British Blue,,

Hi, I don't know if this is the right place to ask this, but does anyone here have a British Blue? Are they a nice cat in general? I have liked the looks of them for a while now and with my Tuffy gone I am thinking maybe some day I will get another cat.

I see in my cat book there is a Chartreux that looks allot like the British Blue. Are these real friendly cats in general? Do they have any major health problems that go with there breed?

I am not going to rush out and get another cat to try and replace Tuffy. I know there will only be one Tuffy. Just wanting to learn more about the different breeds I guess.

I am glad to see you are interested in giving another cat a home. Of course you can never replace Tuffy, but I cannot imagine a home without cats. I hope you find a wonderful companion to fill the void left by Tuffy.

We considered both breeds very carefully- even found a British Shorthair breeder and visited their home.

Ultimately it was the waiting list that put me off- for me shelter cats were the better choice and more quickly available. But I was wanting two litter brothers and it's not like you can just put in an order and get what you want. British Shorthairs are a fabulous looking cat, gentle natured and calm, and that coat is a thing of beauty. There is significant shedding though, and regular combing is pretty much mandatory.

Also, they were relatively expensive as cat breeds go- I was quoted $800 each for pet quality kittens.
And ultimately, for me, I decided that providing an excellent home for shelter kittens was the best choice for me and my view of the cat situation in this country.

I still have not ruled out eventually getting a British Shorthair at some point. They are nice sturdy cats and not overly needy or vocal.

My aunt has two British Shorthairs - 1 blue and 1 blue/white. The blue is stocky and very manly - he loves to be pet but won't sit on your lap or let you pick him up. The blue/white is quite a bit smaller and is a lap cat. He doesn't like to be pet heavily. Neither are jumpers; they stick to the ground. Very independent cats, not big on meowing unless they are hungry. They are a bit standoffish at first but if you make a good effort to socialize them with lots of people, as my aunt has, they'll get over it rather quickly!

I had a few cat show friends that bred Britsh (they come in all colors - not just blue). She used to say they were "doorstops" because they were so laid back - more watchers then doers

Anyway there is a world of difference between the Chartruex and the Brits. One thing is eye color. Second is body shape - Chartruex look like they have a heavy body on skinny legs - the Brits are solid/heavy boned all over. And the coat is totally different too.

I didn't think of the cost of getting a "breed" cat.

I think I need to be more worried about a cats personality than what they look like. We have Rusty who is a very nice looking cat but won't let me get close to him. He is a great cat other wise, he don't get into trouble and is very smart but he is very jumpy and stays on his own most of the time. The only time he is friendly toward me is if I am in the bathroom. He will talk to me till I let him in and he will let me pet him and he rubs against my legs and wants to play, but only if he is in there by himself. If Panther or Tuffy also came in the bathroom with me Rusty wants out of there. I have a feeling if Rusty was the only cat we had he would be totaly different in the way he acts.