About cat breeds.
Just like dog breeds, ever cat breed has its distinct appearance, characteristics, health issues, and personality.
Things to look for in a breed are:
- coat length
People have different opinions about whether long coats or short coats look better on a specific cat, but longer coats usually require more grooming. If you plan on trimming a long-haired cat's coat, this might turn out to be a great hassle. It also takes longer to give baths to long-haired cats.
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| Kiki takes much longer to bathe than Koopa because of his long and dense undercoat. |
- grooming requirements
Each cat has different shedding level and patterns. Since grooming is an important part of taking care of your cat, the time you have available to groom your cat may factor into your choice.
- size
I already talked about size issues (read Choosing your cat's gender), so, to paraphrase, size cat elevate the costs of a cat carrier and traveling costs, and heavy cats can break your arms if you don't have a car to take your cat to the vet.
- coat color
Well, you've got to know what your future cat is going to look like, right?
- activity level
Active cats = more playtime. If you don't have an incredible amount of time to play with your cat everyday, I wouldn't recommend getting a super-active cat breed. I have heard of cats that destroy furniture when they have unspent energy stored up for too long.
- genetic health issues
Because pedigree cats are inbred, genetic mutations keep recurring. This means that specific cat breeds may be prone to developing certain health issues.
- family suitability
Some cats are too sensitive, too small, or too weak, and may not be suitable for small children.
- acceptance level of other animals
If you have pre-existing pets, or are planning to get more pets in the future, keep in mind that some cats might never come to tolerate other animals. However, if you choose a breed that is known to be accepting to new animals, you will probably have more luck creating bonds between your different pets.
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| Kiki and Koopa's first meeting. Kiki never had problems accepting Koopa, and now they are best friends! :) |
- talking level
Some cats never meow, while others just go on and on and on. It's just a matter of preference. Both my cats are very talkative, and usually, I find it adorable. But I should also mention that my cats don't bother to keep their conversation down during the night, which might result in frequent sleep disturbances if you are a light sleeper.
- hypoallergenic breeds
If you are allergic to cats, but just cannot force yourself to stay away from them, you're in luck!!! Allergies to cats actually arise from a protein in their saliva, (Fel D1) which they then coat their fur with by grooming themselves. When the saliva dries, the proteins dry off the fur and skin and floats into the air, making their way into your nose and eyes. The cat breeds that are known to be hypoallergenic are: Balinese, Bengal, Burmese, Colorpoint Shorthair, Cornish Rex, Devon Rex, Javanese, Ocicat, Oriental Shorthair, Russian Blue, Siamese, and Sphynx. Keep in mind that hypoallergenic means "less allergic," not "completely non-allergic.
Remember to look at multiple sources of information before actually deciding on what breed you want!
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