Any cat can live indoors, but the calmer breeds cope best without a garden. Vertical space matters more than floor space.
| Breed | Size | Lifespan | Energy | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Shorthair | Medium | 15-20 years | Moderate | The 'all-American working cat' story implies a hardy, mixed-heritage constitution, but this is a closed pedigree… |
| Balinese | Medium | 12-15 years | Moderate | A Balinese is essentially a Siamese in a long coat, which means it comes with the same small foundation gene poo… |
| Birman | Medium | 12-16 years | Moderate | Birmans are marketed as a calm, especially healthy longhaired breed, but they carry a distinctly higher-than-ave… |
| British Shorthair | Medium | 12-20 years | Low | The round 'teddy bear' face and dense plush coat of the show standard sit on a breed that Cornell's feline healt… |
| Domestic Shorthair | Medium | 12-15 years, commonly more | Moderate | The 'ordinary' shelter cat with no pedigree is, on average, the genetically healthiest cat you can get — a large… |
| Exotic Shorthair | Medium | 8-15 years | Low | The Exotic Shorthair is a Persian in a plush short coat, bred to the same extreme flat-faced standard, which mea… |
| Himalayan | Medium | 9-15 years | Moderate | A Himalayan is a Persian with Siamese coloring, which means it inherits the Persian's flattened face and everyth… |
| Maine Coon | Large | 12-15 years | Moderate | Maine Coons are marketed as a robust, 'naturally healthy' breed, but a lab analysis of thousands of samples foun… |
| Manx | Medium | 12-16 years | Moderate | The same gene that gives Manx cats no tail also frequently disrupts how the spinal cord forms — one cited study … |
| Norwegian Forest Cat | Large | 14-16 years | Moderate | This breed is marketed as a hardy, naturally-evolved landrace with few health problems, which is true for most i… |
| Persian | Medium | 10-13 years | Low | The flat 'doll face' that wins in the show ring is extreme brachycephaly by another name, and it comes with life… |
| Ragamuffin | Large | 12-16 years | Low | Ragamuffin breeders lean hard on the phrase 'hybrid vigor' from outcrossing to domestic longhairs, but the breed… |
| Ragdoll | Large | 12-17 years | Moderate | Ragdolls are sold almost entirely on their limp, placid 'floppy' temperament, but that same breed carries a spec… |
| Russian Blue | Medium | 15-20 years | Moderate | Russian Blues are one of the few purebred cats without a well-documented breed-specific genetic disease, so the … |
| Scottish Fold | Medium | 13-15 years | Moderate | Every Scottish Fold's folded ears are caused by osteochondrodysplasia, a cartilage and bone-growth disorder that… |
| Siberian | Large | 12-15 years | Moderate | Siberians are marketed as 'hypoallergenic,' but no cat breed is allergen-free — every cat produces the Fel d 1 p… |
Pick two and put them side by side, then read the full cat guide for costs and daily time.