What breed do you recommend?

Hey everyone, I am interested in becoming a cat owner, but I am not sure of what cat I would be happy with. I have several friends who own cats. One of my friends owns a Chartreux, it's such a beautiful looking cat, but I don't like it's characteristics, for one, it's huge, and isn't very lively, he says it's always silent and rarely makes a sound, it's also lazy, hates being picked up, and doesn't like to sit on people's laps.

What cat would the experts here recommend that shares the "blue" color, but at the same time be lively and fun. I want a cat that gets excited when I come home, enjoys being picked up, and enjoys sitting on people's laps. I also want it to be active and agile. I also would like a smart cat, that learns new things over the years. I would be so delighted if over time my cat figured out how to do things that make me say, "wow, what a genius". An example is one of my friend's cats figured out how to turn the light on in a room when it gets dark, although some may see that as a negative, I see it as a great thing since a cat is capable of such a thing.

thanks in advance!

Have you checked out a local shelter or are your set on a full blood cat of some sort? Neither of my cats are any particulat breed and one(Phantom) is out going and playful, a cuddle, very smart, fearless, and well pretty much a handful. My oldest girl (Phenom) is very skiddish, relaxed, and likes to cuddle on her terms. She is very smart though. Some one here might be able to recommend a breed for you if that is what you are looking for. I am no help in that department.

Hi and Welcome to TCS!
There are many different breeds out there to choose from. What you may want to consider is looking at your local shelters for a cat. They may not be full breeds but they need forever homes just as well. Good luck and welcome again!

I also would recommend looking at the shelters. They can have purebred cats and even if they didn't, how could you not love a little face behind those cold bars?
I have a farm cat, 2 former feral cats and a purebred cat and they are all equally loveable and spoiled. They all sit on my lap, 3 talk more then the 4th one. I guess it just depends on what you're looking for. But I'd still recommend looking at the shelters first.

Welcome to TCS!!!

I would recommend going to the shelters where they will be able to help you find the cat for you! We got Carl from a shelter and couldn't be happier! I too wanted an energetic "dog" type cat who would great me at the door and lay in my lap. We went to the shelter and the owner told us to go in the "cat room" and find a seat, the cat would choose us. She was right, as soon as we sat down on the bench in the cat room, Carl waltzed right up, hopped in my lap and laid down. He has been like that since we brought him home, and we love him to pieces! He is a short haired tabby, which is great b/c his hair matches my furniture and he hardly sheds anyway.

My only advice would be to keep looking until you find the right one...don't give up! We went to two shelters where the cats were nearly all feral and completely antisocial. Not ever having owned a cat, I didn't want to get into something I couldn't handle and got pretty discuraged about the whole process. The woman at the first shelter all but told us that when you are looking at rescued cats, they are all going to be feral or be scared of people. I am very glad we didn't believe her, b/c our experience at the last place was exactly what we were looking for.

Good luck and keep us posted, I am a converted cat lover now!

First of all, welcome to the Cat Site.

Now I will go away and think about an answer to your question.

Are you certian you want a breed cat, and not a shelter cat?

Do you want a kitten or a cat (easier to tell personality traits).

Originally Posted by jugen

I also would recommend looking at the shelters. They can have purebred cats and even if they didn't, how could you not love a little face behind those cold bars?
I have a farm cat, 2 former feral cats and a purebred cat and they are all equally loveable and spoiled. They all sit on my lap, 3 talk more then the 4th one. I guess it just depends on what you're looking for. But I'd still recommend looking at the shelters first.

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thank you for your replies

I really am not looking for a purebred, I just would like a cat, preferably grey/blue color, like would I be able to find a Domestic Short Hair that carries those looks with the lively characteristics?

oh, forgot to mention, I am sure I want a kitten that won't have trouble getting used to my apartment setting

Have you looked through Petfinder? That's how I found the shelter where we got Carl. You can put in your city and pull up all the adoptable cats in the shelters near you.

www.petfinder.com

Take a trip to your local shelter. Look at the cats. Meet them. If there is one that calls your name take him or her out and play them. There will probably be one or more there that pulls on your heart strings and just looks as if they are urging you to take them home. They know better than we do who their new meowmies and purrpaws should be!

Originally Posted by Jericho 2550

thank you for your replies

I really am not looking for a purebred, I just would like a cat, preferably grey/blue color, like would I be able to find a Domestic Short Hair that carries those looks with the lively characteristics?

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Definately - though it is easier to tell a cat's personality as it's a little older. Maybe, since you want a kitten, get an older kitten (between 6 and 12 months). (An older kitten - or a cat - will adjust just fine to your apartment - especially if you find a match for the traits you've described).

If you want to have a look at breed information, there are some descriptions here http://www.petplanet.co.uk/petplanet...ats-breeds.htm

and a fun test (I tried it, it seems to work pretty well) here
http://www.selectsmart.com/beta_cat/

I also reccomend a shelter cat if you don't mind a moggie(mixed breed). Even if you don't find the cat/kitten you want, you at least got to play & meet lots of kitties!

Let us know when you find the kitten for you!

