The Cat Breed That Acts Most Like A Dog

The truth about cats and dogs is that cats act like Janeane Garofalo and dogs eat poop and lick your face, usually in that order. If you want a loyal, obedient buddy that will adore you with its whole heart and light up when it sees you, buy a dog. If you want an fluffy companion that will aloofly fart on your arm while you're holding it, ignore your orders, and bring you dead mice you never asked for because it thinks you're too incompetent to hunt, get a cat. But what if it's not that simple?

Unless we're talking about dalmatians and magpie cats, things aren't always so black and white. Despite being one of the world's oldest dog breeds, the basenji famously behaves like a cat. And while cats love being in boxes, sometimes they don't fit entirely in the box of feline stereotypes people place them in. Some cats behave a lot like dogs. Which cat breed comes closest to being man's best friend? Here are some of the most canine felines.

People call them the "dogs of the cat world," according to MaineCoon.org. Gigantic and gentle, these cats play well with others, including children and other people's pets. Unlike other kinds of felines, these cats love water, per How Stuff Works. And they love to please people. Proud Maine Coone owner Ashleigh Ostermann said of her pretty kitty, Maddie: "She lays next to me all of the time and even follows me from room to room in my apartment." According to KittenToob, Maine Coons also enjoy playing fetch.

Maine Coon Expert says you can even train them to walk on a leash, which sounds like cat blasphemy. However, a different cat expert, the RSPCA, has warned against putting cats on leashes, telling the Telegraph that even a cool cat like the Maine Coon could lose its cool when it "[loses] control." Treating your cat like a dog in that regard may "do more harm than good."

From the sound of things, Manx cats are experiencing the world's most adorable identity crisis. As Pet MD describes, humans have likened the Manx to both a dog and a rabbit. Their name comes from their native Isle of Man, where they appeared near the beginning of the 18th century. Pet Side says that they even feature on the coins used on the isle. 

According to legend, the famously tailless Manx is the fluffy lovechild of a rabbit and a cat, so obviously "legend" failed biology class. In reality, a genetic mutation led to the cute stub on the cat's butt, according to Purina, and that resulted from not-so-cute inbreeding. Moreover, not all Manx cats are tailless, and some even have normal-length butt appendages, giving rise to the nickname "longies."

Like the Maine Coone, the Manx likes water. It also likes to ride in cars, follow people around, play fetch, and play watchdog. Protecting loved ones isn't a game to the Manx, though, and it will seriously guard its human family. Just know that if intimidation is what you're looking for, the Manx doesn't look like a guard animal. The cat has a round face, round body and round ears, and a would-be cat burglar might have their heart stolen by such a pillowy-looking pet. Incredibly clever, Manx cats are able to turn on faucets and open doors. They're also known to be talkative and will hold "a conversation" with you in a "quiet trill."

You can take the cat out of the savanna, but humans have tried to breed that cat out of the Savannah cat. These cats are supposedly dog-like by design, according to The Dodo. Purina describes the cat's personality as "dog-like. Loyalty is their hallmark, and owners have allegedly showered with these felines. Though, that doesn't really sound like a dog behavior so much as and recipe for a clogged shower drain. Clumps of wet fur are just one of the ways Savannah cats can be a nasty handful. A mix of the more feral serval and domesticated cats, they maintain some of their wild instincts, and many owners end up coming down with a raging case of buyer's remorse. 

Though Purina says that Savannahs interact well with children and dogs when properly socialized, Susan Bass of the Florida's Big Cat Rescue sanctuary has described having to perform some big human rescues: "We get calls all the time from people asking us – begging us – to take them off their hands." Savannahs "are notorious for howling at night" and can pose a danger to children and the elderly. If that wasn't bad enough, they have "very acidic foul-smelling urine. They'll get it all over everything." In fact Bass says Savannas are "the opposite of dogs." So if you're not totally down with a semi-wild animal, beware of the Savannah cat.