The Cat Breed-Behaviour Connection

The internet is full of articles extolling the virtue of one cat breed over another – preying on our collective anxieties about which cats are best for families with small children, or best behaved, or the most aggressive... The problem with these articles is that they are rarely, if ever, backed up by actual, hard evidence. I’m talking data, charts, research. Instead, they are too often based on the testimonials of cat breeders, who have a vested interest in making their breeds look good, or, believe it or not, vets or behaviourists, who are basing their opinions on anecdotal evidence, rather than rigorous scientific research. 

Thanks to the hard work of a small group of scientists, the true links between breed and behaviour in cats were finally uncovered a few years ago. Milla Salonen, Katariina Vapalahti, Katriina Tiira, Asko Mäki-Tanila and Hannes Lohi gathered data from more than 5,700 pet cats in Finland, across 19 breeds, and determined the probability of everything from excessive grooming to aggression. It’s pretty interesting stuff and you can read their full findings  here – although I have to warn you, like most scientific papers, it is painfully, devastatingly dull. I actually took a nap halfway through reading it. So you’re probably better off just checking out my summary below.

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It’s also worth noting that the scientists were careful to account for general and environmental factors – such as age, sex, weaning age, access to the outdoors and the presence of other cats in the home – that might also impact a cat’s behaviour. In other words, they did their best to limit the possibility of their data being corrupted by conflated variables that had nothing whatsoever to do with breed.

1. Probability of aggression towards family members

Highest: Turkish Van, Angora, Korat

Lowest: British Shorthair, Abyssinian (including Somali and Ocicat), Oriental breeds (Balinese, Oriental Longhair, Oriental Shorthair, Seychellois Longhair, Seychellois Shorthair, Siamese)

If you’re ever been stroking your cat and they suddenly hiss at you – or worse, bite you – they may just be over it or overexcited. Behaviourists call this ‘petting-induced aggression’ and believe that it’s caused by repetitive contact. In other words, your cat will allow you the privilege of stroking them but only so much. Don’t take it personally; just pay attention to their body language and ease up on the affection when they show signs of feeling smothered.

2. Probability of aggression towards strangers

Highest: Turkish Van, Angora, Korat, Devon Rex

Lowest: British Shorthair, Persian, Cornish Rex

3. Probability of shyness towards strangers

Highest (hides from strangers): Russian Blue, Domestic Shorthair (aka house cat or mixed-breed cat), Bengal

Lowest (super social): Cornish Rex, Burmese, Burmilla

4. Probability of aggression towards other cats

Highest (loner): Turkish Van, Angora, Korat

Lowest (plays well with others): Persian

The best way to avoid aggression between pets in a multi-cat household is by setting them all up for success with slow, proper, carefully orchestrated introductions.

5. Probability of decreased contact

Highest (more introverted): British Shorthair, Saint Birman, European Shorthair, Persian

Lowest (more extroverted): Oriental breeds, Devon Rex, Korat

6. Probability of high activity level

Highest (more energetic): Cornish Rex, Korat, Bengal

Lowest (less energetic): British Shorthair, Ragdoll, Saint Birman

Keep in mind, though, cat zoomies are a natural, normal behaviour for all cat breeds.

7. Probability of shyness towards novel objects

Highest (afraid of new things): Russian Blue, Domestic Shorthair (aka house cat or mixed-breed cat), Turkish Van, Angora

Lowest (curious about new things): Devon Rex, Persian, Cornish Rex

8. Probability of wool sucking

Highest (most likely to suckle): Domestic Shorthair (aka house cat or mixed breed), Norwegian Forest Cat, Turkish Van, Angora

Lowest (least likely to suckle): Persian, Russian Blue

Wool sucking is when cats literally suck on things: blankets, sweaters, shoelaces, bathmats, even another cat’s tail or paws. It is sometimes linked to anxiety and although it is generally harmless, if your cat swallows something they can’t digest, it may require serious medical intervention. 

9. Probability of excessive grooming

Highest: Burmese, Oriental, Cornish Rex

Lowest: British Shorthair, Persian

If your cat is overgrooming, hawking up hairballs more than usual or losing hair, you should see your vet to rule out an underlying health issue.

10. Probability of owner-evaluated behaviour problems

Highest: Oriental, Persian

Lowest: European Shorthair, British Shorthair

All of this is not to say that breed alone dictates a cat’s personality. Far from it. A cat’s personality will often change over time or as their surroundings change. And cats, like humans, are often greatly impacted by the treatment they receive early in their lives. For instance, while the researchers for this study found that purebred cats were generally less aggressive towards other cats than mixed-breed cats, they attributed this trend less to the cats being purebred than to the fact that pedigree cat breeders in Europe tend to invest more time socialising kittens. There is still more research to be done on the link between breed, environment and behaviour in cats – something the scientists behind this study are already working on.