Smartest Cat Breeds in the World

Not only the largest cat breed in the world, the Maine Coon is considered the smartest. Despite their impressive physicality, these cats were naturally selected as working cats. The official state cat of Maine, they were developed there to work as a mouser and ratter. Their dense fur made them better able to survive the freezing winters of this state, but they were also able to search out and kill rodents due to their high intelligence.

One of the factors that makes the Maine Coon the most intelligent cat breed is their trainability. They have an extraordinary natural gift for learning all kinds of tricks and are as easy to train. Despite their imposing size, they are incredibly gentle and sociable, making them not only good home companions, but also magnificent therapy cats.

Maine Coons are also noted for their resemblance to a much larger felid. Learn more with our article on the cat breeds that look like lions.

Despite their wild appearance, American bobtails are one of the most affectionate domestic feline breeds. They establish very strong ties with their family and love to spend time in their company. They demonstrate great intelligence and empathy, entertaining us in good times and providing us lots of love when we need it the most.

They are known for their calmness, but also for enjoying interactive games, including home games and outdoor sports. These interactive games for cats require problem-solving skills to mee the goal, often the recovery of a piece of food. The American Bobtail has proven adept at these tasks. They are also very outgoing and sociable with strangers, with some even enjoying going out for walks on a leash.

Take a look at our related article to determine whether it is a good idea to walk your cat on a leash.

The Siamese cat is one of the oldest and most popular cat breeds. This feline also stands out for perhaps being the most communicative and talkative. If we address them with our voice, they will not hesitate to respond in kind, with guardians often saying they have long conversations with their Siamese cat. They love to follow us around the home and will develop problems if we do not stimulate them enough cognitively.

For many, the Siamese is the most intelligent breed of cat in the world. In fact, it is the only breed that has a noted scientist as a member. In 1975, physicist J. H. Hetherington added his cat Chester as co-author of a scientific article under the pseudonym ‘F. D. C., Willard’^[1]. He did so to make it easier to submit a paper, but the story became famous after he was eventually outed. The feline even signed copies of the publication with his pawprint.

In addition to their short tail, the Japanese Bobtail is characterized by being one of the most intelligent cat breeds in the world. As can be seen in their alert and attentive gaze, these felines are full of life. They are very playful and love to climb, jump and solve puzzles. For this reason, it is relatively easy to train them and they can even take part in types of feline sport..

Japanese Bobtails also use their intelligence to be the center of family life. These cats are always aware of everything we do and do not hesitate to attract our attention to be part of it. It for this reason the breed is also one of the most sociable. They love to be around people, including our guests and other animals.

The wild appearance of the Bengal cat has made them a very popular breed. Unfortunately, some guardians see them as a designer cat breed and neglect the fact they are one of the smartest cat breeds in the world. Being so intelligent, they need plenty of cognitive stimulation. This is in addition to the high amount of physical stimulation they need as a very healthy and energetic cat.

As a scion of the Asian leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis), this breed combines the intelligence of wild felines and the loving nature of domestic cats. It is one of the most active and athletic breeds, remaining kitten-like throughout their lives. Despite this, they have no difficulty learning basic commands and house rules.

Learn more details about the differences between Bengal and leopard cats.

While all Burmese cats are considered clever, the European Burmese is considered particularly intelligent. They are a calm and affectionate cat breed which love to snuggle with their owners on the couch. They are playful and do not like to be alone, a fairly common trait among the other smartest cat breeds in the world.

These cats quickly become the center of attention of our guests and even other pets. It is their empathy and their ability to socialize that leads us to consider them one of the most intelligent cat breeds in the world.

Learn about the different types of Asian cat breeds which includes the Burmese in our related guide.

Among the intelligent cat breeds, the Khao manee stands out in many ways. An Asian cat breed originally from Thailand, the Khao Manee is considered both royalty and a lucky talisman. They are noted for their luminous eyes which are often of different colors, also giving them the common name of the Diamond Eye Cat. In addition to their physical beauty, they are also one of the smartest cat breeds.

The Khao Manee is an excellent rodent hunter that was selected naturally, which is why it retains the typical curiosity of older breeds. In addition, they are characterized by being devoted to their family, whom they accompany everywhere.

Also known as the werewolf cat due to their distinctive appearance (see photo below), the Lykoi is very intelligent. A fairly recent breed, they originated from a cat colony in the United States. Its most particular characteristic lies in its coat, which lacks an undercoat and is roan black in color, giving it a rough and messy appearance.

Due to its lack of guard hair, this feline needs to live in the domestic environment. They have a loving nature and greatly enjoy interactive games. Since their lineage comes from stray cats, they maintain the kind of intelligence typical of felines that are forced to survive without the help of human guardians.

The European Shorthair is the pedigree breed of the common domestic cat. As with all domestic cat breed, they are a derivation of the African wild cat (Felis lybica) and have been distributed throughout the world, giving rise to other cat breeds. The photo below shows a typical representation of this smart cat breed, but they can have any possible feline coat color and pattern combination.

There is no doubt that these felines have a natural intelligence that allowed them to coexist with humans and convince us to welcome them into our home. Due to the age of this breed, many of its members have been able to demonstrate their ingenuity. This is the case of Stubbs, the honorary mayor of a small town in Alaska^[2] and astronaut Félicette, who returned to Earth by parachuting back to the ground^[3].

In Turkey, they consider the Angora cat breed to be a national treasure, something that is easy for all of us to agree on. Their beauty and intelligence are making them increasingly one of the most popular cat breeds in the world. This feline is very versatile and easily adapts to different types of homelife.

The Turkish Angora cat enjoys all types of company, including children and dogs. Due to their extroverted and affectionate nature, they are considered one of the smartest cat breeds in the world. However, they can be quite bossy, so they quickly become the alpha cat of any house. This is certainly not hindered by their high intelligence.

Moving from intelligence to physicality, you may want to check out our related article on the cat breeds with floppy ears.

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