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Written by Anne Moss
Note: for Breeders of British Shorthair Cats on Meowhoo.com click here:
British Shorthair Cats
The British Shorthair - An Overview
Although The British Shorthair is the oldest British cat breed, it gained recognition in the
US only in the late twentieth century. Nowadays, its calm nature and its unique round "teddy bear"
look make him a popular pet, as well as a sought after show cat.
The British Shorthair - Breed History
The British Shorthair is said to have originated from the common domestic cat of ancient
Rome, and are believed to have been brought with the Romans when they invaded and ruled
England two thousand years ago. Throughout the years, these cats bred among themselves in the
relatively secluded island - possibly cross-breeding with local wild cats.
During the nineteenth century, the interest in pedigreed cats flourished in Victorian Britain. As
exotic cats from the far and near orient arrived, some breeders decided to recreate the local
British Shorthair as a pedigree in its own right. In 1871, British Shorthairs were shown as a breed
in the Crystal Palace cat show.
With the development of the new cat breeds, interest in the British Shorthair declined, but the
breed's revival after the Second World War encouraged British breeders to make improvements
by cross-breeding with Persian cats. This enhanced the round thickset look of the British
Shorthair.
In 1980, after some debate, the major American cat associations recognized the British
Shorthair. Today there are still differences between British and American definitions of this breed.
The British Association of the Cat Fancy considers all variations of the British Shorthair as
different breeds. These include the Manx and each color group of the British Shorthair separately.
The GCCF also recognizes the British Colorpoint Shorthair as a breed. The major American
associations consider all colors of the British Shorthair as one breed and do not accept
colorpointed cats as British. The Manx is considered a different breed.
The British Shorthair - Breed Description
 The British Shorthair has a broad and massive body with strong legs, round paws,
and a thick, round-tipped tail. The head is round with pronounced whisker pads. The eyes are
round and open, and the ears are round and well set apart. The overall look is a round, massive,
smiling, "teddy bear" cat.
The coat of the British Shorthair is short but very dense. Its texture is not particularly soft, but is
smooth and carpet-like. Originally, pedigreed British Shorthairs had blue coats - in fact, the breed
was once called the British Blue. Today many colors and patterns are acceptable, but most
associations still do not recognize the British Colorpoint Blue.
The British Shorthair - Special Needs
The British Shorthair is an easy-to-maintain breed. The short coat needs only a brushing once
or twice a week to remove dead hair. Occasional bathing helps to remove excess oil from the
coat.
Anne Moss is the founder and owner of TheCatSite.com. She is a cat
behaviorist and a member of the Cats Writers Association.
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