What data does the Cat Breed API return?
Each cat breed record includes everything you need for a complete user experience: physical attributes (weight range, lifespan), coat type and length, country of origin, temperament ratings, health conditions, and high-quality images.
Temperament ratings cover five categories — adaptability, friendliness, grooming, trainability, and physical traits — each with granular attributes scored 1–5. Cat-specific fields include indoor suitability, vocalization level, independence score, and compatibility with children and other pets.
Health data includes breed-specific predispositions such as Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM), Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD), and respiratory conditions — critical for veterinary apps and insurance tools.
List and filter cat breeds with query parameters
The list endpoint supports a full set of query parameters so you can fetch exactly the breeds your users are looking for. Filter by coat type, coat length, country of origin, hypoallergenic status, weight range, lifespan range, indoor suitability, or search by name.
Responses are paginated with configurable page size (up to 100 per request). The metadata block includes total count, current page, and total pages — everything you need for infinite scroll or classic pagination.
Get a single cat breed by slug
Every breed has a unique URL-safe slug (e.g. `maine-coon`, `siamese`, `british-shorthair`). Use the detail endpoint to fetch the full record for a specific breed, including health conditions, full image gallery, and all rating attributes.
Slugs are stable — they never change once assigned — so you can safely store them in your own database or use them as URL parameters in your app.
Authentication
All requests require an API key. Pass it as a Bearer token in the Authorization header, or use the X-API-Key header. Keys are generated instantly when your subscription activates — no approval process.
Rate limits apply per hour, per day, and per month depending on your plan. The API returns a 429 status with a clear message when a limit is reached, so your app can handle it gracefully.
Dogs and cats in one subscription
Smart Pet API covers both dogs and cats under a single API key and consistent schema. If your app needs breed data for multiple species, you don't need to manage separate subscriptions or reconcile different data models — the same endpoints, the same authentication, the same response format.
This makes Smart Pet API the practical alternative to running TheDogAPI and TheCatAPI side by side.
Start fetching cat breed data in minutes
Get your API key instantly. Dogs and cats covered in a single subscription — first month from $7.
API examples
Illustrative examples — responses are representative, not live data.
List cat breeds with filters
Fetch hypoallergenic cat breeds suited for indoor living. The response is paginated — use `page` and `limit` to navigate.
Request
GET https://api.smartpetapi.com/cats/breeds?hypoallergenic=true&indoor=true&limit=2 Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY
Response 200 OK
{
"data": [
{
"id": 8,
"slug": "balinese",
"name": "Balinese",
"species": "cat",
"physical": {
"weight_min_kg": 2.5,
"weight_max_kg": 5,
"lifespan_min_yr": 12,
"lifespan_max_yr": 20,
"coat_type": "silky",
"coat_length": "long",
"hypoallergenic": true
},
"origin": {
"country": "United States",
"region": null
},
"description": "An elegant long-haired cat with Siamese-like features. Highly intelligent, vocal, and affectionate.",
"indoor": true,
"colors": [
{
"name": "Seal Point",
"pattern": "colorpoint",
"is_standard": true
},
{
"name": "Blue Point",
"pattern": "colorpoint",
"is_standard": true
}
],
"ratings": {
"adaptability": {
"apartment_living": 5,
"novice_owner": 4,
"tolerates_alone": 3
},
"friendliness": {
"affectionate": 5,
"child_friendly": 4,
"dog_friendly": 4,
"stranger_friendly": 3
}
}
},
{
"id": 22,
"slug": "siberian",
"name": "Siberian",
"species": "cat",
"physical": {
"weight_min_kg": 3.5,
"weight_max_kg": 8,
"lifespan_min_yr": 11,
"lifespan_max_yr": 15,
"coat_type": "dense",
"coat_length": "long",
"hypoallergenic": true
},
"origin": {
"country": "Russia",
"region": "Siberia"
},
"description": "A large, powerful cat with a triple-layered coat. Playful, affectionate, and lower in Fel d 1 allergen.",
"indoor": true,
"colors": [
{
"name": "Brown Tabby",
"pattern": "tabby",
"is_standard": true
},
{
"name": "Silver Tabby",
"pattern": "tabby",
"is_standard": true
}
],
"ratings": {
"adaptability": {
"apartment_living": 4,
"novice_owner": 5,
"tolerates_alone": 3
},
"friendliness": {
"affectionate": 5,
"child_friendly": 5,
"dog_friendly": 5,
"stranger_friendly": 4
}
}
}
],
"meta": {
"total": 11,
"page": 1,
"limit": 2,
"pages": 6
}
}Get a single cat breed by slug
Retrieve the full record for a specific breed including health conditions, images (on eligible plans), and all rating attributes.
Request
GET https://api.smartpetapi.com/cats/breeds/maine-coon Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY
Response 200 OK
{
"id": 41,
"slug": "maine-coon",
"name": "Maine Coon",
"species": "cat",
"physical": {
"weight_min_kg": 4,
"weight_max_kg": 8.2,
"lifespan_min_yr": 12,
"lifespan_max_yr": 15,
"coat_type": "shaggy",
"coat_length": "long",
"hypoallergenic": false
},
"origin": {
"country": "United States",
"region": "Maine"
},
"description": "One of the largest domestic cat breeds. Known for its dog-like personality, tufted ears, and bushy tail.",
"history": "One of the oldest natural breeds in North America, likely descended from cats brought by seafarers to Maine.",
"care_notes": "Requires weekly brushing to prevent matting. Prone to HCM — regular cardiac screening is recommended.",
"indoor": true,
"colors": [
{
"name": "Brown Tabby",
"pattern": "tabby",
"is_standard": true
},
{
"name": "Silver Tabby",
"pattern": "tabby",
"is_standard": true
},
{
"name": "Black",
"pattern": null,
"is_standard": true
}
],
"ratings": {
"adaptability": {
"apartment_living": 3,
"novice_owner": 5,
"tolerates_alone": 3,
"tolerates_cold": 5
},
"friendliness": {
"affectionate": 5,
"child_friendly": 5,
"dog_friendly": 5,
"stranger_friendly": 4
},
"grooming": {
"shedding": 4,
"grooming_ease": 3,
"general_health": 4
},
"trainability": {
"trainability": 5,
"intelligence": 5,
"bark_tendency": 2
},
"physical": {
"energy_level": 4,
"exercise_needs": 3,
"playfulness": 5
}
},
"health_conditions": [
{
"name": "Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM)",
"description": "Thickening of the heart wall — most common inherited cardiac disease in cats.",
"severity": "high"
},
{
"name": "Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA)",
"description": "Loss of spinal cord motor neurons affecting hindlimb movement.",
"severity": "medium"
},
{
"name": "Hip Dysplasia",
"description": "Malformation of the hip joint; more common in large breeds.",
"severity": "low"
}
],
"images": [
{
"url": "https://images.smartpetapi.com/breeds/maine-coon-1.jpg",
"alt": "Maine Coon sitting",
"width": 1200,
"height": 800,
"is_primary": true
},
{
"url": "https://images.smartpetapi.com/breeds/maine-coon-2.jpg",
"alt": "Maine Coon close-up",
"width": 1200,
"height": 800,
"is_primary": false
}
]
}