# The disposition of certain breeds of domestic cats towards other breeds of cats **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 6, 2026, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disposition-of-certain-breeds-of-domestic-cats-towards-other-breeds-of-cats/1026405 "2026-01-06T16:40:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disposition-of-certain-breeds-of-domestic-cats-towards-other-breeds-of-cats/1026405/1 "2026-01-06T16:40:23Z")
Please note: This is _not_ the place to post personal cat stories. Are there breeds of domestic cat that, generally, do not get along well with particular other breeds of domestic cat? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disposition-of-certain-breeds-of-domestic-cats-towards-other-breeds-of-cats/1026405/2 "2026-01-06T16:55:51Z")
How are you counting all the “no particular breed” cats? I think that’s still the vast majority. I think my vet lists them all as “domestic short hair”, even though two of mine have medium long fur, and one has long fur. But are you counting that as “a breed” or just excluding them? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disposition-of-certain-breeds-of-domestic-cats-towards-other-breeds-of-cats/1026405/3 "2026-01-06T17:11:42Z")
For the purpose of this thread, I am not counting them. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disposition-of-certain-breeds-of-domestic-cats-towards-other-breeds-of-cats/1026405/4 "2026-01-06T17:15:55Z")
NM (Forum excludes my opinion) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disposition-of-certain-breeds-of-domestic-cats-towards-other-breeds-of-cats/1026405/5 "2026-01-06T18:18:00Z")
Setting aside the IMO very legit question raised by @puzzlegal about what “breed” even means in the context of domestic cats, many of whom are mongrels of unknown & unknowable provenance … I’d back the OP’s question up one level. Are there in fact recognized behavior differences among cat breeds at all? E.g. All/Most breed _X_ are like _this_ while all/most breed _Y_ are like _that_. ISTM that much of the difference in dog breed temperament comes down to the vast range of size difference between breeds. The world looks very different to an 8 or 80 or 120# dog. And to the jobs they’d been selectively bred for prior to just becoming fashion accessories in modern times. IMO, and IANA expert, cat breeds are all much closer to the same size and have pretty much never been subjected to selective breeding for functional reasons. IMO cats certainly have individual personalities. But the idea that their personality is closely coupled to their breed is a much larger stretch. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disposition-of-certain-breeds-of-domestic-cats-towards-other-breeds-of-cats/1026405/6 "2026-01-06T18:56:25Z")
I think “backing up my question one level” is pretty much ignoring the question asked to talk about your question, frankly. There are officially different breeds of cats, and if the answer is that there doesn’t seem to be animosity from one breed towards any other breed, that answer is perfectly acceptable-it is not as if I am advocating for or against any particular viewpoint. If that were true, I wouldn’t be posting the thread in this particular forum. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disposition-of-certain-breeds-of-domestic-cats-towards-other-breeds-of-cats/1026405/7 "2026-01-06T18:56:28Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Are there breeds of domestic cat that, generally, do not get along well with particular other breeds of domestic cat? So I’ll just go out on a limb and say a flat no. To the best of my knowledge no one has ever put forward any real evidence of breed discrimination. This is not the same as saying that breeds that certain can’t have slightly different personalities on average based on some little understood genetic factors. Siamese and similar breeds really do seem to be more “talky” though the why of that seems to be hard to parse - as one of the very oldest breeds artificial human selection generations ago may have played a role as owners may have selected for more interactive pets. There has also been legitimate scientific research that for example seems to show that feral orange-coated males seem to be [physically larger and more aggressive](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-modern-heart/202009/why-orange-cats-are-so-special-according-science) on average than other coat colors. But that’s not breed discrimination per se, which I’ve never seen a convincing argument for. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disposition-of-certain-breeds-of-domestic-cats-towards-other-breeds-of-cats/1026405/8 "2026-01-06T19:17:37Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > IMO, and IANA expert, cat breeds are all much closer to the same size and have pretty much never been subjected to selective breeding for functional reasons. My understanding is that while there are some recognized cat breeds which have been around for a while (e.g., Siberian Forest Cats), the vast majority have arisen fairly recently (within the last 100-150 years), and were nearly always bred for appearance. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disposition-of-certain-breeds-of-domestic-cats-towards-other-breeds-of-cats/1026405/9 "2026-01-06T19:40:33Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Are there in fact recognized behavior differences among cat breeds at all? E.g. All/Most breed _X_ are like _this_ while all/most breed _Y_ are like _that_. Sure, breeding selects primarily for appearance, but has intentional or unintentional effects. Health effects (short face/brachycephalic like Persian cats can have respiratory problems), size effects, but also temperament. [Studies have been done](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-44324-x) showing behavioral differences. Like any other species, you may have major personality differences between closely-related individuals, but general tendency conclusions can be observed. Generally speaking, cat breed differences are much smaller than dog. Male weight ratio of the largest non-hybrid cat (Maine Coon) to the smallest (Singapura): 3.33. For dog e.g. Great Dane to Chihuaha: over 24. Health variability similarly seems larger. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disposition-of-certain-breeds-of-domestic-cats-towards-other-breeds-of-cats/1026405/10 "2026-01-06T19:45:04Z")
