Best Agile Cat Breeds
Why should dogs have all the fun? Cat agility competitions are becoming more popular and whether your cat navigates around the hurdles, hoops, stairs, and weave poles in four minutes or seven seconds, cat agility is a great way for you and your cat to exercise and have some fun! There are some cat breeds that are excellent at agility, so if you are looking for a future record holder look at this list! For this list, I'll be only considering breeds in CFA's 41 championship breeds. The other association that does cat agility, ICAT does accept other breeds, which includes exotic hybrids. I'll admit that breeds like Savannahs, Bengals, and Chausies dominate the ICAT agility circuit, however, it is unfair compare because at being up to 50% wild, hybrids are stronger and faster than the domestic house cat. Please note that this list looks quite different than my list of most energetic cat breeds (although there is some overlap) Just because a cat is hyperactive does not mean that they will be good at agility, on the contrary, extremely active breeds can have short attention spans which means that they would rather sprint laps around the house and climb the curtains than buckle down and work on mastering the agility ring.
The Turkish Angora is a breed of domestic cat. Turkish Angoras are one of the ancient, natural breeds of cat, having originated in central Turkey, in the Ankara region. These elegant, fine-boned cats are native to the highland region of, you guessed it, Turkey! Turkish Angoras have a high energy level, but also have a long enough attention span to learn the course. They are also extremely intelligent, and it goes without saying that that helps them in their journey to agility success. Currently, the CFA's agility standings are dominated by Turkish Angoras.
I love that. Cat
Egyptian Maus are a small- to medium-sized short-haired cat breed. Along with the Bahraini Dilmun cat, they are one of the few naturally spotted breeds of domesticated cat. It's fairly obvious that this spotted beauty would make the list. The Egyptian Mau's incredible speed help them complete the course in record time!
They are so fast and cool.
Originating from Japan, this cat breed is recognized for its distinct, short tail that often resembles a pom-pom. The Japanese Bobtail is an energetic and playful breed, commonly featured in traditional folklore and art in Japan. This confident kitty is almost dog-like in the way that they can be easily trained. Japanese Bobtails love traveling and meeting people, so bringing them to those agility competitions will be no stress on them. Japanese Bobtails will not be tire out doing two runs on the course in a day because they are super energetic!
Tonkinese are a domestic cat breed produced by crossbreeding between the Siamese and Burmese. They share many of their parents' distinctively lively, playful personality traits and are similarly distinguished by a pointed coat pattern in a variety of colors. Tonks are muscular, athletic, and super smart, all of that adds up to a great performance in the agility ring.
The Ocicat is an all-domestic breed of cat which resembles a wild cat but has no wild DNA in its gene pool. Although cat agility wasn't a thing back in the 60s, when the first Ocicats were bred, it's almost like Ocicats were bred with the agility ring in mind. Breeders hoped to produce a cat that resembled its wild relatives, and part of that wild look is the Ocicat's athletic and muscular build.
A Cornish Rex is a breed of domestic cat. The Cornish Rex has no hair except for down. Most breeds of cat have three different types of hair in their coats: the outer fur or "guard hairs", which is about 5 cm long in shorthairs and 10 cm+ long in longhairs; a middle layer called the "awn hair"; and the down hair or undercoat, which is very fine and about 1 cm long. The Cornish Rex is an extremely active breed, but they are also extremely smart. They can put their intelligence that they use to do mischief (like opening cabinets) to learning the agility course.
The Oriental Shorthair is a breed of domestic cat that is closely related to the Siamese. It maintains the modern Siamese head and body type but appears in a wide range of coat colors and patterns. Whether short or long-haired, Orientals can use their jumping prowess and intelligence (both of which they inherited from the Siamese) to leap over those hurdles and fly through those hoops.
The largest domestic cat breed, the Maine Coon weighs up to 27 pounds. As a rugged outdoorsman adapted for living in the forests of Maine, this cat is an athlete, made up of solid muscle. That, combined with their intelligence and ability to be easily trained makes for a great agility cat.
The Abyssinian is a breed of domestic short-haired cat with a distinctive "ticked" tabby coat, in which individual hairs are banded with different colors. It's thought to have been originated in Southeast Asia. These cats love to go fast, run, jump, and play. Abys have been able to run the course in seven seconds. So, why then are they not higher on the list? The thing is, that that through-the-roof energy level is their downfall when it comes to agility. Abys have a short attention span, and they'd rather workout on their own terms than work on learning the agility course. A well-trained Abyssinian, however, will tear around the course and blow away the competition!
The Siberian is a landrace variety of domestic cat, present in Russia for centuries, and more recently developed as a formal breed, with standards promulgated since the late 1980s. Siberians are average sized cats, and are considered hypoallergenic. These powerful cats keep themselves in tip-top shape and are strong and have great balance. They are also acrobatic and love jumping. They are not energetic to the point of having an attention span of two seconds, and can be easily trained.
My cat is a siberian cat.She is a very good climber and fun cat.I love her!
Surprisingly, their short legs don't get in their way. In fact these cats are the longest and highest jumping cats, plus they are great at climbing and are quite fast and energetic. Some have sleek bodies to help them, and they are very cute as kittens as an added bonus.
They are ferretlile when it comes to their speed and agility, Very fast and hard to catch because of how they can get into pretty much any space.
The Siamese cat is one of the first distinctly recognized breeds of Asian cat. Derived from the rtgs: wichianmat landrace, one of several varieties of cat native to Thailand, the Siamese became one of the most popular breeds in Europe and North America in the 20th century.