Siamese

Siamese can do well with children who already know how to be calm and gentle. Expect an average-sized cat that is high-energy, barely sheds and needs very little grooming. It is a committed lap animal, so expect company whether or not you asked for it.

How long is that, really? Cats live longer than most people expect — about 11.7 years on average across every breed, and a well-looked-after Siamese can reach 15 years. A kitten you bring home this year will still be curled up somewhere warm long after you have finished school.

Sources: VCA Animal Hospitals · PDSA breed guide · Teng et al., Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery (2024).

Day to day. High-energy — this is a cat that needs height to climb, things to hunt and someone to play with. A bored one of these gets into everything, and that is not naughtiness, it is boredom. Ten minutes with a wand toy in the evening covers most of what it is asking for.

The coat, honestly. This breed barely sheds and needs very little grooming. Next to nothing to do either way — the odd brush is a treat rather than a chore, and this is about as easy as a coat gets.

Company and noise. This one is a committed lap animal and very talkative. Expect it on your lap, your keyboard and your chest at six in the morning — a cat bred for closeness does not negotiate. And it will talk to you constantly, expecting an answer. Give it a warm, high place to land in whatever room you are in; where you put things matters more with this one than what you buy.

• Someone will actually play with it every day, and it can climb high
• You would rather brush and pay a groomer than vacuum every day
• You want a cat whose coat looks after itself
• You want an animal that actually sits on you, not just near you
• You would enjoy a pet that genuinely talks back

• Nobody has ten minutes twice a day to play with it properly
• Anyone in the house needs quiet to sleep, work or study
• You want a pet that entertains itself while you get on with things

Rough running cost: $$ (middle of the pack) — because there is no single expensive thing about it — just the normal food, vet and insurance costs every cat brings.

Those are relative bands, not live prices. For real numbers across every pet we cover, see the pet cost study and the cost calculator.

Picked for this breed’s coat, size, energy and known health issues, not a generic list.

Rescues do have Siamese and Siamese crosses, usually adults whose size, coat and temperament you can see rather than guess at.

Oriental Shorthair

A Siamese in every colour except colourpoint — enormous ears, endless energy, endless opinions.

🐈 Average⚡ High energy✨ Low shed

Burmese

A compact, glossy, surprisingly heavy cat that is about as dog-like as cats get.

🐈 Average🙂 Moderate✨ Low shed

Devon Rex

A small elfin cat with enormous ears and a soft wavy coat, permanently attached to a warm human.

🐈 Small⚡ High energy✨ Low shed