British Shorthair Breed Profile

The British Shorthair, probably the oldest English breed of cat, tracing its ancestry all the way back to the domestic cats of Rome. This breed was initially valued for its physical strength and hunting ability, but soon became equally recognised and admired for its calm demeanour, endurance and loyalty to man.

The British Shorthair is one of the largest breeds of cat. It has a substantial body, which is compact and powerful with the male being considerably larger than the female.

The face is round with full cheeks and a short, broad nose. The chin is both deep and strong. One of the most appealing features of the British Shorthair is their built-in smile caused by their round whisker pads.

The ears are small, rounded and well set so to blend with the round contour of the head.  The eyes are large and round, varying in colour depending on the variety, i.e. most British shorthairs have copper /orange eyes, while the Tipped British shorthair has green eyes.  Blue eyes are shown only on the pointed British shorthair.

The head is set on a short thick neck.  The body is cobby with a short level back. The chest is broad and deep and the shoulders are powerful and strong. The legs are short, sturdy and substantial with round paws. The tail is thick and medium length leading to a rounded tip.

The British Shorthair has a short plush coat with a luxurious feel which is very easy to groom.  The coat requires minimal care as the fur does not tangle making them relatively easy to prepare for cat shows

British Shorthairs are very intelligent, alert and affectionate cats gifted with lasting patience and a calm, confident nature.  They are extremely loyal, people oriented cats and are especially good with children and other pet animals. They adapt well to any size household.  Their easy temperament means that most British shorthair cats enjoy a trip to a show.

Competition is always of a high standard. Rosettes and challenge certificate are withheld for long or over soft coats, unlevel bite, incorrect coat colour or pattern, incorrect eye colour, as well other faults as stated in the breed standard. Nonetheless, the British Shorthair is an immensely popular show cat, with a huge variety of coat colours and patterns available.  It is often one of the biggest breed sections at most major cat shows.

The British Shorthair is a large cat and will require approximately 70 to 80 Kcals per kg bodyweight per day of food. However, some British Shorthairs can be prone to overweight, particularly the neuters, and sometimes restrictions on their diet or a change of diet may be necessary.

British Shorthairs usually have between three and five kittens in a litter.  Generally British Shorthair queens make excellent mothers, being placid by nature, they are very content with their brood of babies around them.

The British Shorthair is a comparatively rare cat in the United States. Around 1980 it was recognised for championship competition by CFA stimulating much needed interest in the breed. Recognised world-wide, many fine British Shorthair cats are still imported today from England, Ireland, New Zealand and Australia to help widen the gene pool for breeders in the United States.

British Shorthairs usually live into their early teens but it has been known for them to live much longer but generally 15 years is an average life span.

Gerard Kiely-Jones