Most short-haired cats handle their own coat. The long-haired breeds genuinely need daily help and mat badly if they do not get it.
| Breed | Size | Lifespan | Grooming | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abyssinian | Medium | 9-13 years | Low | Abyssinians are one of the most perpetually active cat breeds that exists and generally dislike being held or re… |
| American Shorthair | Medium | 15-20 years | Low | The 'all-American working cat' story implies a hardy, mixed-heritage constitution, but this is a closed pedigree… |
| Bengal | Medium | 12-16 years | Low | Bengals carry real wild ancestor genetics from the Asian leopard cat, and depending how many generations removed… |
| Burmese | Medium | 10-16 years | Low | The extremely rounded, short-faced 'contemporary' Burmese head comes from a gene that is lethal in double dose —… |
| Domestic Shorthair | Medium | 12-15 years, commonly more | Low | The 'ordinary' shelter cat with no pedigree is, on average, the genetically healthiest cat you can get — a large… |
| Egyptian Mau | Medium | 12-14 years | Low | The Egyptian Mau's spots are entirely natural — it's the only naturally spotted domestic cat breed, not a wildca… |
| Ocicat | Large | 12-15 years | Low | Despite looking exactly like a wild ocelot, the Ocicat has zero wild-cat ancestry — it's a 100% domestic breed b… |
| Oriental Shorthair | Medium | 12-15 years | Low | Oriental Shorthairs are Siamese in a different coat, including the same nonstop, opinionated vocalizing — often … |
| Russian Blue | Medium | 15-20 years | Low | Russian Blues are one of the few purebred cats without a well-documented breed-specific genetic disease, so the … |
| Siamese | Medium | 11-15 years | Low | The Siamese's famous 'talking' is not occasional chatter but a loud, persistent, opinionated yowl, and a bored o… |
| Tonkinese | Medium | 12-16 years | Low | The Tonkinese is a Siamese-Burmese cross bred to be a 'best of both' companion, but that also means an extremely… |
Pick two and put them side by side, then read the full cat guide for costs and daily time.