10 Fluffy Cat Breeds for Endless Cuddles

If you don't mind daily brushing, one of these cats could be perfect for you.

For some cat lovers, a long, luxurious coat is everything. Fluffy cats are not only beautiful to look at, but they are soft, plush, and extra fun to snuggle and stroke. Many cat breeds have long, fluffy coats, from the well-known Persian to the rare Turkish Angora.

Read on to learn more about 10 fluffy cat breeds.

Tip

Fluffy cat breeds generally need more coat care than short-haired cats. Most fluffy cats need daily brushing and combing to prevent mats and tangles, and some benefit from belly shaves to reduce mats.

Birman

The Birman is a color-pointed cat, with a lighter-colored body and darker points of color on the head, feet, and tail. Gentle, peaceful, and sweet, Birmans are wonderful family pets that love to lounge in your lap. The long, single coat is not hard to keep up as it resists matting. Weekly brushing or combing will keep it fluffy and tangle-free.

Breed Overview

PERSONALITY: Gentle, quiet and loving

WEIGHT: About 7 to 14 pounds, with males slightly larger

LENGTH: About 15 to 18 inches

COAT LENGTH: Medium-long to long; silken in texture, with heavy ruff around the neck

COAT COLOR: Seal point, blue point, chocolate point, lilac point, blue-cream point, lilac-cream point, red point, cream point

COAT PATTERNS: Tabby point, tortie tabby point

EYE COLOR: Blue

LIFE SPAN: 12 to 16 years

HYPOALLERGENIC: No

ORIGIN: Unknown; possibly Burma

Himalayan

The Himalayan cat is essentially a Persian cat with the coloration of the Siamese. The Himalayan’s thick double coat needs daily brushing and combing to keep it well-maintained. Some people have a professional groomer shave their Himalayans’ bellies short to help prevent mats from forming.

Breed Overview

PERSONALITY: Sedate, affectionate, gentle, friendly, and intelligent

WEIGHT: 7 to 12 pounds

LENGTH: 12 to 16 inches

COAT LENGTH: Long hair

COAT COLOR: White to cream

COAT PATTERNS: Pointed markings, which can be a wide range of colors including chocolate, seal, blue, lilac, and red

EYE COLOR: Blue

LIFE SPAN: Up to 15 years

HYPOALLERGENIC: No

ORIGIN: United States

Maine Coon

One of the largest cat breeds, the Maine coon is extra fluffy, with a thick double coat that developed to protect the cats from the harsh winters of the Northeast. Though not as grooming-intensive as the Persian, the Maine coon’s coat does require regular brushing, from daily to several times a week depending on the texture of the individual cat’s coat.

Breed Overview

PERSONALITY: Amiable, gentle and dog-like

WEIGHT: Average of 9 to 18 pounds; males can weigh 20 pounds or more

LENGTH: About 19 to 30 inches

COAT LENGTH: Heavy and shaggy; silky with coat falling smoothly

COAT COLOR: White, black, blue, red and cream

COAT PATTERNS: Tabby, bi-color, parti-color (including tortoiseshell), parti-color and white (including calico), shaded, smoke, and shaded/smoke and white

EYE COLOR: Varies according to coat color, but may be green, gold, green-gold, copper, blue or odd-eyed

LIFE SPAN: 12 to 15 years

HYPOALLERGENIC: No

ORIGIN: United States

Norwegian Forest Cat

Like the Maine coon, the Norwegian forest cat developed naturally in a cold environment, which led to a thick, waterproof double coat. Though very fluffy, the Norwegian forest cat’s coat is not hard to keep up. Weekly brushing or combing is usually sufficient as the coat is not prone to matting.

Breed Overview

PERSONALITY: Friendly, interactive, independent, adventurous

WEIGHT: Up to 18 pounds

LENGTH: Up to 36 inches, nose to tail

COAT LENGTH: Long hair with a dense undercoat

COAT COLORS: Almost any color with or without white markings

COAT PATTERNS: Most patterns except colorpoint; tabby is common

EYE COLOR: Shades of green, gold, green-gold, copper, or blue (in white or partially white cats)

LIFE SPAN: Up to 16 years

HYPOALLERGENIC: No

Persian

The Persian's fluffy coat is long and dense, with an immense ruff of fur around the neck like a lion’s mane. Persians notoriously have one of the most difficult coats to maintain. Daily brushing and combing are necessary to catch tangles and prevent mats. Because the coat is so dense, the daily brushing can be rather time-consuming. Persians need daily facial care to wipe and clean around the eyes and the folds of skin around the nose.

Breed Overview

PERSONALITY: Sweet, gentle and affectionate

WEIGHT: About 7 to 12 pounds

LENGTH: About 14 to 17 inches

COAT LENGTH: Long all over the body and thick, with an immense ruff around the neck, deep frill extending between the front legs and very full brush tail

COAT COLOR: Blue, black, white, red, cream, chocolate, lilac, silver, golden

COAT PATTERNS: Shaded and smoke (including cameo and tortoiseshell patterns), tabby, parti-color, calico and bicolor, and Himalayan (pointed colors)

EYE COLOR: Varies according to coat color, but may be copper, blue, green, blue-green, hazel and odd-eyed

LIFE SPAN: 15 to 20 years

HYPOALLERGENIC: No

ORIGIN: Persia and Iran

RagaMuffin

The RagaMuffin's medium-long coat is very dense and fluffy with a silky and soft texture and a ruff of fur around the neck. They can be any color or pattern other than the pointed pattern found in the Siamese. The ragamuffin is exceptionally sweet and loving, calm and gentle with children, and a wonderful companion.

