breeds. The Selkirk Rex has a moderate tolerance for children and a moderate tolerance for cat friendly pets. They are very affectionate, like a lot of attention and are a little independent. This breed is very playful and somewhat vocal. The Selkirk Rex likes to sit in your lap. |
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