But the question is specifically about how breeds of cats react to other breeds of cats, only. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disposition-of-certain-breeds-of-domestic-cats-towards-other-breeds-of-cats/1026405/11 "2026-01-06T19:52:06Z")
I’ve never seen any evidence, either personal or third-hand (published reports, etc.) that cats even recognize different breeds. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disposition-of-certain-breeds-of-domestic-cats-towards-other-breeds-of-cats/1026405/12 "2026-01-06T19:52:56Z")
Person cats, Siamese cats, Maine Coon cats, Siberian and Norwegian Forest cats, are all moderately old breeds. And each has undergone significant intentional breeding in my lifetime leading to cats that look (and probably behave) differently than the cats of the same breed a few decades ago. That being said, I’ve never heard of cats caring about what breed another cat is, and I’m wondering who would even have looked into that. Is the answer to this question known for dogs? Horses? Cattle? Sheep? Goats? Pigs? ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disposition-of-certain-breeds-of-domestic-cats-towards-other-breeds-of-cats/1026405/13 "2026-01-06T20:09:52Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Person cats The opposite of a catgirl. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disposition-of-certain-breeds-of-domestic-cats-towards-other-breeds-of-cats/1026405/14 "2026-01-06T20:41:32Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > IMO cats certainly have individual personalities. But the idea that their personality is closely coupled to their breed is a much larger stretch. Yep, I agree. > [@Czarcasm](#): > > I think “backing up my question one level” is pretty much ignoring the question asked to talk about your question, frankly. He answered your question. There is no real difference in cat breeds other than appearance. Some cats breeds are considered to be friendlier than others, but that maybe difference is way overshadowed by individual personalities. > [@Tamerlane](#): > > This is not the same as saying that breeds that certain can’t have slightly different personalities on average based on some little understood genetic factors. Right. But how much of that is real as opposed to that’s is how we expect a breed to act? > [@Czarcasm](#): > > But the question is specifically about how breeds of cats react to other breeds of cats, only. No actual known difference. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disposition-of-certain-breeds-of-domestic-cats-towards-other-breeds-of-cats/1026405/15 "2026-01-06T20:42:37Z")
That seems to be the consensus. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disposition-of-certain-breeds-of-domestic-cats-towards-other-breeds-of-cats/1026405/16 "2026-01-06T21:30:53Z")
There’s plenty of lists for “cat breeds who enjoy cat company” (though none indicate the second cat’s breed matters) but, curiously, no lists I could find for cat breeds that actively dislike other cats or prefer to be solo. I thought maybe I’d find something saying “…except for fellow [breed] cats”. Anyway, everything I saw gave the same “Cats are cats to cats” answer already given. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disposition-of-certain-breeds-of-domestic-cats-towards-other-breeds-of-cats/1026405/17 "2026-01-06T22:50:59Z")
In response to the question of breeds targeting other specific breeds, I haven’t even had personal experience with it, nor did I come across it on any reputable sites and cites when we were searching for a second cat that would be able to stand up to our existing cat at the time (both are rehomes). BUT, one thing the sites did point out was that if you had a, shall we say, _energetic_ cat breed, that it was generally important that you match that level of energy when bringing in a new cat, and several breeds were discussed as being more compatible when it came to energy levels. Given the huge range of energy through within certain breeds (much less “mutt” cats), ages, and individuality, it’s at best a rule of thumb. But it came up enough in our searches to inform our choices in part, and there are a lot of websites out there (big grain of salt) that advise certain combinations of breeds likely to be more or less compatible. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disposition-of-certain-breeds-of-domestic-cats-towards-other-breeds-of-cats/1026405/18 "2026-01-06T23:51:36Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > I’ve never seen any evidence, either personal or third-hand (published reports, etc.) that cats even recognize different breeds Seconding this. But I don’t know whether anyone’s tried to find out. For that matter, I’m not sure how to find out. Individual cats certainly react differently to other individual cats; but those reactions have so much to do with the individual cats that you’d need an awful lot of cats to try to determine whether any of those different reactions showed any signs of their recognizing breed. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2026, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disposition-of-certain-breeds-of-domestic-cats-towards-other-breeds-of-cats/1026405/19 "2026-01-07T01:39:50Z")
One thing, we have a large boy(N) grumpy orange cat, when we rescued a small neutered girl orange cat, she was the only one he didnt hiss at. But they arent buddies either. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2026, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disposition-of-certain-breeds-of-domestic-cats-towards-other-breeds-of-cats/1026405/20 "2026-01-07T04:24:00Z")
There are Maine Coon cats, Russian Blues, Orange tabby cats. Six Egyptian breeds Link [https://www.catster.com/cat-breeds/egyptian-cat-breeds/](https://www.catster.com/cat-breeds/egyptian-cat-breeds/) There are more I haven’t heard about. I don’t find any firm data on how well cat breeds get along. My grandmother had a beautiful blue boy. I haven’t seen any problems with dog breeds. One deep sniff of the butt and they’re either friends or rivals. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disposition-of-certain-breeds-of-domestic-cats-towards-other-breeds-of-cats/1026405.md?page=2)