I will definitely go check out a shelter around my area, thank you all for your suggestions

I suggest going to the shelter and giving a homeless kitty a loving home

And don't overlook the older kitties! They are just as lovable and some have a hard time finding a new home because everyone wants a kitten.

The good thing about a shelter is that you can talk to the people there about what you want and then they will help you, as they know all hte cats there. And you can pay two or three visits and get to know a particular cat before you bring it home. Even with breed characteristics, individual cats can vary a lot, so you may not get all you want in a very young untried kitten. As for adjusting to your apartment, most cats will do that quite easily once they feel secure in it.

One thing I can tell you is...If you want a spunky cat with multiple personalities you should get a tortie!!

BUT only if you can handle the tortitude, they are sometimes crazy gals..but I love Trout and wouldn't trade her for a normal cat for anything

Originally Posted by Trouts mom

One thing I can tell you is...If you want a spunky cat with multiple personalities you should get a tortie!!

BUT only if you can handle the tortitude, they are sometimes crazy gals..

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Most definitely. I used to have one. Her name was Kira. I got her when I went strawberry picking one year. I saw her roaming around the barn area and asked about her and they said I could take her home. She was so small. probably only about 6 or 8 weeks old, not very big at all.

She could be the most loving girl, and the most vicious cat I've ever seen at times. Sadly I was ill informed back then and the vet I went to was an idiot and only in it for the money. He convinced me to have her declawed when I was having her spayed, and after the surgery he calls me at work and tells me that she's diabetic and that it's best to put her down and went off on a tangent about torti cats.

I didn't know anything and I was devastated and told him to go ahead and then called my friend and cried. She didn't like what she heard and called the ER vet clinic and talked to the head of the vet college who then called and put a stop to the procedure because she was only 18 months old and the sugar levels were probably elevated because of stress.

Unfortunately it was too late. The vet had injected her with way more than he needed. He managed to revive her, but I think she was brain damaged. She took to peeing on everything (bed, couch, everything!) and she was so vicious after that. I surrendered her to the humane society because I was at my wits end She was the only kitty I've ever adopted and given up, and I feel so bad for what she went through. I don't know if they killed her or found her a home. She was such a beauty and I still miss her.

The next night I heard meowing outside my window and thought it was my guilt playing tricks on me. The next day I was on my way to work when I found Chynna in the bushes in front of the building. I took her in and planned on taking her to the humane society. i didn't think to keep her because of what I had done, but that night when I got home from work she was sleeping on my bed and gave me hugs and kisses when I picked her up, that I did keep her. 13 years later she's still with me.

Jericho,

As a cat lover, I would tell you to go to your nearest shelter and let a cat pick you out.

As a pedigree breeder, I would tell you to get an Abysinnian to pick you out.

As a logical person, (which I sometimes am), I would tell you to 1st go to your local shelter AND go to the nearest cat show, before making up your mind!

As a lover of the short hair cat breeds, I would tell you to look for a Korat - that's the breed I can identify with your needs, ie. blue with a lively personality and a cuddlebug to boot. Also, I was informed by a CFA judge very recently that the Korat is in danger of "dying" out in the US...

In the end, the choice is yours and whatever you choose, I hope that your new kitty has chosen a forever home!

Originally Posted by Abymummy

Jericho,

As a cat lover, I would tell you to go to your nearest shelter and let a cat pick you out.

As a pedigree breeder, I would tell you to get an Abysinnian to pick you out.

As a logical person, (which I sometimes am), I would tell you to 1st go to your local shelter AND go to the nearest cat show, before making up your mind!

As a lover of the short hair cat breeds, I would tell you to look for a Korat - that's the breed I can identify with your needs, ie. blue with a lively personality and a cuddlebug to boot. Also, I was informed by a CFA judge very recently that the Korat is in danger of "dying" out in the US...

In the end, the choice is yours and whatever you choose, I hope that your new kitty has chosen a forever home!

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thank you for all the wonderful opinions!

I will definitely go to a shelter and see, what I would like is a normal DSH, but I am set on getting a male kitten, and how predictable is a DSH Kitten? can I get one expecting the characteristics that I would like? my reason for leaning more towards a purebred is the predictability in behavior while it's still a kitten...am I making sense or is a DSH just as predictable? I really just want the right cat because I really do intend on keeping him forever

Originally Posted by Jericho 2550

thank you for all the wonderful opinions!

I will definitely go to a shelter and see, what I would like is a normal DSH, but I am set on getting a male kitten, and how predictable is a DSH Kitten? can I get one expecting the characteristics that I would like? my reason for leaning more towards a purebred is the predictability in behavior while it's still a kitten...am I making sense or is a DSH just as predictable? I really just want the right cat because I really do intend on keeping him forever

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With pedigrees, temperament and cattitude is pretty much easy to figure out...with domestics, well, what can I say??? When I rehome a kitten, I always do two things:

1. Let the kitten choose the owner
2. Interview drastically the prospective owner before I let the kitten go.

Really, the right cat will choose you. Even if you think that the one that chose you is wrong, I can guarantee you will fall in love with it!