The British Shorthair
Profile
A quarter of all kittens registered with the GCCF each year are British Shorthairs, in 2021 there were a total of 10164 kittens registered. The British Blue is the ‘flagship’ of the breed, with almost half the breed registrations being in the ‘self’ colour making the British the most popular pedigree cat in the UK.
The British is a patient, relaxed soulmate, forming a strong bond with human companions of all ages and being tolerant of other pets such as dogs and rabbits. Whilst not overly talkative, your British will take a great interest in the family routines and will make sure that he is always on hand to ensure things are done properly and on time! British kittens have an adorable teddy-bear quality which combines with a comical and affectionate personality. Slow to mature, the clam and easy-going British deserves his place as number one in the hearts of the British family.
History
The origins of the British Shorthair most likely date back to the first century AD, making it one of the most ancient identifiable cat breeds in the world. It is thought that the invading Romans initially brought Egyptian domestic cats to Great Britain; these cats then interbred with the local European wildcat population. Over the centuries, their naturally isolated descendants developed into distinctively large, robust cats with a short but very thick coat, better to withstand conditions on their native islands. Based on artists’ representations, the modern British Shorthair is basically unchanged from this initial type.
Selective breeding of the best examples of the type began in the nineteenth century, with the emphasis on developing the unusual blue-grey variant called the “British Blue” or “English type”. Some sources directly credit UK artist and pioneering cat fancier Harrison Weir with the initial concept of standardising the breed. The new British Shorthair was featured at the first-ever cat show, organised by Weir and held at the Crystal Palace in London in 1871.
By the 1890s, however, with the advent of the newly imported Persian and other long-haired breeds, the British Shorthair had fallen out of favour, and breeding stock had become critically rare by World War I. At least partially to alleviate this, British Shorthair breeders mixed Persians into their bloodlines. The genes thus introduced would eventually become the basis for the British Longhair; at the time, however, any long-haired cats produced were placed into the Persian breeding program. Outcrossing the British with the Russian Blue was also common.
After the war, to maintain the breed standard, the GCCF decided to accept only third generation Persian/British Shorthair crosses. This contributed to another shortage of pure breeding stock by World War II, at which point the Persian and Russian Blue were reintroduced into the mix. British Shorthair breeders also worked with the French Chartreux, another ancient breed, which although genetically unrelated to the British Blue is a very similar cat in appearance. After the war, breeders worked to re-establish the true British type, and by the late 1970s the distinctive British Shorthair had achieved formal recognition from both the American Cat Fanciers Association (CFA) and The International Cat Association (TICA).
It was a British Shorthair – a blue male named Brynbuboo Little Monarch that was the first adult of any breed to gain the GCCF title Grand Champion. Virtually every British Shorthair today can trace its ancestry back to this cat due to his use at stud and the selling of his progeny.
Personality
They are an easy going and dignified breed, not as active and playful as many but sweet-natured and devoted to their owners, forming a strong bond with their ‘people’ and are patient and tolerant companions. The British is a four-square cat that prefers all four paws on the ground so may do not wish to be carried about as an adult, but you will find that they are very happy to lounge on your laptop as you work! Although they are unlikely to roam far from home, the British should be supervised outside because their nature may be trusting, leaving your pet vulnerable to mishap.
Appearance
The British shorthair is a relatively powerful, sturdy and compact cat, having a broad chest, strong thick-set legs and rounded paws and a medium-length, blunt-tipped tail. The head is relatively large and rounded, with a short muzzle, broad cheeks (most noticeable in mature males, who tend to develop prominent jowls) and large round eyes that are deep coppery orange in the British Blue and otherwise vary in colour depending on the coat. Their medium-sized ears are broad at the base and widely set on the contours of the head. Be patient this breed takes up to five years to attain full physical maturity
Care
The British is an easy cat to manage. As they are slow to mature, the British kitten should be fed kitten food for at least the first year whilst bone is being laid down. Unless you are showing your British, the coat will not need regular shampooing but will require grooming during the moulting seasons to remove loose hairs from the dense coat. Unlike the domestic shorthair breeds, the British is a noticeably sexually dimorphic breed. Males weighing in at an average of 4.1 to 7.7 kg and females 3.2 to 5.4 kg.
Coat and Colour
The British Shorthair’s coat is one of the breed’s defining features, with more fur per square inch than any other breed. Only the British has the short, plush coat that is often described as crisp or crackling, referring to the way the coat breaks noticeably over the cat’s body as it moves.
Although the British Blue remains the most familiar variant, British Shorthairs have been developed in many other colours and patterns, black
blue, white, red, cream, silver, golden and most recently cinnamon and fawn are accepted by all official standards, either solid or in colourpoint, tabby, shaded and bi-colour patterns; the GCCF and TICA also accept chocolate and its dilute lilac. All colours and patterns also have tortoiseshell variants.
Health
The British cat has a slow metabolism; whilst a healthy mature British will have a well-padded muscular body, but care must be taken not to let this padding turn from muscle to excess fat. The British Shorthair is considered to be a long-lived cat, with a life expectancy of 14 to 20 years. PKD (Polycystic Kidney Disease), once a problem within the breed, is now under control thanks to the common use of available DNA tests by responsible breeders.