The breed index
What each cat is really like to live with, before you fall in love.
Temperament, grooming, shedding and how each breed copes with a flat, plus the health questions worth asking a breeder and the monthly cost nobody quotes you up front.
40 of 40 breeds
Compare side by side →
Domestic Shorthair
The best-value cat in the world
Maine Coon
The gentle giant of the northeast
Ragdoll
Goes limp in your arms, and means it
Ragamuffin
A large, floppy teddy bear of a cat
Siberian
A forest cat built for weather, with a temperament far softer than the frame suggests.
Burmese
A satin-coated extrovert that treats your lap as an allocated seat.
Bombay
A mini panther with copper eyes and a people-focused heart
Tonkinese
The diplomat between chatty and cuddly
Birman
Silk coat, white gloves, and the gentlest temperament in the long-haired class.
British Shorthair
Plush, unbothered, quietly devoted
Chartreux
The quiet blue companion from France
Ocicat
A wild look with a domestic heart
American Shorthair
The working cat that became the family cat, and never lost the sense of proportion.
Singapura
The smallest pedigree cat with the biggest curiosity
Bengal
A wild coat wrapped around a busy mind
Cornish Rex
Marcel waves, whippet lines, and a cat that never really stops.
Turkish Angora
An elegant athlete in a longhair coat
Somali
The longhaired Abyssinian explorer
Norwegian Forest Cat
Built by Scandinavian winters
Balinese
The longhaired Siamese, minus the undercoat
LaPerm
A curly-coated, affectionate farm cat with a sense of humour
American Curl
Friendly, adaptable and instantly recognisable by its curled ears
Snowshoe
A pointed cat with white boots and a chatty, affectionate nature
Russian Blue
A quiet cat with a long memory
Devon Rex
Enormous ears, a suede coat and the shoulder-riding habits of a very small monkey.
Egyptian Mau
The only naturally spotted domestic cat
Abyssinian
Perpetual motion in a ticked coat
Siamese
The most articulate cat in the room
Korat
A quiet, silver-blue shadow with a single owner in mind
Nebelung
A longhaired blue cat with green eyes and a quiet, devoted nature
Selkirk Rex
The cat in sheep's clothing
Oriental Shorthair
The Siamese in three hundred colours, with the volume knob left where it was.
Japanese Bobtail
The pom-pom tail and the endless conversation
Domestic Longhair
The longhaired moggy: individual, unpredictable and worth the coat work
Toyger
A designer breed with bold tiger-like stripes and high energy
Manx
The tailless cat with a dog's temperament
Exotic Shorthair
The Persian temperament, in a coat you can actually manage, with the face still to consider.
Sphynx
Warm, wrinkled, permanently attached to you
Persian
A long-coated cat with strong opinions about calm
Scottish Fold
Folded ears, folded into your lap