What is the best breed of cat? I like the look and temperament of a Maine coon, the love of a black and white cat. What about other cats?

The breed of cat you chose should be determined by your lifestyle. I love the Main Coon Cat because it looks beautiful, is large, and acts like a Real domesticated cat. But it does not make a great "permanent" house cat and letting it outside in the city is not wise if you want it to survive. Traffic will not be its friend. It will catch small animals so if you live rurally you must be sure the parasites it acquires from eating wild caught food are treated regularly.

The Mau is close to Wild and needs a ton of toys and high places to jump up to. Very fast and active so no small apartments should be home to one of them.

The rag doll is nice for domestic lifestyles.

There are Many breeds so check them all out before deciding I know there are web sites that can help. Be sure you check for health issues that effect some breeds, like the Persians for instance.

My personal choice?

Get a common domestic cat. Short hared and female. Get her spayed. They are healthy, usually available for free since someone is always giving away kittens. Care is far more easy. If you never let it outside eventually it will stop trying to go out and then it is likely you never need to take it to a vet for shots or even buy a license or it.

I have two. One is 17 and the other is 18 years old and still healthy. The one with long hair requires a lot more attention and a lot of brushing. Buying toys is an unnecessary expense. Just drop most any item on the floor and they will use it as a toy. They love something with feathers attached.

Always keep their litter boxes clean. I have two boxes and I clean them every two days.