# Breed personality?



## jennifer2 (Mar 5, 2005)

I was just wondering, do different breeds of cats have unique personalities?
I realize that individual cats all have different personalities, but as a breed is there such a thing as a "textbook" personality?
All of my animal experience regarding purebreds have been dogs up until recently, and I know that different dog breeds have different personalities, usually stemming from what they were originally bred to do. Some are more hyper than others, some are more protective than others. My golden has a "textbook" golden retriever personality. I know people with purebred Malamutes that are really nice dogs, but have a very different personality than my dog, but it is the "textbook" Malamute personality. When I was first looking at getting a dog, that "textbook" personality was one of the things I considered when choosing a breed. 
I was just wondering for cats is this true also? Are there some breeds that are known for being super friendly and others that are known for being aloof? In cats do you breed for a specific personality trait for different breeds or is it more for the specific body type and color patterns?

Jennifer


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## spacemonkey (Aug 12, 2004)

I think that some breeds are more active, like Bengals, and some are more clingy, like Siamese, but other than that I don't know...

Good question, perhaps others more experienced with different breeds will pipe in


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

Yes, from what I've read, different breeds are noted for different personality traits. In the book I have of cat breeds, for each breed there is a discussion of that breed's typical personality characteristics.


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## ForJazz (Dec 30, 2003)

Different breeds have "characteristic breed traits" that the cats are bred for -- personality and health are usually prioritized. But of course, there are always exceptions, and just because you have a certain breed doesn't mean it will meet that personality to a tee. They are still individuals, but yes -- breeders have that goal in mind. I'll name a few, although of course it is soooo hard to categorize cats, because most of these breeds fit into many categories. Here are just a few examples.

Cats that are known for being active and inquisitive:
Devon Rex, Abbysinian, Bengal, Siamese

Cats known for being snuggly and easy-going:
Ragdoll, Ragamuffin, Maine ****, Birman

Cats known for being VERY relaxed and less active:
Persian, British Shorthair

Cats known for having great well-rounded personalities that is really to no extreme or the other:
Tonkinese, Norwegian Forest Cat, Siberian, American Bobtail, American Shorthair, Egyptian Mau


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## Sol (Feb 20, 2003)

I agree with everthing ForJazz writes


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## ForJazz (Dec 30, 2003)

Wow Sol, everything?? That's a scary thought!


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## Sol (Feb 20, 2003)

ForJazz said:


> Wow Sol, everything?? That's a scary thought!


Well, at least in everything you've written in this thread :wink:


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## ForJazz (Dec 30, 2003)

And the fact that I want a brown tabby Devon Rex?


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## Sol (Feb 20, 2003)

ForJazz said:


> And the fact that I want a brown tabby Devon Rex?












The cat to the left is my Geishas' sister and the one to the right, Geishas' mother, both of them are brown spotted :wink:


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## ForJazz (Dec 30, 2003)

You...you...that's so not fair.


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## Sol (Feb 20, 2003)

ForJazz said:


> You...you...that's so not fair.


I know, I just had to :wink:


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## Padunk (Oct 20, 2003)

I'm under the impression that while some cat breeds may be more _likely_ to have a certain personality, it couldn't hold up in a statistical sense. (I'd rather not discuss standard deviation or t-tests here.. :wink: )

I always hear that certain cats are 'just like dogs' because they fetch, do tricks, et cetera. However, my cats have many of these 'purebred' traits and they're not pure. I can point out many other DSH, DMH, & DLH that are the same way.

Dogs have those textbook personalities because they were bred for working purposes, while most cats were bred for looks.


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## ForJazz (Dec 30, 2003)

Padunk said:


> (I'd rather not discuss standard deviation or t-tests here.. :wink: )


Ew gross, gag me. I had my fill of stats in college. If I ever have to have one of those discussions again I will barf. 8O


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## SiberianKitty (Dec 10, 2004)

The Siberian Forest Cat would fit that "dog-like" personality just perfectly. Of course, there are other purebreds and mixes that can fit that description as well. The Siberian is just the first that comes to mind. 

As a future breeder, they are my breed of choice. And then...maybe the Birman would be my second. I didn't intend to choose a long-haired breed. Infact, I rather like the Medium coat, however their personalities won me over and the fact that they have no genetic breed-related health issues was a plus. And then thirdly, they are beautiful kittys!

So...anyways...back from my tangent. Cats were also used as mousers, so they weren't mainly bred for looks. And now we have Cat agility! And then that Sledding ordeal with the Siberians on the east coast of the U.S.

