Cat breed quiz: Which cat is right for me?

Good to know

The quiz gives you a well-founded orientation, not a guarantee. Every cat is an individual, and character varies a lot even within a breed. Still, it is worth looking at typical breed traits, because they say a lot about how much outdoor access, activity and grooming a cat needs on average and whether that fits your everyday life. You can find out how we turn your answers into recommendations in the next section.

How we find your matches

Just like our dog breed quiz, there is no fixed formula here, but a matching principle. For each of the 26 breeds in our database, we recorded key traits based on recognised sources: Is the breed suited to outdoor access or indoor living only? How much experience should you have? How much grooming does the coat need? How well does it get along with young children or other pets?

Your answers are compared with these traits. Some criteria are exclusion criteria for us. If, for example, you say that this is your first cat, breeds like the Bengal or the Oriental Shorthair are automatically removed from your list, because they need experienced owners. This matters to us, because we don't want to recommend a breed that could overwhelm both of you in everyday life.

All remaining breeds are compared with weighted scoring based on your other answers (size, grooming, budget and, in the optional extra questions, things like how affectionate the cat should be or its hunting instinct). The percentage next to each breed shows how closely it matches your profile: 100 % means it fits exactly on every question you answered. Below each breed you also see why it suits you and what you should keep in mind.

Which cat breed suits which lifestyle?

Want an overview first? Based on our breed data, these breeds from our database are particularly suited to typical life situations.

All 26 cat breeds at a glance

The same data our quiz uses for matching.

Why you won't find certain breeds here

When putting together our breed database, one thing mattered most to us: we don't want to recommend any breed whose extreme breeding traits put a heavy strain on its health. That is why we deliberately left out several breeds that are classed as "Qualzucht" (breeding for exaggerated traits that cause suffering) under animal welfare criteria:

• Scottish Fold / Highland Fold: the folded-ear gene causes a painful cartilage and joint disease that affects practically all cats with folded ears
• Persian / Exotic Shorthair (modern breed standard): extreme short-headedness with breathing and eye problems
• Munchkin: short legs caused by chondrodystrophy, with a higher risk of spinal problems
• Manx and Cymric: the gene mutation responsible for taillessness is associated with the so-called Manx syndrome (possible malformations of the spine and spinal cord)
• Sphynx: an official expert report on extreme breeding from 1999 recommends a breeding ban for hairless cats, and a German administrative court confirmed a partial ban in 2018

This does not mean these breeds are not lovable or that every single cat of these breeds inevitably suffers. But the breed standards structurally favour diseases that we don't want to actively recommend. For a similar breed profile (calm, affectionate, low maintenance), our quiz shows you the British Shorthair or the Ragdoll instead, for example.

Sources: Qualzucht database (QUEN), § 11b of the German Animal Welfare Act.

Background knowledge

Why is all this worth the effort? Because many cats end up in shelters because lifestyle and breed did not fit together. A Bengal waiting all day alone in a small apartment, or a calm British Shorthair that is supposed to become a full-time outdoor cat even though it would rather stay cosily at home, are not exceptions.

And it is not just about outdoor access or grooming. Typical breed traits such as hunting instinct or affection are deeply rooted in the breeding history of many cats. A very people-oriented breed like the Siamese will not feel comfortable in a household where it is alone all day, no matter how lovingly it is treated otherwise.

That is exactly why it pays to take an honest look at your own everyday life before getting a cat, rather than at the prettiest Instagram photo. And by the way: if none of the 26 breeds fits you perfectly in the end, that is no reason to worry. Mixed-breed cats and former strays are often the most practical and welfare-friendly choice, precisely because their personality is usually known before they move in with you.

Frequently asked questions