British Shorthair Cats

The British Shorthair is a domesticated cat that is said to resemble a teddy bear. Its features make it a popular breed in cat shows. British Shorthairs have very dense, plush coats that are often described as crisp or cracking which refers to the way the coat breaks over the cat's body contours. Eyes are large, round and copper in colour. Domesticated Shorthairs have round heads with full, chubby cheeks. Most have a body that is rounded and sturdy. The breed has a broad chest, shoulders and hips with short legs, round paws and a plush but not fluffy tail. The males of this breed are larger than the females, and the size difference between them is more easily noticed compared to other breeds. The British Shorthair may be any colour or pattern including all solid colours, dilutes, tabby patterns, bicolours and colourpoints. For many years the more popular blue variant was common enough to have a breed name of its own: the 'British Blue'. However now a large variety of other colour and pattern variations appear and are accepted in most breed registery standards. The typical lifespan of this breed is 9 to 15 years. One claim of the British Shorthair's origin is that it was bred for the first time in the 19th century in an attempt to create a beautiful cat out of an alley cat and a domestic cat. The result was a British Shorthair named "Brite", which was presented to the public in 1871 with widespread approval.Another claim indicates that the breed's ancestry traces back to domestic cats in Egypt and Rome. Under this claim, it is believed that the British Shorthair cats arrived to Britain after the 2nd century AD when the Roman Empire spread to Britain.