So, if given the opportunity, cats can do more then just provide companionship and "tricks". People have just got to give them a task and then we'll start to develope "working lines" in addition to the "show lines" and we'll still have the ones that don't really fit into either.

_________________

_"If we would spend as much time and effort improving ourselves mentally, physically and genetically, breeding ourselves properly as we do our animals...can you image how much better the human race would become?"_ ~ Corina A. Gonzalez


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## Sol (Feb 20, 2003)

Padunk said:


> I'm under the impression that while some cat breeds may be more _likely_ to have a certain personality, it couldn't hold up in a statistical sense. (I'd rather not discuss standard deviation or t-tests here.. :wink: )
> 
> I always hear that certain cats are 'just like dogs' because they fetch, do tricks, et cetera. However, my cats have many of these 'purebred' traits and they're not pure. I can point out many other DSH, DMH, & DLH that are the same way.
> 
> Dogs have those textbook personalities because they were bred for working purposes, while most cats were bred for looks.


well, just as one can say certain dog breeds are more likely to have a certain temperement. There's a difference between temperment and personality :wink: Devon Rexes should be very active, playful, curious and social cats and most of them have that temperment but of course they all have different personalities.  

A Border Collie is more likely to become a nice sheepherder than a Pug, but some Border Collies "don't have it in them". A Border Collie mix is more likely to become a sheepherder than a Pug mix.

So whenever one mixes breeds the traits from each breed can be passed on, or not. If a cat is 50 % Siamese it may inherit typical Siamese tratis, or not, after all there's 50 % of something else in the cat to.

Cat breeds are indeed bred after tempermen, not only on looks. The temperment and the look are supposed to match each other.


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## jennifer2 (Mar 5, 2005)

SiberianKitty said:


> The Siberian Forest Cat would fit that "dog-like" personality just perfectly. Of course, there are other purebreds and mixes that can fit that description as well. The Siberian is just the first that comes to mind.


Aren't they the ones that are supposed to be less allergenic? 
I think if I were to ever get a purebred cat I could see getting a "dog-like" cat!
I had a big orange tabby boy when I was younger and he used to rule the dogs in my house. I'm just happy that my current cats will finally be in the same room as my dogs  
The only other purebred cat I've ever know are Singapuras. I have a co-worker that breeds them. They're pretty and friendly, but they look so breakable.

Jennifer


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## Padunk (Oct 20, 2003)

Sol said:


> well, just as one can say certain dog breeds are more likely to have a certain temperement. There's a difference between temperment and personality :wink: Devon Rexes should be very active, playful, curious and social cats and most of them have that temperment but of course they all have different personalities.
> 
> A Border Collie is more likely to become a nice sheepherder than a Pug, but some Border Collies "don't have it in them". A Border Collie mix is more likely to become a sheepherder than a Pug mix.
> 
> ...




I don't disagree with you. I guess my point was (which I didn't make very clear) that I believe some cat breeders hype up these characteristics way too much.

There are many reasons to select different breeds -- hair length/type, size, and temperment -- it's just that often times I see people act like or say that these things are _exclusive_ to certain breeds. 

I love purebred cats and think about what it'd be like to own one someday, but I think that unless someone has a specific physical need in a cat (the hairless-ness of a shpynx, et cetera) that they can find the temperment, size, and hair length that they are looking for in a moggie. I think for a lot of people (not necessarily breeders) that have love for a specific breed base it purely on looks. That's okay with me, I guess. I just wish they'd be honest about it.


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## ForJazz (Dec 30, 2003)

SiberianKitty said:


> The Siberian Forest Cat would fit that "dog-like" personality just perfectly. Of course, there are other purebreds and mixes that can fit that description as well. The Siberian is just the first that comes to mind.


Yeah -- I love siberians too. I had them listed in my section for "well-rounded kitties."  

About singapuras, I know what you mean about them looking breakable. They look like little porcelain kitties. I think it's really neat that you know someone who breeds them -- they are one of those breeds that is still very scarce because there is a small breeding pool.


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## CyPurrHimmie (Apr 23, 2005)

In my experience all pure bred's have very different personality's and inherited characteristics (traits). For example... 

Abyssinians-They are very active and social. Bonding closely to their person always wanting to be involved . All their lives they are very playful and have periods of fanatic activity to total relaxation.

Himalayans- My breed  ! Very loving, outgoing and purr at the drop of a dime. The boys tend to be more loving then the girls, very trainable. 

Norwegian forest cats- They purr constantly and tend to be very clingy. They are very intelligent and exceedingly alert.

I feel as do many breeds specialists, that inherited personalities (traits) are very relevant... Of course all cats exhibits their very own attitudes.


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