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.
Hair on everything? Read our guide to low shedding cats.
45 of 45 breeds
Compare side by side →
Domestic Shorthair
The best-value cat in the world
Maine Coon
The gentle giant of the northeast
Ragamuffin
A large, floppy teddy bear of a cat
Ragdoll
Goes limp in your arms, and means it
Burmese
A satin-coated extrovert that treats your lap as an allocated seat.
Siberian
A forest cat built for weather, with a temperament far softer than the frame suggests.
British Shorthair
Plush, unbothered, quietly devoted
Birman
Silk coat, white gloves, and the gentlest temperament in the long-haired class.
American Shorthair
The working cat that became the family cat, and never lost the sense of proportion.
Tonkinese
The diplomat between chatty and cuddly
Chartreux
The quiet blue companion from France
Ocicat
A wild look with a domestic heart
Bombay
A mini panther with copper eyes and a people-focused heart
Singapura
The smallest pedigree cat with the biggest curiosity
Turkish Angora
An elegant athlete in a longhair coat
Somali
The longhaired Abyssinian explorer
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.
Bengal
A wild coat wrapped around a busy mind
Norwegian Forest Cat
Built by Scandinavian winters
Cornish Rex
Marcel waves, whippet lines, and a cat that never really stops.
Egyptian Mau
The only naturally spotted domestic cat
Korat
A quiet, silver-blue shadow with a single owner in mind
Abyssinian
Perpetual motion in a ticked coat
Siamese
The most articulate cat in the room
Nebelung
A longhaired blue cat with green eyes and a quiet, devoted nature
Selkirk Rex
The cat in sheep's clothing
Domestic Longhair
The longhaired moggy: individual, unpredictable and worth the coat work
Toyger
A designer breed with bold tiger-like stripes and high energy
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
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
Manx
The tailless cat with a dog's temperament
Khao Manee
The white jewel of Thailand, and a cat who talks
Persian
A long-coated cat with strong opinions about calm
Turkish Van
The swimming cat, on its own terms
Scottish Fold
Folded ears, folded into your lap
Himalayan
The colourpoint Persian, and the daily care it asks for
Munchkin
The short-legged cat, and the debate that comes with it
Savannah
The tallest domestic cat, and the most demanding