Compare cat breeds

How to compare well

By looking at what will affect you every day, not at what looks good in a photo. The ratings that most decide whether a breed suits you are activity, how much it meows, how well it copes alone and how much brushing it needs. Size matters less than it seems: a four-kilo Siamese can demand more attention than an eight-kilo Maine Coon, and a Persian needs brushing every day for its whole life. That is why the comparer shows all twelve ratings side by side and in a radar chart, instead of giving one overall score that hides exactly what you care about.

What the ratings mean

They are breed averages, from 1 to 5, not predictions about a particular cat. Within any breed there are calm and lively individuals, affectionate and reserved ones, and in cats socialisation in the first weeks counts for a great deal: a cat of a calm breed raised without human contact can be shyer than a well-socialised moggy. A 5 for how vocal it is means that most cats of that breed talk a lot, not that all of them do. Use the ratings to rule out what clearly does not fit and to know what to ask, not as a horoscope.

Breed health, the rating most people ignore

Some breeds owe their most striking feature to a mutation that causes problems. The folded ears of the Scottish Fold come with a cartilage and bone disorder that causes joint pain. The short legs of the Munchkin and the missing tail of the Manx are linked to spine and joint problems. And very flat faces, like those of Persians and Exotics, make breathing harder and cause eye problems and tear staining. Other breeds have inherited diseases with a genetic test, such as polycystic kidney disease or some heart conditions: if you go to a breeder, ask for the parents’ results.

And after comparing

Open the full profile of the ones that have won you over, because the comparer gives the data and the profile gives the context: where the breed comes from, what to watch for in its health, what it is like as a kitten and what it gets confused with. If you are torn between two very different breeds, what you are probably unsure about is what kind of cat you want, and that is what the quiz is for. And if you are really deciding, look at shelters too: besides plenty of wonderful moggies, cats of a breed, or with a lot of one in them, turn up looking for a home now and then.