History of
the British Shorthair Cat:
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It is believed
that cats arrived in Britain during the Roman period. These
cats were often domesticated & became working cats,
catching rodents.
There are two
suggestions as to how the British Shorthair came to be; Some sources
say that Harrison Weir himself created the breed, others say
that a group of cat lovers selectively bred the best examples
of these working cats & they were developed into a
pedigree breed. These were exhibited at the first cat show,
organised by Harrison Weir at Crystal Palace in 1871.
Originally
shorthaired cats dominated the early cat shows but by 1896 the
longhaired breeds were favoured & shorthairs had declined
in numbers. |
In an attempt
to rescue the declining short haired cats, Short-haired
Cat Society was formed in 1901 & this club catered
for, amongst other breeds the British Shorthair.
During World
War I many breeds of cat were almost decimated. The British
Shorthair was one such breed. After the war breeders attempted
to re-establish the breed. As numbers were low, British
Shorthairs were sometimes mated to Persian cats. The GCCF
objected to the use of Persian cats & the offspring were
not permitted to be shown or registered as British
Shorthairs. The
offspring were mated back to British Shorthairs & after
three generations they were permitted to be registered as
British Shorthairs.
In
the 1930's, Kit Wilson became involved with the breed. After
World War II very few British Shorthairs survived. Breeders
turned to unregistered domestics, Russian Blue's &
Chartreaux to help restore the breed. The offspring off these
matings didn't match the British Shorthair type so once again
Persians were used to try & re-create the look of the
British type.
Appearance:
The British
Shorthair is a medium to large sized cat. The body is sturdy
& muscular, and often described as "cobby".
The coat is short, dense & plush. The legs are heavy
boned, short with round paws. Tail is short to medium in
length.
It's head is
massive & rounded with a broad skull. The ears are small
& set wide apart. The eyes are large & round.
British
Shorthair
Temperament:
British
Shorthairs are good natured, amiable. As kittens, they are
playful but adult British Shorthairs tend to be less active
than other breeds. They are a fairly independent breed of cat
& are happy to amuse themselves (often by snoozing). They
are not a vocal cat.
Words
used to describe the British Shorthair include: Calm, affable,
intelligent, quiet, independent.
British
Shorthair Colours:
British
Shorthairs are sometimes referred to as "British
Blue", but the breed actually comes in many colours,
patterns & markings. Blue is the most recognised colour.
Below are some examples of British Shorthair colours.
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Black
& White |
Cream
(left) & Blue, Cream & White (right) |
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Special
requirements:
British
Shorthairs are a very low maintenance breed. A weekly brush
will remove any loose hairs from the coat.
Suitable
for:
Due
to their easygoing, laid back nature, British Shorthairs make
ideal pets. They get along with children & other
pets.
Special
thanks to Pamela of Cuddleton
Kitties
& Crystal for allowing me to use their
beautiful British Shorthair photos.
