About British
Click the link below for some great reading about the British Shorthair Breed.
Background to the British Shorthair Cat
Origin The Romans introduced large numbers of cats to the United Kingdom as working cats to help reduce the rodent population. These cats interbred with the native wild cats of Great Britain to produce the native domestic shorthaired cat. The accepted date of origin of the British Shorthair as we know it today is 1870. Despite being popular at the Crystal Palace cat show of 1871, by the end of World War II along with many other British cat breeds, the British Shorthair numbers were devastated. A number of careful breeders worked to recreate and restore numbers using a combination of British Shorthairs, Persians, Russian Blues, Burmese and other pedigree and non pedigree shorthair varieties. Whilst the diversity helped with the health of the breed, breeders found that the ‘foreign type’ was persistent in the background and breeders found that they had to keep falling back on the Persian occasionally to keep type. Always, the objective was to reach a point where the British would breed true without any need for outcrosses. (The longhair gene remains recessive amongst some British Shorthairs today)
Breed Description The breed standard states that; The British cat is compact, well balanced and powerful, showing good depth of body, a full broad chest, short strong legs, rounded paws, tail thick at base with rounded tip. The head is round with a good width between small ears, round cheeks, firm chin, large round and well opened eyes and a broad short nose. The coat is short and dense. A muscular cat with an alert appearance and in perfect physical condition. The British Shorthair is one of the largest breeds of cat. It is chunky and substantial; the male is much larger than the female. The face is round with full cheeks and the nose is short and broad. The chin is deep and strong. The ears are small and rounded and set so as to blend with the round contour of the head. The eyes are large and round. The head is set on a short thick neck. The body is cobby with a short level back. The chest is deep and the shoulders are strong. The legs are short and strong with round paws. The tail is thick and of medium length. Within these descriptions we can read that this is a cat whose beauty is all about balance, size and roundness, balanced by strength and physical health.
The Show Cat The British Shorthair is a hugely popular show cat and with the wide range of colours and patterns available it is one of the biggest breed sections at GCCF cat shows.
Registration The British Shorthair is the most popular pedigree cat, with more kittens registered with the GCCF each year than any other breed. Registered breed numbers have risen by 48% over the past 10 years to almost 6,800 in 2008.7
Characteristics and Temperament British Shorthairs are an easygoing breed of cat. They have a stable character and take well to being kept as indoor-only cats, making them ideal for apartment 7 Latest GCCF data published Draft British Shorthair Breeding Policy – Genetics Committee – after BAC Seminar 10 living. They are not terribly demanding of attention, though they will let their owner know if they feel like playing. They are not hyperactive preferring to sit close to their owners rather than on them. They like attention and enjoy being petted. They are not a very vocal breed but will meow to communicate with their owners. British Shorthairs like to follow people from room to room, as they often wish to be with their owner and see what is going on. Some do not mind being cuddled, but most prefer to keep four paws on the ground and be patted rather than picked up.
Longevity British Shorthairs are very healthy and long lived. You can expect a British to live from 14 to 20 years.
Recognition The British Shorthair is recognized by all the exhibiting bodies across the continents.
Origin The Romans introduced large numbers of cats to the United Kingdom as working cats to help reduce the rodent population. These cats interbred with the native wild cats of Great Britain to produce the native domestic shorthaired cat. The accepted date of origin of the British Shorthair as we know it today is 1870. Despite being popular at the Crystal Palace cat show of 1871, by the end of World War II along with many other British cat breeds, the British Shorthair numbers were devastated. A number of careful breeders worked to recreate and restore numbers using a combination of British Shorthairs, Persians, Russian Blues, Burmese and other pedigree and non pedigree shorthair varieties. Whilst the diversity helped with the health of the breed, breeders found that the ‘foreign type’ was persistent in the background and breeders found that they had to keep falling back on the Persian occasionally to keep type. Always, the objective was to reach a point where the British would breed true without any need for outcrosses. (The longhair gene remains recessive amongst some British Shorthairs today)
Breed Description The breed standard states that; The British cat is compact, well balanced and powerful, showing good depth of body, a full broad chest, short strong legs, rounded paws, tail thick at base with rounded tip. The head is round with a good width between small ears, round cheeks, firm chin, large round and well opened eyes and a broad short nose. The coat is short and dense. A muscular cat with an alert appearance and in perfect physical condition. The British Shorthair is one of the largest breeds of cat. It is chunky and substantial; the male is much larger than the female. The face is round with full cheeks and the nose is short and broad. The chin is deep and strong. The ears are small and rounded and set so as to blend with the round contour of the head. The eyes are large and round. The head is set on a short thick neck. The body is cobby with a short level back. The chest is deep and the shoulders are strong. The legs are short and strong with round paws. The tail is thick and of medium length. Within these descriptions we can read that this is a cat whose beauty is all about balance, size and roundness, balanced by strength and physical health.
The Show Cat The British Shorthair is a hugely popular show cat and with the wide range of colours and patterns available it is one of the biggest breed sections at GCCF cat shows.
Registration The British Shorthair is the most popular pedigree cat, with more kittens registered with the GCCF each year than any other breed. Registered breed numbers have risen by 48% over the past 10 years to almost 6,800 in 2008.7
Characteristics and Temperament British Shorthairs are an easygoing breed of cat. They have a stable character and take well to being kept as indoor-only cats, making them ideal for apartment 7 Latest GCCF data published Draft British Shorthair Breeding Policy – Genetics Committee – after BAC Seminar 10 living. They are not terribly demanding of attention, though they will let their owner know if they feel like playing. They are not hyperactive preferring to sit close to their owners rather than on them. They like attention and enjoy being petted. They are not a very vocal breed but will meow to communicate with their owners. British Shorthairs like to follow people from room to room, as they often wish to be with their owner and see what is going on. Some do not mind being cuddled, but most prefer to keep four paws on the ground and be patted rather than picked up.
Longevity British Shorthairs are very healthy and long lived. You can expect a British to live from 14 to 20 years.
Recognition The British Shorthair is recognized by all the exhibiting bodies across the continents.