TOUGH CATS:
Bengals could work. I did a little research- Maine Coons and British Shorthairs are rugged, and Siamese have the reputation of not taking nonsense off of others. In fact, in some Middle Eastern countries, Siamese are trained to attack people.
I Googled "tough cat breeds" and found these:
Norwegian Forest Cat, British Shorthair, Maine Coon, Singapura
http://clutch.mtv.com/2011/06/07/manliest-cat-breeds/
On the list of manly cats:
Bombay, British Shorthair, Bengal, Siberian, Maine Coon and Savannah