Which Cat Breed is Right for Me?

There are innumerable breeds of cats in the world. If you’re looking to get yourself a cat, you’re sure to be wondering which breed is best for you. Here you will find an overview of the many cat breeds and a little help with the selection.

Which Cat is Right for Me?

• There are around a hundred different cat breeds in the World.
• We are interested in the group of small cats.
• Which cat suits you depends on your character and your living conditions.
• Each breed of cat has its own temperament.

How are Cat Species Classified?

Cats in general are a subfamily of predators. They are common all over the world and are exclusively carnivores. The cat family is in turn divided into groups of large and small cats. The big cats include, for example, the lion, the tiger, or the leopard. Small cats include, for example, the wild cat, the lynx, and the ocelot. A subspecies of the wild cat, on the other hand, is the widespread house cat. This represents a separate group of small cats, which, however, do not belong to any particular breed. In the following, we call all cats that are kept by humans house cats.

What Breeds of Cats are There?

The house cats are again divided into three groups:

• Shorthair cats;
• Semi-longhair cats;
• Longhair cats.

It must be mentioned here that the semi-long-haired and long-haired cats are genetically the same. Here, only the length of the fur is used to differentiate. Which breed you choose in the end is a matter of taste. It is important to know that short-haired cats do not have less hair than their companions with long hair. However, long-haired cats usually need more hair care.

Shorthair cats

Shorthair cats are the most common in the World. Well-known short-haired cat breeds are:

• Devon Rex
• Savannah
• American Shorthair
• Abyssinian cat
• Snowshoe
• Russian blue
• Siam
• Burma
• Bengal cat
• Sphynx
• British shorthair
• Domestic cat

Semi-longhair cats

Half-long-haired cats are also widespread in the World and Europe. The coat of the semi-long-haired cats is a bit longer than that of the short-haired cats. It serves as protection and enables the cat to cope better in the cold as well as in scrub or thorns. This type of cat requires a little more grooming than short-haired cats but requires significantly less grooming than long-haired cats. For example, she doesn’t need to be bathed regularly. Daily combing and brushing are only necessary when the cat is changing its coat. Popular semi-longhair cats are:

• Birman cat
• Turkish Angora
• Nebelung cat
• Maine Coon cat
• Neva Masquarade
• Norwegian forest cat
• American Bobtail Longhair

Longhair cats

This strain is particularly popular because long-haired cats are very soft and cozy. They are very pleasant to stroke and they look beautiful. Of course, the care of the fur requires a significantly higher amount of work than with your short-haired colleagues. The matter becomes particularly hairy when the cat completely changes its coat in autumn and spring. Vacuuming and sweeping will then become a day-to-day business. These are the most popular longhair cats:

• Persian cat
• Angora cat
• British longhair

What are the Characteristics of Cats?

For a long time, it was claimed that cats were loners and basically unsocial animals. This claim is incorrect and has been refuted many times. House cats (along with lions) are basically social animals with a lot of group interaction. Domestic cats actually hunt alone, while lions hunt in packs. The opinion that house cats are loners comes from the fact that all other cat species (except house cats and lions) are actually loners. The distinct social behavior of house cats is the reason why they could be domesticated in the first place.

Does Each Breed of Cats Have Their Own Temperament?

Every cat is an individual animal and has its very own temperament. In Erin Hunter’s series of novels “Warrior Cats”, the different cats have different temperaments. Many wonder whether one can attribute certain temperament traits to individual cat breeds in reality. The answer to that is yes. Here are a few examples:

The house cat

Right at the beginning, it has to be mentioned that the question about the house cat is difficult to answer. Because the house cat does not belong to any particular breed. So if you buy a house cat, you are literally buying a “pig in a poke”, because it has a wide variety of properties. However, domestic cats have one thing in common: They need space to run around and love their freedom. In addition, the relationship with people is important to them and they want to be petted regularly.

The Bengal cat

The Bengal cat is a breed from the USA. Here wild and house cats were crossed, which is clearly reflected in the character. She is wild, busy, loud, and communicative. She needs a lot of exercises and is an excellent hunter.

British Shorthair

This cat is the complete opposite of the Bengal cat. It is cozy, relaxed, and easy to care for. She loves contact with people and is very affectionate. So the British Shorthair is the perfect indoor cat.

Maine Coon cat

This breed of cats is as wild as it is meek. She is one of the largest cat breeds in the world and at the same time very friendly. That is why they are also called the “gentle giant”. The Maine Coon is smart, playful, and enjoys communicating with other cats.

What Other Distinguishing Criteria are There?

So you can see that each breed of cat has its own personality traits. Of course, cats can also be differentiated based on the following characteristics:

• appearance
• nourishment
• age
• origin

I Want to Get a Cat – What is the Best Way to Go About It?

If you want to bring a cat into your home, here are some things to consider:

• What temperament should the cat have? Would you like a wild cat or a gentle cat? Should it be independent or affectionate? To do this, you can do one of the many “Which cat suits me?” Tests on the Internet.
• Think about how often you are home and whether you have enough time to care for the cat. If you are away from home a lot, it is better not to get a long-haired Persian cat. Because this is very maintenance-intensive.
• What color should the cat be?
• How big should it be?
• What is the diet like?
• How expensive is she?

When you have answered these questions for yourself, you will soon have found your perfect new roommate.