Need help deciding between devon rex and american shortail?

Hi I'm Alan! Nice to meet you, I am looking into getting a kitten so I am kind of a newbie compared to some of you guys. Anyways, the two cats I have narrowed it down to are the Devon Rex and the American Shortail. I like how they barely shed! But my issue is how much exactly does the Shortail shed? If it is a lot, I probably would get the Devon Rex. My issue with the Devon is that can it be all alone for a lot of time without getting bored? Because I will be working and don't want to rush home a lot. Therefore, the Shortail is my primary choice. Thoughts? Any help is high apprurrrciated!

Is there a particular reason why you need a specific breed? I don't have any experience with either Devon or an Americal Shorhair but here's some info:

http://www.catster.com/cat-breeds/Devonshire_Rex

http://www.catster.com/cat-breeds/American_Shorthair

http://www.cfa.org/Breeds/BreedsAB/AmericanShorthair.aspx

http://www.cfa.org/Breeds/BreedsCJ/DevonRex.aspx

From the links above, it looks like a Devon would not work for you because they are a highly social breed and get bored easily. An Americal Shorthair might be a better choice.

How about heading to the local shelter or rescue and adopting one of the many cats available? Most are domestic shorthairs or medium hairs or long hairs. Occasionally you might see a Siamese or other breed. All make wonderful pets A shelter or rescue worker can pick out a few possible good choices for you and your lifestyle. You could look for a breed specific rescue as well if you really want a specific breed.

Double-coated cats do shed, but if you feed the cat a high-quality diet and comb him now and then, the shedding shouldn't be a big problem. Nothing like a big hairy dog, that's for sure :tongue2:.

In your situation I'd suggest getting 2 kittens. They can keep each other company while you're gone. If you can't afford 2 purebred kittens, you could get one purebred and one moggie, or just skip getting a purebred altogether (most people don't have a very strong preference for a purebred cat). If getting 2 kittens just isn't an option, try for a sedate older cat who enjoys his/her solitude. Shelters have plenty of older cats, and if you're still set on a purebred, breeders do frequently have retired show cats available.

Many responsible breeders and rescues will not sell/adopt a kitten to someone who plans to leave the kitten alone a lot. They'll insist you take 2 kittens or 1 adult cat. Kittens who are raised without enough companionship frequently turn out to have behavioral problems.

Do you mean an American Shorthair or an American Bobtail? Either way, find a good responsible breeder and ask him/her about their cats, because different family lines can tend toward different temperments, so the breeder could tell you what cats from his/her lines usually act like.

i am seriously consider the american shorthaired

heythere094 said:

Hi I'm Alan! Nice to meet you, I am looking into getting a kitten so I am kind of a newbie compared to some of you guys. Anyways, the two cats I have narrowed it down to are the Devon Rex and the American Shortail. I like how they barely shed! But my issue is how much exactly does the Shortail shed? If it is a lot, I probably would get the Devon Rex. My issue with the Devon is that can it be all alone for a lot of time without getting bored? Because I will be working and don't want to rush home a lot. Therefore, the Shortail is my primary choice. Thoughts? Any help is high apprurrrciated!

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Did you mean American Shorthair or American Bobtail? I don't think there is a breed called American Shortail.

I love how the Devon Rex is super low shedding. Weirdly, I also love the way it looks. It's not ordinary looking but I find it real cool. I heard they are very playful though. I am cool with that, but I need a cat that is highly independent. Just how independent is one of these kitties? or are they super needy for time and attention like a dog? When I read some bios about cats this one didn't have anything special saying it needs extra time and attention or its overly demanding. I imagine that this would be a good cat for my lifestyle because I know that cats sleep a lot during the boring parts of the day but I don't want it to be too miserable since I will be working a lot of the day anyway. I don't want to feel the need to rush always to get home too it. You know? in terms of time daily, how much play would this cat require, at the minimum? I don't have that much play time since I am always busy. Also, can I train it to be more of a lazy cat and sleep with me in bed? Please answer all my questions!!! Thanks and peace.

I would say that an active cat would need at least 30 minutes of active playtime with you every day, plus a lot of toys and climbing furniture. Most responsible breeders will not sell a single kitten to a home with no other pets and nobody home all day.

A cat with shorter hair usually like to share your bed because of the body heat . Cats get lazier as they get older but kittens will always be crazy and hyper. Active breeds do stay active longer.

When you've picked out a breeder, ask him/her about how active their cats are in general. They know their cats best.

Just from watching them at shows I would say the Devon Rex is an extremely active cat and is going to want attention pretty much all the time it's awake. The American Shorthair cats tend to have much more mellow personalities.