British Shorthair Cat
- Abbreviation:
- British Shorthair
- FIFe:
- BRI
- Place of Origin:
- United Kingdom
- Ancestors:
- Domestic Cats, Persian Cats
- Breed type:
- Short-haired Cat
- Body type:
- Massive, stumpy
- Weight:
- 4 - 8 kg
- Colour variety:
- A wide variety of colour variants like Persian
History: It is undoubtedly the most popular shorthaired breed in Europe. Wealthy English people started showing exotic cat´s breeds around 1900. A lot of cat lovers created the desire to engage thoroughbred cats with cats from English mainland.
Breeders from England and the European continent tried to build a big-Angora cat, but with a short coat. Therefore, they selected individuals of domestic cats with a compact and subconscious body structure and breeders crossed them with Persian cats.
Initially, the breed was mainly kept in blue. Till now, Persian long-haired cats are re-crossed to prevent from losing the type of the British Shorthair cat. As a result, other British cats gradually developed different colours.
Temperament: Because of its balanced, calm and friendly nature, British cats are ideal companions. Most of them are extremely tolerant and adaptable. Their playfulness in adulthood is shifting in intensity. Generally, they do not require much attention and they are able to enjoy themselves. But it likes cuddling and contacts with the members of the household.
Body: British Shorthair cats are medium to large cats with subtle body construction in all sides. They have a wide chest and a short muscular back. Short, straight legs end with round and massive paws. The short to medium tail is strong and it has a rounded toe. The round head looks massive. It has full faces, a wide skull and a powerful, well-developed chin. It is placed on a short, strong, muscular neck. The ears are small and short, wide on the base and stand wide apart. The eyes are large and round, the nose wide, short and straight. Deployment of the nose should not be too pronounced, but it must pass into a slight bend on the round forehead of the skull. Adult males have a more massive head than cats.
Coat: Coat of British Shorthair cat is dense, short, strong and flexible. Due to its density and thickness, it does not cling to the body smoothly, but it moves a little.
Because of the occasional crossing of British Shorthaired cats with Persian long-haired cats, long-haired kittens may appear in the litter of two British shorthaired cats.
Care: British Shorthair cat's coat normally needs to be brushed once a week. The rubber brush will be good for you during moulting period. However, you must be careful not to damage the coat. If you want to show your British Shorthair cat, you may need to take a bath, a few days before the show, so that the coat must be recover. Only clean the ears, if necessary. Sharp claws can be cut regularly.
Colour variants:
Although the British Shorthair cat is still the most popular in blue, it can have many different colours and patterns now. FIFe is recognized in 229 colour variants.
- Full colour: Full-coloured British Shorthair cat is found in white, black, blue, red, cream, chocolate and lilac. Eyes are from copper to orange colour, except white, which may have blue eyes or be different. In addition to the white variety, no white hairs or spots may be present in the coat. Each hair should have the same colour throughout its length. A fully coloured cat with a silvery white undercoat is called smoke.
- Partial colours: These cats are coloured with white patches in the coat. They are in different colour varieties, and the names are based on the amount of white in the coat and according to the colour layout:
O bicolour - White must not be present more than a third in the coat, but not much less. The most symmetrical colour distribution and the inverted white V on the forehead are desirable.
O tricolour - For tricolours the same rules apply as for bi-colours. They have two instead of one basic colour. These form large regular stains that do not pass through one another. If the main colour of the tricolour is black, it is called black tortoise with white. If the main colour is blue, it is called blue tortoiseshell with white.
Harlequin - Harlequin has a great deal of white colour. One or more stained spots on the head and a number of small spots on the body. The tail is whole coloured.
Van - Van has as much as a harlequin a great deal of white, but it has only the colour on its head and has a coloured tail.
- Tortie (tortoiseshells): These are cats that have blobs in the coat but no white. Almost always there are cats of this female colour. Spots must be very small and should overlap as much as possible. The result is a special melody effect. The main colour can be, among other things, black, blue, chocolate and lilac. The second colour is always red or creamy. The eyes have tortoise cats from copper to orange.
- Tabby: There are four different hair styles - ticked, tattered (mackerel), dotted and blotched. Patterns, among others, they are in black, red and blue, but other colours are possible. The patterns should be as clear as possible. The eyes of these cats are copper to orange, with the exception of silver cats with a drawing that have eyes from orange or green.
- Silvery: These are cats with silvery white undercoat. Each hair in the fur looks partially unpigmented from the root. The rest of the hair is normally pigmented.
- Smoke: Fully coloured cats with silvery white undercoat. Pigment should ideally occupy about half of each individual hair.
- Shaded chinchilla: A cat with a black pigment or derived colours such as blue, chocolate and lilac, with a silvery white background. The pigment contains about one third of each hair.
- Tipped chinchilla: A cat with a black pigment or derived colours such as blue, chocolate and lilac, with a silvery white undercoat pattern. The pigment contains about eighth of each hair.
- Kameo: Cat with a red or cream colour with a silvery-white undercoat pattern. Pigment occupies about one third of the hair.
- Shell (shell): Cat with a red or cream pigment with a silvery white background. The pigment occupies about eighth of the coat.
O silver tabby - A cat with a pattern whose coat is pigmented in half.
- Colour points: This is the latest coat of hair that has been bred by a British Shorthaired cat. It was the crossing of Persian cats with acromelanic badges with British Shorthair cats. These cats are found in all colours that can be seen in Persian cat with acromelanic badges. The contrast between body colour and coloured badges - the so-called Himalayan pattern - should be as distinctive as possible. At this time, cats of this colourful variety have pale blue eyes, but breeders are looking for cats with a dark blue colour of eye.
