Your favorite cat breed?

[jaguarkl]

Hey everyone,

I'm currently thinking about getting a cat and would like to see everyone's opinions on the various breeds that are out there. I'm not sure if the characteristics/temperament of a particular cat breed are as a distinct as they are in the different dog breeds.

thanks and i look forward to reading the many opinions of the cat lovers/owners here.

[BadDrafter]

The manx, as it has no tail and acts like a dog.

[BobW]

The manx, as it has no tail and acts like a dog.

Manx ftw. We have 2 of them.

And they can be Rumpies (no tail), Stumpies (stub of a tail) or can have a full tail (i.e. genetic throw backs....).

Also...Manx's are very intelligent; that can be considered a curse at times....

[joeyjoejoe]

I don't have one, but Scottish Folds are my favorite.

According to wikipedia:

Scottish Folds, whether with folded ears or with normal ears, are typically good-natured and placid and adjust to other animals within a household extremely well. They tend to become very attached to their human caregivers and are by nature quite affectionate. Folds receive high marks for playfulness, affection, and grooming, and are often intelligent, loyal, softspoken, and adaptable to home situations and people

But I just like the floppy ears.

[suzy.wong]

My favorite cat is the Persian cat, they are quiet, don't jump and very loyal to their owner. Persian cats are the most popular pure bred cats and make great show cats because of their pedigree.

[zonetbh]

I think Bengals and Scottish Folds are the best. Bengals are a really big handful though, especially when they're kittens. They are amazing cats that will jump on top of door frames and do other crazy feats though, super agile.

I like the ragdoll breed too, they are really relaxed and chilling. They will play fetch like a dog and can be leash trained easily. We have 2 ragdolls, one seal point and one flame bicolor:



The little guy on the right looks a lot more like the seal point in the middle now, except with orange where the dark areas are.

[Spray]

I love my Russian Blue cat. Gorgeous coat and highly affectionate.

The Manx is pretty interesting looking.

[boardom]

Bam makes most dogs look small.

[Spray]

Gorgeous cat. Growing up we had one on our farm, and it lived to be 23. Only came in on the coldest of nights. Every morning, no matter what, he'd leave a gift on our porch. When a bunch of wild kitten showed up, he took them under his wing and taught them to hunt chipmunks.

It's sad knowing I'll never have a more awesome cat then him again

Bam makes most dogs look small.

[CharmyPoo]

I have a bengal/persian mix (more bengal in personality) and she is about the most amazing cat I have ever met. She greets people coming to the door and is so social. Everyone loves her.

[lordzod]

I don't have one, but Scottish Folds are my favorite.

According to wikipedia:

Scottish Folds, whether with folded ears or with normal ears, are typically good-natured and placid and adjust to other animals within a household extremely well. They tend to become very attached to their human caregivers and are by nature quite affectionate. Folds receive high marks for playfulness, affection, and grooming, and are often intelligent, loyal, softspoken, and adaptable to home situations and people

But I just like the floppy ears.

That definition sums up my cat perfectly(she's a Scottish Fold/Munchkin)

[penipitcher]

Mine's a mackeral tabby. However, I love the look of the Sphinx.

[anastasia1009]

I have 5 cats - 2 mackeral tabby, one tabby, one tabby/ocicat mix and the baby is a orange cream point Himalayan. The Himalayan is a very gentle, playful but he has constant UTI. The 2 mackerel tabbies are brother & sister - loving, friendly, loves to cuddle and both were abandoned. All cats are leash trained. The ocicat/tabby is the only cat who is not friendly and very dominate - but she is 13 years old now so she hates all the other cats.
I would get another himalayan again.

[hover42]

Keep in mind that creating specific breeds often entails inbreeding somewhere in the development of the breed, and that leads often times to genetic defects in the breed. (Hip dysplasia anyone???) I think you'll find that cat breeds have nothing to do with behavior; breeding was done mostly for cosmetic traits.

So, all in all, probably best to get a non-bred cat. The local SPCA probably has the ideal cat for you. Just walk in, stroll around, and I'm sure the cat you want will catch your eye.

FWIW: I've had only "bastards" for cats, i.e. non-bred cats. Probably had 20 cats or so to date. The behavior varies from cat to cat. One is super protective and growls if somebody approaches the house, whereas a few are friendly and will greet anyone who comes into the house. One cat grooms younger cats whenever he can. One pisses everybody else off and doesn't bury her waste when she's finished in the litter box. Most just love to get up on me and sleep there. One wants to be friends with anyone and any cat. Some cats will step away from their food bowl to let a smaller cat eat. A few like to play hide-and-seek with humans. A few like to fetch and carry back. Basically, I think breeds and character are not related.

[joeyjoejoe]

Keep in mind that creating specific breeds often entails inbreeding somewhere in the development of the breed, and that leads often times to genetic defects in the breed. (Hip dysplasia anyone???) I think you'll find that cat breeds have nothing to do with behavior; breeding was done mostly for cosmetic traits.

So, all in all, probably best to get a non-bred cat. The local SPCA probably has the ideal cat for you. Just walk in, stroll around, and I'm sure the cat you want will catch your eye.

FWIW: I've had only "bastards" for cats, i.e. non-bred cats. Probably had 20 cats or so to date. The behavior varies from cat to cat. One is super protective and growls if somebody approaches the house, whereas a few are friendly and will greet anyone who comes into the house. One cat grooms younger cats whenever he can. One pisses everybody else off and doesn't bury her waste when she's finished in the litter box. Most just love to get up on me and sleep there. One wants to be friends with anyone and any cat. Some cats will step away from their food bowl to let a smaller cat eat. A few like to play hide-and-seek with humans. A few like to fetch and carry back. Basically, I think breeds and character are not related.

I would classify mine as just tabby DSH and DMH... nothing really out of the norm... except that they are all orange, their parents were orange and so was the entire litter they came from. One of my cats appears to have a white mouth, but really it's light beige. The strange thing is they are from the same litter, but have very opposite personalities and physical traits. You'd think they would share more common genes than "orange".