I’ve finally gotten around to typing this post, after much thought and research. Please forgive me if it’s a little on the long side, as I can be long-winded.
Getting a purebred cat is at least 3-4 years off, but I am very research oriented, so I’ve gotten started early. I wanted to post because I have come to an impasse in my breed research. Although breed descriptions are all fine and well, they tend to start sounding very much the same (i.e. affectionate, intelligent, etc.) and nothing replaces personal experience, which is what brings me here.
Although I have long-known that purebred cats look different than your average DSH, I had no idea, until about a year ago, that they also had different personalities and activity levels (much like dog breeds.) Up to that point, I thought “a cat is just a cat” and although I could come up with reasoning behind getting a purebred dog (based on purpose and temperament) I had thought that a DSH would be fine for me and that a purebred cat would be a “waste of money”… My, how one can travel full-circle in such a short time span.
So, here I am to ask you folks, based on what attributes I’m looking for, which breed/s would suit me the best.
I have some breeds in mind already, but I’ll post them after I list what I want in a cat. These are somewhat in descending order, with most important first.
1. First and foremost, I’m looking for an affectionate cat that is “dog like” in that they want to follow me around and be interested in what I’m doing. It would be a very serious plus if the cat was a lap-cat, or at least a good bit of the time a lap-cat. Every other point could be negotiable, but this is not.
It is ok if they are an one-person cat, but I’d rather not have an extremely shy cat that hides whenever anyone comes over.
2. Short haired, and preferably “sleek” without tons of undercoat. I’m not a fan of “fluffy” coats, and don’t want to spend serious time grooming.
3. Moderately active- as in, will be happy with two other cats to play with and a ~30 minute play-session a day. Less active is ok, but you’ll have to convince me on more active breeds… The occasional romp around the house is fine, but Talladega, this is not, and I’d rather not find the cat on top of the highest shelf in the house.
4. Talkative- I like a cat that talks to me, but don’t want one that screeches or talks to them self all day long… A running conversation is fine, but I’d rather not hear opera all day.
5. Other cats- as mentioned, I currently have 2 kittens and an adult cat, all male, so hopefully a breed that isn’t known for hating other felines.
6. Health- Preferably a breed not known for serious health issues…I currently have a cat with an enlarged heart and seizures and health is one of the reasons that I’ll be getting a purebred the next time around.
7. Body type- OK, I’m a former art major and now art teacher and have very diverse taste…. I tend to like “cobbier” cats with rounder heads and shorter muzzles (think BSH, but not as extreme as Persians), I also like moderately proportioned cats (i.e. Euro. Burmese and ocis), and yes, even some of the “racy” looking breeds like the Cornish rex, although not crazy about the modern Siamese/Orientals with ears that are almost horizontal. In short, pretty much everything except for the extremes on both ends and please, no hairless cats.
Size doesn’t matter to me, small large or in-between.
8. Color- Again, very diverse here… I can look at each breed and appreciate their coat color and pattern, but I do have a few favorites. I LOVE dilute tortoishells and calicos, I am also a fan of the spotted patterns (i.e. Oci or Mau). I also have a soft spot for classic tabbies. Some of the rarer solid colors are also very beautiful to me (chocolates, sables, etc.). I have never liked the “pointed” pattern much, but you are welcome to convince me.
9. Eye-color- The only eye colors that I don’t really care for are blue and the common yellow-green (often seen in DSH). I really enjoy bright “pea” green, copper, and gold.
10. Tails and ears- I prefer natural (no folds or curls) ears that are somewhat rounded, not pointy at the tips (but you can convince me otherwise). I also prefer my cat to have a tail, although I don’t much care what shape it is.
Now that you know what I’m looking for, here’s what I REALLY don’t want:
1. A cat that is moody…I’m currently living with one that could give all cats a bad name, depending on her mood at the moment, or be an angel.
2. No energizer bunny cat- I do not want a cat that is never calm.
3. Hands-off cat- I do not want a cat that isn’t affectionate and is always aloof.
4. Extremely loud and noisy all the time- I really don’t need any noise violations called in by the neighbors.
Now that you know what I'm looking for, please feel free to make suggestions... In my next post I'll post the list of breeds I'm considering, but I wanted to see what you came up with first (to see if it somewhat matched my list so far).
And no, I haven't been to a cat show in-person as of yet... The closest ones I could find were 2-3 hours away (I live in the southeast, and I think we don't generally have as many shows here as in other regions). I will definately make visiting one a priority before the big decision, but not right now.
