Cat Breeds for Apartments

The best cat breeds for apartments are the American Shorthair, British Shorthair, Ragdoll and Persian.  I'll explain why I have made that assessment. Of these four I would chose the British Shorthair.

These are two fantastic British Shorthair cats. Helmi does a great job photographing cats because she also captures the character. You can see the solid, calm, reliable character of this cat breed that makes it suitable for apartment life. However, there should be a greater obligation on the cat's human companion to entertain their cat when living in an apartment, even if that cat is the rather sedate, well mannered Brit SH!

The American Shorthair is a fine all round cat breed and also suitable for children and seniors. The requirements for each group is similar and that is a well rounded, gentle, balanced cat that takes things in his stride and who is in sync. with his human companion.

People (experts) say that the Persian should stay indoors, in which case an apartment seems suitable. This is partly because of the cat's very long fur. It is also a cat that likes routine, quiet and a sense of security. Cats breeds from the same background are: Exotic Shorthair and Himalayan. You can see the passivity of the Exotic compared to the more active Bengal in this video:

As for the Ragdoll, this cat breed has the reputation of being the world's most laid back cat. This is not true because there will be individual cats that step outside the breed trends.

If the breed characteristics narrow down the choice for cat breeds for apartments, the person wishing to adopt should select on individual cat personality with the assistance of the breeder. A quality breeder is important both for advice and cat quality.

Top Cat Breeds For Seniors

It is difficult to provide a formula for selecting the top cat breeds for seniors because seniors have different personalities and lifestyles like anyone else. Some older people are very active and desire to be active as it promotes health. Some elderly people carry an illness, which despite best intentions, slows them down. The elderly active person will be the best cat caretaker as they are at home more and have the time to spend with their cat companion. Their lifestyle supports routine and security, something that cats love.

American Shorthair - highly suitable for seniors.
His name: "Tiger"

 

However, in general the retired person will be less active and seek a quieter lifestyle with minimum demands. That encourages me to think of cat breeds that are similar in character such as the Persian, British Shorthair, Ragdoll. Of these three the Brit is probably best as the others, particularly the very long haired Persian requires regular grooming to maintain the coat. The Brit SH has a fabulous coat to stroke - very therapeutic for an older person.


As to the Persian I would chose a traditional Persian as it is likely that there will be less expenditure in respect of veterinary bills. Two other cats are part of the Persian stable of breeds: the Exotic Shorthair (shorthaired Persian) and the Himalayan (pointed Persian). They are equally as good as the Persian.

The Russian Blue also comes to mind as a cat that likes indoor living. Cats that are suitable to full-time indoor life should be suitable for seniors as well. A lesser known cat that seems to shine is the Pixie-bob. They are solid performers, good with children and quiet. I would recommend this breed as one of the top cat breeds for seniors.

In fact I think a quiet cat is probably an attractive factor in a cat breed for an elderly person. The British Shorthair, already mentioned falls firmly into this category.

I don't think a senior requires a cat that is overly demanding, either. A degree of quiet independence is attractive. In that vein, the Maine Coon comes to mind too although some maintenance is ideally required. And we cannot forget the solid American Shorthair. This cat requires little grooming by their human companion (another important factor) and is quiet. They are gentle with seniors and good with children. The American Shorthair is a popular cat breed too, in the top 10 of all breeds.

The American Shorthair is my individual pick for senior members of society. This is not meant to be a comprehensive list by the way. Also what I am saying here does not exclude the beautiful random bred cat or other individual cats of other breeds.

Picture of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy in Cats

This is a photograph of the cross-section of a cat's heart diseased by hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). The cat's human companion wanted to find out the cause of death. The photograph was taken by the staff at the Cuyahoga Falls Veterinary Clinic. This photo has been used with permission for teaching/educational purposes at www.pictures-of-cats.org (PoC). I want to thank Ryan G. Gates, DVM of the clinic for granting permission. If people want to use the picture please ask the clinic first.

HCM is the most common cause of heart disease in cats. It is also the common cause of spontaneous death in full-time indoor adult cats¹.

The walls of the ventricles thicken and the muscle fibers are replaced by scar tissue. The heart is weakened because the heart wall becomes less elastic and the chamber smaller.

Increased heart rate, heart murmur, loss of appetite, increased respiratory rate can be signs. In purebred cats the Bengal cat is known to be predisposed - HCM in Bengal cats. Other breeds are also predisposed including the ever popular Maine Coon - see MC health problems. Other purebred cats that can inherit this disease are Ragdolls, British SHs, American SHs and Devon Rexes. The disease usually affects cats from 1-5 yrs of age

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Note (1) Cat Owner's Veterinary Handbook ISBN 978-0-470-09530-0

Snowshoe Cat Picture

A Snowshoe cat picture by Helmi Flick. This is an striking cat. The appearance catches your eye. The pointing is bicolor. In other words the pointed extremities of the cat are divided between what we are used to seeing, say seal points, and white fur. The white fur is due to the presence of the piebald or white spotting gene probably imported from a bicolor American Shorthair (this is a hybrid cat). The genetics are a bit complicated! The bicolor pointing on the feet produces what breeders call a "mitted" appearance. When the pattern of split white/dark pointing is just on the feet the pattern is called "mitted". When this pattern is on the face as well, it is called "bicolor".  In layperson's terminology, I guess this cat breed is a traditional looking Siamese cat with bicolor pointing. As the ancestry comes from the Siamese you would expect this cat to be vocal and companionable. Read and see lots more if you desire...

