British Shorthairs: About the Breed

British Shorthair Written by R. Roger Breton & Nancy J Creek Coat: Shorthair Environment: Apartment, Home or Rural Disposition: Affectionate, Active, Quiet Best With: Family with Children Colors: Standard Solid, Standard, Shaded The British Shorthair, a large cat with a muscular cobby body, short legs and tail, and a round head with a square muzzle and small wide-spaced round ears, has a short, dense coat with a heavy undercoat. Bred over almost 2000 years from cats originally brought by the Romans (Julius Caesar came, saw, conquered, and brought cats), the British Shorthair is more a native of Britain than any Anglo-Saxon and has evolved into a strong cat with a dense coat capable of withstanding the worst of British weather. Quick and alert, this is the basic cat in all of Great Britain and Ireland. During the First and Second World Wars all breeds of cats suffered drastically in Britain and, to a lesser degree, on the European continent. Because of the drastic food shortages during the Blitz, "cat" became known as "roof-rabbit," and filled many a stewpot. This is perhaps best considered as merely another way in which the beautiful cat contributed to the betterment of mankind. Of all the breeds of cats decimated by the wars, the beautiful British Shorthair suffered perhaps worst of all. As a result this breed, native to the isles, all but vanished. After the war, efforts were made to restore the breed by crossing those few survivors with American and European Shorthairs. This produced a somewhat less cobby cat. Attempts were made to correct this by breeding in the exceptionally cobby Persian. The result is the current British Shorthair, about the same body type and disposition of its pre-war forebears, but with a slightly flatter face and thicker, more luxuriant coat from the Persian influence. This latter is the result not of the longhair genes, but of the polygene influence carefully bred for in Persians to make the coat thick and silky as well as long. There are some purist breeders now rebreeding the original British Shorthair from cats recently discovered in Scotland and Ireland. Time will tell whether the original breed will be restored, or whether there will eventually be two breeds of British Shorthair. Regardless of the details of the breed, the disposition is the same: playful, inquisitive, and an excellent hunter, the British Shorthair is fond of children and an excellent cat. It adapts well to almost any environment. [TrueBrit Home]  [Our Stars]  [Kittens]  [About Us]  [Links]  [Contact]