What's the friendliest breed of cat?

[TuttiFrutti]

We've only ever had moggies but have always admired the look of exotic breeds. We are thinking vaguely of getting two kittens this time round, but they would have to get on with our dc aged 5 and 7, and we'd prefer friendly cats which wanted to sit on our laps/be with us/play with us in the evenings. We've had some moggies like that and some which were very stand-offish.

Preferably not too mad either, I don't really want the sort of cats that climb up the curtains, although maybe that's inevitable with kittens?

Is there any breed anyone can recommend?

Bengals! They are super loving and follow me all around the house, happily sit on my boys in the evening BUT they are very energetic (mild understatement there!)

I'm inclined to think that it's down to the individual cat more than it is to the breed, Tutti, Siamese person though I am. Also, with two kittens, you might well find that they'll play and bond with each other (up and down the curtains) rather than the people in the house.

With kittens, you don't always know how they'll turn out - but if you got a youngish rescue cat (say about 6-9 months) they'd still be real playful but you'd be able to get a better idea of their personality when you saw them because they'd be more mature - and better suited to young DC I would have thought.

Are you wedded to the idea of a pedigree?

Devon Rex are great fun :) We have three, and they are very friendly with visitors, playful, great with kids and so on. Also relatively low shedding (bonus) and a bit quirky!

Bengals are super energetic, would expect them to climb curtains!

Rag dolls rock but I would say that...mine follows me around and demands conversation as soon as I get home from work and just before my alarm goes off in the morning.

My Abyssinian is a lovely boy. Won't sit on your lap, but will sleep by your feet, follow you from room to room and when he is in the mood, will climb all over you for a cuddle. Lots of character and a lot of fun.

Ragdolls are great, bit like little dogs, they follow you around, they love company and need someone home all day, mine can be vocal when they want something, both very affectionate I bred them for a while, I miss it badly, I do like Bengals too,very energetic, Sphynx can be fun too, not for everyone as they have no hair but they are highly intelligent cats, not for me though, I like a bit of fluffiness on my cats. .

I would get 2 also, better fun in which ever breed to choose.

A male Persian, so damn lazy and docile

I have a male Persian, he is amazing, really friendly even when my toddler accidentally sits on him and will drape himself (he is huge) round my neck like a big scarf.

I also have a female Exotic Shorthair and she is a real lapcat - doesn't leave my side but chirrups at me constantly!

My mum has a Ragdoll and he is lovely but a bit too clingy and very vocal , also most tend to be housecats as they apparently have no road sense.

Well - I think that these posts demonstrate that the best breed is - the one that suits you!

Myself, I would only have Siamese because I 'fit' best with those but I think you're going to have to look around a bit.

Burmese or another of the Asian breeds might suit you.
They are all very human-centric, Burmese are good climbers, they will always figure out how to get on top of kitchen cupboards but ime some of the Asian breeds (I have a burmilla) aren't quite so agile.
Temperament is carried down lines so whatever breed you choose observe the Queen and other cats in the breeders home.
If you like the look of bengals but think they might be too much for you, the ocicat is another breed which might suit.

i have half rag doll . she thinks she is a dog. follows kids around, plays with their toys with them . one year old ds plays, lies on and cuddles ours all the time. she isn't vocal, just very friendly

Thank you all for your replies. Lots to think about here! I like the sound of Burmese but probably Ragdolls would be too clingy for me. Hadn't heard of Devon Rex before so will check them out.

Cozie, I get where you're coming from, and no it doesn't HAVE to be a pedigree but I just think this is the moment for us to take the chance. I am totally open to youngish rescue cats and if we could find a pedigree rescue that might be a good option.

I was always a rescue cat fan until we got 2 Bengal kittens - now I've fallen in love with the breed :)
They are energetic, but also very, very affectionate. They will curl up on your lap, nuzzle you, try to 'make bread' on your lap every night. They are chatty and great company. We have 2 DSDs who adore them - and I never heard a growl or hiss in their direction.
Bengal cats love water so you might find out that the cat wants a bath with your DC . I wasn't so sure about that but the girls loved it!

Somali and Abyssianin are well renowned as super friendly breeds

Well I can't talk, tutti, because my 'senior' cat (ie the one who sleeps with me) is always a Siamese. We just suit each other it seems. In fact, if you scan down the threads aways, you'll find that there's a poster who ended up a week or two ago with a ruddy great litter of half-Siamese (from a Siamese girl she gave a home to who was clearly 'no better than she ought to be' as my grandma would have said.) So if you're not in too much of a hurry, she might be on the lookout for a good home for at least a couple of them in a couple of months.

Here's the thread.

\link{http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/the_litter_tray/1583906-Siamese\thread}

We have a Persian, and she is just lovely. Even when dd dresses her up in dolls' clothes and carries her around she never complains. She loves being the centre of attention. Gorgeous cat

Maine coons. I specifically chose the breed because they were supposed to be docile and we have 2 dc aged 5 and 2, and they are even more docile than I had expected.

They are also incredibly friendly with other dc that come to visit, at one point there were 6 children all pawing at our male and he just sat there purring contentedly. Our old rescue moggies would have had someone's eyes by that point!

They are also very companionable with us, without being clingy or pestering us when we are otherwise engaged. They will just sit nearby purring if we are busy. Never climbed curtains, but then we don't have any so that would explain it .

Very big cats though, so if you like small and dainty maybe not for you.

I had Birmans. Very friendly and quite docile. The one I had as a child used to walk me to school and met me on my walk home.

Get an older rescue cat if you want to be sure of temperament is my advice. And There are loads languishing in cages looking for a lovely new home!

Siamese or Peterbald. They're both lovely, friendly, people oriented breeds.

I also had a Maine coon. Gorgeous cat and wonderful temperament. Liked nothing better than to sit on my lap ( or anyone's-she wasn't fussy) for hours. Also she played with children gently and regularly came home wearing daisy chains round her neck.

Most excellent company. She wasn't as big as her siblings, due to being a runt, but still was a big cat by moggy standard!

We got our moggie from a house where the kittens were in the main living room and there were 3 kids, 2 under 5. As a result, he is very people friendly, puts up with loads from the kids and is really grateful for lots of love and cuddles.

The friendliest cats we have had over the years have been kittens from family homes, with kids.
So if you want friendly cats, get ones which have been brought up with kids.

As to the theory that 2 kittens play with each other. I can think of 2 occasions we got 2 kittens, we handled them loads and they climbed/slept all over us.

In the vets today I saw a sign for a rescue centre that takes in one particular breed and rehomes them (can't remember which breed though)