I would not focus so much on cat breeds. As much as dogs display somewhat reliable personality traits among breeds, cats do not follow any of those rules as far as I can tell.

OTOH, Abyssians are wonderfully affectionate cats who seem to get along with everyone no matter what species.

Meghane, Thank you for your response. What you said makes sense. My aunt had an Abysinnian and he was a large boy. I'm not ready to rush into anything. The Ragdoll seems very interesting.
Hope you have a good weekend.
Carla

Just wondering, why does it have to stay small? It's not like the difference between a small cat and a big cat is like the difference between a small dog and a large dog. I've had a small cat (a 8 lb. Persian) and a large cat (a 16-17 lb. Ragdoll, a large female Maine Coon), and I don't think is really a difference in maintenance, etc. JMO

I have two Ragdolls and LOVE them. I picked that breed because I previously had a Persian who was particularly lovey and "floppy" and wanted another cat like that. My male is especially lovey, but he is a big boy. My girl is more like 11-12 lbs, but she's not quite full grown (but she won't get much bigger, maybe another pound). They are both talkey, but they talk differently. He talks all the time (wants this, wants that, just letting you know where he is, looking for his sister, etc.). She is more selective, but persistant when she does talk. Be careful what you wish for, my SIL has a very talky cat and it drives my BIL crazy.

Ragdolls, like most of the larger breeds, are not climbers. They will go on counters (sigh), but they don't climb curtains, etc. I worked with someone who had Abysinnians (love them!) and they were climbers, if that affects your decision.

I got my male cat first and he was lonely, he didn't like being an only cat. So we got the female. I was concerned about his reaction to another cat and was told that it is easiest to introduce a younger, smaller female to a male. They hit it off right away. I don't know what your Maine Coon is, but that may be a factor. IME, it can be difficult to introduce a younger cat to an older female. Not saying it's a rule, it's just what I have personally seen. I wouldn't worry about the dogs. If they get along with the Maine Coon they likely will adapt to another kitten.

I don't think the attention hog thing is predictable by breed. My male is an attention hog (less now that we have her, but he was very persistant before). She is more of a loner (but still friendly), as was my previous female Ragdoll. My male Persian liked attention, but he was polite about it. Again, JMO, the males seem to be more attention desiring than the females. But that's a generalization and doesn't really help predict how an individual cat will be.

Ragdolls are sensitive & shy;
I'd be careful about adding one to a household where there are already several other pets, especially bigger ones.

You might go to a shelter & see if you can't find a petite kitten with bright eyes & a curious nature.

Ragdolls are sensitive and shy? I've had three and none have been shy. I've been to the breeder's where I got my cats many time and none of her cats are shy either. I don't believe Ragdolls have that reputation at all, in fact.

Hi!

I have two (male) Chocolate Persians. They are litter-mates and I had to nearly beg and plead to get them both (well, it cost me handsomely). I have had both Chocolate and Blue Persians in the past. Persians have the personalities of little children and are very affectionate! They can also be feisty ... my last Persian terrorized our friend's Jack Russel Terrier when they came around. Persians can stand up for themselves, so adding them into your mix should be no problem! They just want to play with everyone and everything.

We have never had issues with them climbing the drapes, but we have given up trying to keep them off the dining table. One of them, after three years in this house, just learned that he can jump up on the kitchen counter ... and stove top. Not so good. And size ... they stayed small, under eight pounds each.

The breeder I worked with was WONDERFUL!!! I flew down to Texas from NYC to get them (we now live in Switzerland, and all these cats cared about was "where do I sleep all day?"!!!). The site is www.pawdance.com. Dmitri (one of our cats) is the cover page kitten there. Both of my "boys" are on New Homes page 2 if you want a peek. The breeder's name is Junelle, lovely lady, and she is very particular about placing her kittens.

Let us know what you decide!!

B

A Cornish Rex might be a good choice. My daughter has two and I am in love with them. They didn't seem to mind having our visiting dog over during Christmas. They are very talkative, very playful, and smart. If you can get over the alien appearance, these cats are really quite wonderful.