Some cat breeds are quiet, some are more noisy. Some have loud voices, some quiet voices. Some talk a lot and some don’t. Here is a list of quiet cats and noisier cats. It is more about quiet cats but if you do a page on quiet cats you have to do a page on noisy cats at the same time.
Quiet = small voice and not talkative. Noisy = big voice and talkative.
Note: individual cats of any breed – or individual randomly bred cats – will be quiet. There is obviously a natural variation in character and behavior amongst cats no matter if they are part of a cat breed that has general characteristics.
I have marked the cats on a scale from 1 to 10. 1=silent! 10=loud and noisy!. The rank is in square brackets for each cat breed. The quieter breeds are in bold typeface. The noisier breeds are in italics.
If you go to the three pages that summarise the breeds you will see a reference to noise levels! Start here please. You will find some slight discrepancies because this is not a science.
Is your cat quiet or noisy? Please tell us in a comment. Purebred mix cats often have the characteristics of purebred cats.
This is not a complete list of all the cat breeds. The quietest cat breeds are highlighted.
- Abyssinian – loves to talk with you (or is it to you!). Their voice is said to be ‘euphonic’. That sounds nice. So we have a talkative cat with a nice voice. The same can be said about the long haired version of this cat: the Somali. [5]
- American Curl – not overly talkative. Sort of quiet then.[4]
- American Shorthair – a very quiet cat. There you have it. The American SH is one of the quiet cats. This is a nice allround cat and good with kids, seniors and in apartments.[2]
- American Wirehair – this rare cat is similar in character to the American Shorhair so should be quiet.[3]
- Bengal cat – ‘extremely talkative”. They are confident too. They have a wide range of vocalisations. I would have to assess this popular breed as being on the noisy side of average.[7]
- Birman – quieter than average. A relaxed cat. Easy going nature. [4]
- Bombay – midpoint on the noisy scale…[5]
- British Shorthair – won the world’s most quiet cat championships for the last 10 years! They can open their mouths to speak and nothing comes out. Total silence. Unflappable1 breed too. Read more on the breed. [1]
- Burmese – vocal. Talkative. ‘Rather loud voice’. The Burmese makes demands on you vocally. [8]
- Chartreux – has a ‘tiny wee voice’ which is in contrast to his stature. Definitely one of the quiet cats [2]
- Cornish Rex – a designer feline with a talkative personality. This cat is active too. [6]
- Devon Rex – mid range [5]
- Egyptian Mau – mid range [5]
- Havana Brown – will tell you what she wants but ‘softly’. Mid range [5]
- Japanese Bobtail – talkative and active [7]
- Korat – this cat breed forms a strong bond with owner so he or she may be more demanding. [6]
- LaPerm – usually very quiet [3]
- Maine Coon – fairly quiet [3]
- Manx – mid range. Neither quiet nor noisy [5]
- Cymric – as for Manx [5]
- Munchkin – mid range [5]
- Norwegian Forest Cat – usually very quiet [3]
- Ocicat – mid range [5]
- Persian – quiet, melodious voice and laid back but can be nervous [3]
- Himalayan – as for Persian [5]
- Exotic Shorthair – as for Persian [5]
- Pixie-bob – ‘extremely quiet’ Chirps and chatters. [1]
- Ragdoll – quiet cats. Docile etc. [2]
- RagaMuffin – as for Ragdoll more or less but outcrossed to other breeds so not a Ragdoll character [4]
- Russian Blue – a sensitive cat needing routines etc. Average voice but probably not that talkative [4]
- Nebelung – quiet and reserved [3]
- Scottish Fold -tiny voice and not talkative – [2]
- Selkirk Rex – average to quiet [4]
- Siamese – vocal and can have loud voice [8]
- Balinese – as for Siamese [8]
- Oriental Shorthair – as for Siamese [8]
- Siberian – mid range [5]
- Singapura – soft voice [3]
- Snowshoe – soft melodic voice [3]
- Sphynx – loud voice, vocal and active [9]
- Tonkinese – Burmese and Siamese in them so on the noisy side of average [7]
- Turkish Angora – mid range [5]
- Turkish Van – mid range [5]
Where there are short quotes it is from Legacy of the Cat by Gloria Stephens – good book, highly recommended. Please never consider devocalisation.
My Katie is a tiger kitty with calico colors. She does not meow nor purr. She talks alot with an Errr sound.
Each cat makes their own individual sounds. Thanks Karen.
Love the premise for and the facts revealed in this fascinating article! Four fairly quiet shorthairs, one tiny-voiced but kind of talkative Maine Coon, and one regally quiet longhair meow our approval!
Thanks, you are very kind.