Thanks so much for your help!
Art
Getting a purebred cat is at least 3-4 years off, but I am very research oriented, so I’ve gotten started early. I wanted to post because I have come to an impasse in my breed research. Although breed descriptions are all fine and well, they tend to start sounding very much the same (i.e. affectionate, intelligent, etc.) and nothing replaces personal experience, which is what brings me here.
Although I have long-known that purebred cats look different than your average DSH, I had no idea, until about a year ago, that they also had different personalities and activity levels (much like dog breeds.) Up to that point, I thought “a cat is just a cat” and although I could come up with reasoning behind getting a purebred dog (based on purpose and temperament) I had thought that a DSH would be fine for me and that a purebred cat would be a “waste of money”… My, how one can travel full-circle in such a short time span.
So, here I am to ask you folks, based on what attributes I’m looking for, which breed/s would suit me the best.
I have some breeds in mind already, but I’ll post them after I list what I want in a cat. These are somewhat in descending order, with most important first.
1. First and foremost, I’m looking for an affectionate cat that is “dog like” in that they want to follow me around and be interested in what I’m doing. It would be a very serious plus if the cat was a lap-cat, or at least a good bit of the time a lap-cat. Every other point could be negotiable, but this is not.
2. Short haired, and preferably “sleek” without tons of undercoat. I’m not a fan of “fluffy” coats, and don’t want to spend serious time grooming.
3. Moderately active- as in, will be happy with two other cats to play with and a ~30 minute play-session a day. Less active is ok, but you’ll have to convince me on more active breeds… The occasional romp around the house is fine, but Talladega, this is not, and I’d rather not find the cat on top of the highest shelf in the house.
4. Talkative- I like a cat that talks to me, but don’t want one that screeches or talks to them self all day long… A running conversation is fine, but I’d rather not hear opera all day.
5. Other cats- as mentioned, I currently have 2 kittens and an adult cat, all male, so hopefully a breed that isn’t known for hating other felines.
6. Health- Preferably a breed not known for serious health issues…I currently have a cat with an enlarged heart and seizures and health is one of the reasons that I’ll be getting a purebred the next time around.
7. Body type- OK, I’m a former art major and now art teacher and have very diverse taste…. I tend to like “cobbier” cats with rounder heads and shorter muzzles (think BSH, but not as extreme as Persians), I also like moderately proportioned cats (i.e. Euro. Burmese and ocis), and yes, even some of the “racy” looking breeds like the Cornish rex, although not crazy about the modern Siamese/Orientals with ears that are almost horizontal. In short, pretty much everything except for the extremes on both ends and please, no hairless cats.
8. Color- Again, very diverse here… I can look at each breed and appreciate their coat color and pattern, but I do have a few favorites. I LOVE dilute tortoishells and calicos, I am also a fan of the spotted patterns (i.e. Oci or Mau). I also have a soft spot for classic tabbies. Some of the rarer solid colors are also very beautiful to me (chocolates, sables, etc.). I have never liked the “pointed” pattern much, but you are welcome to convince me.
9. Eye-color- The only eye colors that I don’t really care for are blue and the common yellow-green (often seen in DSH). I really enjoy bright “pea” green, copper, and gold.
10. Tails and ears- I prefer natural (no folds or curls) ears that are somewhat rounded, not pointy at the tips (but you can convince me otherwise). I also prefer my cat to have a tail, although I don’t much care what shape it is.
Now that you know what I’m looking for, here’s what I REALLY don’t want:
1. A cat that is moody…I’m currently living with one that could give all cats a bad name, depending on her mood at the moment, or be an angel.
2. No energizer bunny cat- I do not want a cat that is never calm.
3. Hands-off cat- I do not want a cat that isn’t affectionate and is always aloof.
4. Extremely loud and noisy all the time- I really don’t need any noise violations called in by the neighbors.
Now that you know what I'm looking for, please feel free to make suggestions... In my next post I'll post the list of breeds I'm considering, but I wanted to see what you came up with first (to see if it somewhat matched my list so far).
And no, I haven't been to a cat show in-person as of yet... The closest ones I could find were 2-3 hours away (I live in the southeast, and I think we don't generally have as many shows here as in other regions). I will definately make visiting one a priority before the big decision, but not right now.
Thanks so much for your help!
Art