Domestic cat breeds come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. While some prefer their cats with little or no hair like the Sphynx cat, breeds that are fluffy are much more widely popular.
There are many different cat breeds that can be classified as “fluffy.” Each has its own unique appearance and personality traits, but all are prized for their soft, gentle coats.
Fluffy cat breeds are typically very friendly and affectionate, which makes them great companions for both individuals and families. If you’re looking for a fluffy friend, be sure to check out one of these popular breeds!
A Selection Of 17 Of The Most Fluffy Cat Breeds!
Maine Coon
Maine Coons have medium-long, dense fur, with longer hair, or a ruff, on their chests similar to the mane of a lion (which is why the breed is sometimes humorously called the “Mane Coon”).
Their fur consists of two layers – an undercoat and an additional layer of longer guard hairs, which gives the breed their key physical feature. The fur is generally very soft. Maine Coons have long hair on the backs of their legs (called pantaloons or britches) and between their toes which helps to keep warm in the cold.
Maine Coons are very large (but energetic) cats, sometimes weighing 11.3 kilograms (25 pounds); the average weight is 6 to 9 kilograms (13-20 pounds) for adult males and less (7-11 pounds) for females.
American Bobtail
American bobtail cats are a very sturdy breed, with both short or long-haired coats. Their coat is shaggy rather than dense or fluffy. They can have any colour of eyes and fur, with a strong emphasis on the “wild” tabby appearance in show animals.
American Bobtails’ coat lengths vary from medium, semi-dense, and short (shorthair) to semi-longhair and shaggy (longhair). The longhairs have slightly longer hair around the neck, breeches, belly and tail.
Persian Cat
The Persian cat is one of the oldest breeds of cat. A show-quality Persian has an extremely long thick coat, short legs, a wide head with the ears set far apart, large eyes, and an extremely foreshortened muzzle.
Because their fur is too long and dense for them to maintain themselves, Persian cats need regular grooming. To keep their fur in its best condition, they must be bathed regularly, dried carefully afterwards, and brushed thoroughly every day.
Tipped varieties are known as Chinchilla. Point varieties are called Himalayan in the United States and Colorpoint Persian in Europe.
Norwegian Forest Cat
Norwegian Forest Cats have a thick fluffy double-layered coat, tufted ears and a long bushy tail to protect them against the cold. Their coat is essentially waterproof due to its coarse outer layer and dense underlay. They are very large cats with adult males weighing 6 to 10 kg (13 to 22 lb), while females are approximately half that size.
Despite their great affection for the outdoors however, they enjoy the company of humans and other pets and will sometimes go looking for company if their owner is out. They are not easily stressed and are quite patient, which makes them great for a family with children.
Turkish Van
While many cats have three distinct hair types in their coat, guard hairs, awn hairs and down hairs, the Turkish Van only has one. This makes their coat feel like cashmere or rabbit fur, and the coat dries quickly when wet.
The word van refers to their color pattern, where the color is restricted to the head and the tail, and the rest of the cat is white. It is the maximum expression of the piebald white spotting gene that makes the van pattern.
The Van is one of the larger fluffy cat breeds. The males can reach 20 lb (9 kg) and the females weigh about half of that. They have massive paws and rippling hard muscle structure which allows them to be very strong jumpers.
American Curl
The American Curl is a breed of cat with unusual ears. The ears curl back from the face in a smooth arc toward the center of the back of the skull.
The longhairs have a plush, silky coat, and the shorthairs have a thick, non-wooly coat, and is also silky. The American Curl may have three degrees of curl – first degree, second degree, or third degree. The third degree is the preferred one. Luxurious tufts of fur sprout from the bottom of the ears.
Curls are even tempered and intelligent, yet they retain their kitten-type behavior throughout their adult life. Not overly talkative, the Curls will tell you when they need something or desire attention.
Ragdoll Cat
The Ragdoll cat is a large and laid-back semi-longhair cat with blue eyes and a pointed coat. They are docile, affectionate, and known for their quiet voices and their willingness to be handled. The name “Ragdoll” comes from their tendency to go limp when picked up.
Ragdolls are known for their affectionate personalities. They are quiet cats, and they tend to be very easy to handle. They are also known for their love of cuddling and being around people.
The ragdoll cat usually weighs between 10-20 lbs and stands around 17-21 inches long. Males are generally larger than females, as with most breeds.
Siberian Forest Cat
The Siberian Forest Cat is sometimes referred to as simply the “Siberian Cat” or the “Siberia”. In Germany it is known as the “Sibirische Katze”.
The Siberian is a large, strong cat, which can take up to five years to mature. They are noted for being very agile and can leap great distances. Their muscles are outstanding and powerful. The tail of the Siberian is medium in length wide at the base with a blunt tip and the end which is evenly and thickly covered with fur from the base of the tail to the tip of the tail.
The coat is the Siberians crowning glory, this is a moderately to long haired coat with the fur on the lower chest and shoulder blades being slightly shorter. There should be an abundant ruff around the neck setting off the large impressive head.
There is a tight undercoat, which becomes thicker in colder weather. The coat gives the impression of lacquer and oil when un-groomed. The hair may thicken and curl on the belly and britches, but this is not a feature of the cat.
