British Shorthair

Coat length	Shorthair
Weight	Male: Ø 7-8 kg Female: Ø 4-6 kg
Coat colours:	Solid colours White Black Blue Chocolate Lilac Cinnamon Fawn Red Cream Bicolours combine colour with white. Colourpoints have darker extremities on a paler body.
Eye colour	orange
Activity / playfulness
Grooming needs

The British Shorthair is a pedigree cat breed known since the late nineteenth century and selectively bred for more than a hundred years.

Background

The British Shorthair probably descends from cats brought to Britain by the Romans about 2,000 years ago. For centuries, these cats largely developed without deliberate intervention. Selective breeding for colour and type began in the nineteenth century. British Shorthairs were exhibited at London's Crystal Palace in 1871.

After the world wars greatly reduced breeding stock, breeders sought to strengthen the population through outcrossing. Attempts using unregistered domestic cats were unsuccessful, and Persians were chosen instead, particularly to improve type. Crosses were also made with Chartreux cats, whose population had likewise suffered during the wars. As the two breeds became more alike, FIFe combined them in 1970: blue cats were registered as Chartreux and other colours as British Shorthairs. Following objections from supporters of the original Chartreux, this classification was reversed in 1977.

In German-speaking countries, blue British Shorthairs are still sometimes misleadingly called Kartäuser, a name properly associated with the Chartreux. Selective breeding has made the two visibly different. Persian ancestry contributed to the British Shorthair's massive, short, stocky build, while the true Chartreux retains proportions closer to those of a naturally developed domestic cat.

The European Shorthair, previously shown in the same class, separated from the British Shorthair in the 1980s. In the United States, CFA recognised the British Shorthair in 1980.

Temperament and appearance

The British Shorthair is generally calm and, especially compared with oriental breeds, not exceptionally lively. Its short, dense coat has a firm, “crisp” texture rather than being overly soft. Abundant undercoat makes it stand slightly away from the body. Persian outcrosses following the wars also introduced longhair, so longer-haired kittens can occur. These semi-longhaired cats have dense undercoat and are known as British Longhairs, and historically as Highlander, Lowlander or Britannica. Their classification depends on the association.

British Shorthairs are muscular and powerful, with short, sturdy legs, large round paws and a somewhat shorter tail. Roundness characterises the broad chest, head, widely set short ears and large expressive eyes. They mature slowly, reaching full size at two years or later. The original profile gives adult male weights of 7–8 kg and female weights of 4–6 kg.

Orange or copper eyes are characteristic; silver varieties often have green eyes and colourpoints have blue eyes. More than fifty colour variations have been described, including solid, bicolour, colourpoint and tabby varieties. Solid colours include white, black, blue, chocolate, lilac, cinnamon, fawn, red and cream. Bicolours combine colour with white; colourpoints have darker extremities on a lighter body. Blue and silver tabby—in classic, spotted and mackerel patterns—are particularly familiar and popular.