Selkirk Rex Picture

A sweet Selkirk Rex picture by Helmi Flick and this is a sweet, gentle cat that looks a bit like a sheep because of his/her curly, crinkly coat. They also say that the coat is not as demanding in respect of maintenance as it looks. This beautiful cat in the Helmi picture looks like a calico although it is a camouflaged under all those curls. All colors and patterns are allowable under the breed standard for this cat breed. Helmi says that you can see the British Shorthair in the face of the Selkirk Rex. This is because the breeding program includes the Brit SH as well as the Persian and American Shorthair. This is a stocky looking cat (semi-cobby). The first signs of a curly coat in kittens are the curly whiskers, which break off. At about 4 months of age kittens lose a lot of their fur but it grows back curly and this time it stays.  The curly hair is due to a dominant gene. Read and see more....

California Spangled Cat Picture

This is a rare California Spangled cat picture because it is a scanned copy of the 1989 calendar that promoted this now rare cat. This cat breed was first publicized in the 1986 Neiman-Marcus Christmas Book. Many orders came out of that but it is very rare to sell a purebred cat through a shop.

Neiman-Marcus is a well known luxury retailer. Clearly the California Spangled was a luxury and rare cat. The only other time I have seen this happen is currently (2010) in relation to the selling of the Savannah cat at the Savannah Cat Shoppe.

The Savannah is a wild cat hybrid while the California Spangled has the wild spotted cat look but is a domestic cat hybrid bringing together breeds such the American and British Shorthairs and the Abyssinian. The idea behind this breed was the same as the Bengal cat; to give cat caretakers a bit of wild cat in the home to allow people to make a connection with the wild and the wild cats and thereby think of conservation. Paul Casey, a true polymath created the breed. He was a talented person and a rare sort himself. Read the full history of the California Spangled.

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British Shorthair Cat Picture

A beautiful classic looking blue British Shorthair cat. This is a purebred pedigree cat. This cat is an American bred cat, photographed in America, probably at a cat show by the well known professional cat photographer, Helmi Flick. Breeders in Russia and in continental Europe probably breed them slightly differently. I remember some pictures of a Russian British Shorthair that had a more rounded and massive head with very large cheeks - slightly exaggerated I thought. This cat is very popular with cat lovers and keepers. It is similar in popularity to the American Shorthair, which has a similar but noticeably different appearance. This is due to years of selective breeding as the ancestry is identical if you go back far enough (1600s!). The Brit SH is a semi-cobby cat with the best coat in the world to stroke. A cat coat won't feel better. The character is even tempered. British in short...This individual cat is a male unfixed boy. Click here to read and see more.

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The photo on this page is protected by copyright ©. Violations of copyright are reported to Google.com (DMCA). Sorry but Helmi makes a living from photographing cats.

Bombay Cat Picture

Bombay cat - photograph copyright Helmi Flick
Please respect Helmi's copyright

The Bombay cat is a super, glossy, jet black, purebred cat with large copper eyes. It is nice to see the black cat celebrated. The adult black cat is apparently unpopular at cat rescue facilities. Yet, there is evidence that the black cat is potentially healthier than any other color and pattern. This Bombay cat picture is by the celebrated, American Helmi Flick, a professional cat photographer. She says that they are difficult to photograph because autofocus cameras cannot get a fix on the black, patent leather coat. Helmi has to use manual focus to ensure a sharp image.

The concept behind the Bombay cat was to create a black panther type domestic cat.  In that way it is an alternative to the wildcat hybrid concept. The breed was created in 1953 and it is fully recognised by the CFA. The Bombay is a hybrid cat from mating a Burmese with a black American Shorthair. Cats of this breed have a Burmese cat personality: relaxed, friendly and intelligent. The cover of the beautiful book on cats, Legacy of the Cat features a Bombay cat. Click here to read and see more.

American Shorthair

This is an iconic photograph by the celebrated cat photographer Helmi Flick of "Gazer", a fine example of a classic (blotched) silver tabby American Shorthair cat (ASH for short). The American Shorthair has a long history in the USA starting 1600s and was once called a "domestic shorthair" (until 1950s) - a bit unkind.  This is a very popular purebred cat. The breed is described as a "sack of oats" in the cat fancy - pliable and heavy. I think that applies to most healthy domestic cats.  This cat is not an extreme cat. The face is sweet and the muzzle square. Read and see more here.

Please respect Helmi Flick's copyright. Violations are reported to Google.com - sorry.

American Shorthair Cat Personality

Easy going¹, docile and quiet, adaptable to their surroundings and accepting of other pets², the American Shorthair is suited to apartment living. This breed is undemanding and they tend not to get upset under circumstances that might upset other cats. They are good with children and adults³.

This is laid back cat with a long history going back as far as the history of the Maine Coon. It is perhaps the shorthaired equivalent of the American cat, the Maine Coon.

The American Shorthair comes from good old British moggie stock if you believe the story that they originate in shorthaired ships cats from England landing on the east coast of American in the early 1600s.

Note: (1) Encyclopedia of the Cat (2) Medical, Genetic & Behavioral Aspects of Purebred Cats, (3) Legacy of the Cat.