Somali Cat
The Somali cat, has some of the nicest colorings you will see on any of the domestic fluffy cat breeds. The fur is known for being ‘agouti’ which means by definition, that each individual hair has each has alternate dark and light bands. The light bands appear more closely toward the skin, and darker bands out toward the ends of the fur. This gives them a two toned, almost ‘flame like’ appearance.
The fur on a Somali cat is thicker around the scruff of the neck and upper body, and somewhat more slender around the limbs and lower back.
It is an elegant and exotic looking cat with a very dense coat that is very soft to the touch. The Somali is a very active cat and loves to play. It is a very social cat and loves to be around people.
Exotic Shorthair Cat
Exotic Shorthairs are the result of crossing the American Shorthair with the Persian cat, which was first carried out in the 1960s. It has a compact, rounded, powerfully-built body with a short, thick “linebacker” neck. Its large round eyes, short snub nose, sweet facial expression, and small ears give it a highly neotenic appearance that many people consider cute.
This Shorthair has a gentle and calm personality reminiscent of the Persian, but it is livelier than his longhaired ancestor. They tend to show more affection and loyalty than most breeds and make excellent lap cats.
Himalayan Cat
The Himalayan cat, also called colourpoint Persian, is a breed of cat with extremely long, fluffy fur, and the blue eyes and points of a Siamese. Himalayan is the American term, while in Europe they are referred to as colourpoint Persians.
These cats are sweet-tempered, intelligent, social and good companions. Because of their heritage from the Siamese cats they tend to be more active than an ordinary Persians.
The coat of the Himalayan cat is long and thick, standing off from the body. It is of fine texture, glossy and full of life. The coat is long all over the body, including the shoulders. Their ruff is immense and continues in a deep frill between the front legs. The ear and toe tufts on the Himalayan are long and it also has a full tail.
Ragamuffin Cat
Ragamuffins are fairly large cats, females weigh between 4.54 and 6.80 kg (10 to 15 lb) and toms weigh between 6.80 and 9.07 kg (15 to 20 lb). Each cat has a fatty pad on its lower abdomen and all are heavily boned.
They have fur like rabbits, personalities usually associated with dogs and bodies which are larger than typical domestic cats.
Ragamuffin cats take longer to mature than most other cats, approximately 4 years to reach adulthood. They typically have long life spans in comparison to other domestic cats.
Birman Cat
Birmans differ from conventional colourpoint cats by their white paws called gloves. The coat is medium-length, not as long and thick as a Persian’s, and does not mat. Their most striking feature is their clear blue eyes, which remain blue throughout their life. They also have a roman style nose and medium ears.
Modern western Birmans are a hybrid of Siamese and Persian breeds and may differ considerable from Burma temple cats from which they originally obtained their white gloves.
Birman cats have been bred as companions for many generations, and, as such, are very loving. They frequently take a genuine, affectionate interest in what their owners do.
Highland Fold
The Highland Fold, is a long haired variety of the Scottish Fold. With their closely tucked ears, large eyes, and round face, these friendly and affectionate cats have been compared to the looks of an owl.
They come in a variety of colors and patterns, including solid, tabby, tabby and white, bicolor, and particolor. Their longer coats can vary in texture and require regular grooming, a couple of times per week to help prevent tangles in their coat.
These cats are great family cats, very charismatic and social. They are of a medium build and density, with a rounded appearance. They are often kept as house cats, but are just as happy to be outside, though perhaps not as active as some other breeds.
Turkish Angora
The Turkish Angora is one of the ancient, naturally-occurring fluffy cat breeds, having originated in central Turkey, in the Ankara region. They mostly have a white, silky, medium-long length coat, no undercoat and fine bone structure.
Unlike most cats, Angoras love to bathe with their owners, and also try to be the center of attention, often doing their part in conversations. They usually don’t like to be held for long, but like to stay in human presence, happily playing for hours.
Although they are known for their shimmery white coat, currently there are more than twenty varieties including black, blue, reddish fur.
British Shorthair
British Shorthairs have very dense, soft coats. The eyes are large, round and copper in colour. The head is round with chubby cheeks. Their coat, although short, is incredibly smooth and fluffy to the touch.
This breed does not require a lot of grooming because the fur does not tangle or mat easily. However, the coat should be brushed weekly to remove loose hair and minimize shedding.
The British Shorthair cat is an easy going breed. It has a stable character and can easily live in an apartment setting or a family home. They make great companions, not overly demanding of attention but happy to play when you have the time.
British Longhair
The British longhair cat derives its ancestry almost exclusively from the Domestic Shorthair Cat, the ‘moggy’ that we all know so well. Over the past century careful selection has resulted in a clearly identifiable breed.
These are cobby cats with short, strong legs, a round head with well-rounded eyes and a tail broad at the base and rounded at the tip. The coat should be long and dense, as with many of the fluffy cat breeds. The general impression should be that of a compact, alert, fit and healthy cat.
Normally, daily brushing (about 5 minutes) is enough to keep the fur in a good shape. Especially in autumn and in winter they can have large tangles, which you can cut loose or cut free with a tangle comb. It is clever to keep the “pants” short.
Perhaps you like the idea of having a fluffy cat, but suffer from allergies that make that impossible. If that sounds like you, then perhaps you might like to check out our post on the different hypoallergenic cat breeds!