Breed Overview

PERSONALITY: Sweet, gentle, affectionate, calm

WEIGHT: Males typically 12 and 20 pounds; females 8 and 15 pounds

LENGTH: Up to 33 inches long

COAT LENGTH: Long and silky

COAT COLOR: White, black, blue, red, lavender, cinnamon, chestnut, platinum, and chocolate

COAT PATTERNS: Any pattern, except colorpoint

EYE COLOR: Amber, blue, green, gold, odd-eyed

LIFE SPAN: Up to 18 years

HYPOALLERGENIC: No

ORIGIN: United States

Ragdoll

The ragdoll's fluffy double coat is moderately long, with very little undercoat. The coat naturally resists matting, making it easy to keep up with weekly brushing. Most ragdolls are great snugglers, so the breed is a good choice for those who want a lap cat.

Breed Overview

PERSONALITY: Friendly, easygoing, cuddly, social

WEIGHT: Up to 20 pounds

LENGTH: Up to 40 inches nose to tail

COAT LENGTH: Medium-length hair

COAT COLOR: Chocolate, red, seal, blue, lilac, and cream

COAT PATTERNS: Mitted, color point, bicolor, tortoiseshell, lynx

EYE COLOR: Blue

LIFE SPAN: Up to 17 years

HYPOALLERGENIC: No

ORIGIN: United States

Selkirk Rex

The Selkirk rex has one of the most unique hair coats in the cat world—soft, plush, and curly. The breed comes in both short and long coat lengths, and both are very fluffy. The short coat has deep waves with curled ends, while the long coat has loose individual curls.

Breed Overview

PERSONALITY: Laid-back, friendly, affectionate, medium-energy

WEIGHT: Up to 16 pounds

LENGTH: Up to 30 inches

COAT LENGTH: Short or long hair

COAT COLORS: Any genetically possible color or combination

COAT PATTERNS: Tabby, shaded, tortoiseshell, chinchilla, smoke, calico, bicolor, tricolor, pointed, mink, sepia

EYE COLOR: Any color

LIFE SPAN: Up to 15 years

HYPOALLERGENIC: No

ORIGIN: United States

Siberian

With their unique, triple-layer coat, the Siberian cat is one of the fluffiest cat breeds around. Each layer—undercoat, middle layer, and outer coat—contributes additional warmth, insulating the Siberian from the cold. They're surprisingly easy to groom, needing only occasional brushing. Many people who are allergic to cats find they can live comfortably with Siberian cats, something that is attributed to the breed’s naturally low levels of FelD1, the protein that causes cat allergies in humans.

Breed Overview

PERSONALITY: Friendly, mellow, gentle, calm

WEIGHT: 15 to 20 pounds

LENGTH: 17 to 25 inches

COAT LENGTH: Varies from coarse to soft; moderately long to longhaired triple coat with a full collar ruff

COAT COLOR: Any color

COAT PATTERNS: Any pattern

EYE COLOR: All colors

LIFE SPAN: 10 to 18 years

HYPOALLERGENIC: Maybe

ORIGIN: Russia

Turkish Angora

The Turkish Angora comes from Turkey, where it’s considered a national treasure.  Though the length of the finely textured single coat varies from cat to cat, all Turkish Angoras should have long, full tails and a ruff around the neck. The coat, which is very soft, with a silken sheen, is not prone to matting and doesn’t require extensive brushing.

Breed Overview

PERSONALITY: Playful, social, intelligent, mischievous, and occasionally bossy with other pets

WEIGHT: Up to 9 pounds

LENGTH: Up to 18 inches

COAT LENGTH: Long hair

COAT COLORS: Any color except those showing hybridization (chocolate or lavender)

COAT PATTERNS: Any patter except the Himalayan (pointed) pattern

EYE COLOR: Blue, green, green-gold, amber, odd eyed (one eye is blue and the other is green, green-gold or amber)

LIFE SPAN: Up to 15 years

HYPOALLERGENIC: Yes

ORIGIN: Turkey

Breed Characteristics

Cat breeds might be considered fluffy if they have hair that’s about more than about 1 inch long, but some fluffy cat breeds have even longer hair. Many fluffy cat breeds have double coats, with two layers of hair—a longer outercoat and a shorter, denser undercoat. One breed, the Siberian, even has a triple coat with three layers of hair. Multiple layers of hair keep fluffy cats warm in the cooler winter months.

Cats with double or triple coats typically lose much of their undercoat ahead of the warmer summer months during a period of heavy shedding. With the undercoat mostly gone, air can circulate down to the skin, helping to keep the cat cool in the summer heat. As fall and winter approach, the coat grows back, becoming thick and dense in time for the cold weather.

Read the original article on The Spruce Pets.