What is a British Shorthair Cat?
Want to learn some British Shorthair facts? First let us learn about the cat. Shall we? British Shorthair is a cat breed recognized by multiple associations like CFA, EICA, ACF, FIFe, CCA-AFC, etc. It is the pedigreed version of British domestic cat.
British Shorthair cats are everything you could wish for in a cat. They are intelligent, affectionate, dignified, devoted, and easy going (read lazy) cats. One look at them and you will fall in love with them.
Today in our British Shorthair facts, we will learn a lot about them that you should know without fail.
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1. British Shorthair originally came from the streets of Great Britain. It is also considered as the first cat of the cat fancy.
2. Harrison Wier, the first professional cat breeder, is the father of this breed. He is also termed as the “Father of the Cat Fancy.” He was the one who determined the rules for the first cat show held in 1871 in Britain.
3. Harrison took these street cats of Britain and bred them intensively and transformed them into a pedigree breed. He called the breed British.
4. Britishers fell in love with the British cat. However, Persian cat entered the country and became the most popular cat breed.
5. Similar dethroning happened in the First and Second World Wars.
6. But the British cat re-emerged and became the most popular cat breed in the UK.
7. Earlier, it was known just as British Blue because of the typical grey-blue color of the coat. The name has changed to either British or British Shorthair, because now the cat comes in several colors.
8. It is easy going, soft, and a mellow cat. It is affectionate and loves receiving attention and affection, but it doesn’t need your constant attention.
9. It follows you and sits close to you, but never disturbs you. It is not very vocal unlike Siamese.
10. Its activity level is low to moderate just like the Persian cats. It is energetic and playful when it is a kitten, but the playfulness decreases by the time he or she reaches a year.
11. Senior British Shorthair cats are more or less like couch potatoes.
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12. It is not destructive like how Bengals can get if they don’t get enough stimulation. It is highly sociable and goes well with kids (with manners), other pets, and strangers.
13. It doesn’t need daily grooming. Grooming once every two to three days is sufficient. It also sheds moderately.
14. Adult males typically weigh 12 to 20 pounds, and adult females weigh 8 to 14 pounds. .
15. It comes in several colors like white, blue, torbie, cameo, silver, brown, bluecream, black, smoke, red, shaded, and tortoiseshell.
16. It also comes in several patterns like tortoiseshell, smoke, bicolor, calico/tricolor, tabby, solid color, shaded, etc.
17. Cat Associations that recognize British Shorthair as a pedigree breed are CFA (Cat Fanciers Association), ACFA (American Cat Fanciers Association), WCF (World Cat Federation), TICA (The International Cat Association), CCA (the Canadian Cat Association), etc.
18. Its eye color can be either blue, copper, odd eye or gold. British Shorthair has a broad face, dense coat, and a stocky body. It has strong legs and a broad chest. It has round paws and a thick tail.
19.. It is believed that it descended from ancient Egypt. The cats from Egypt were imported to Rome, and when Romans invaded Great Britain in 43 CE, they brought the cats with them.
20. According to historians the Cheshire Cat of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland were inspired by a tabby British Shorthair cat.
21. It is a common misconception that British Shorthairs are available only in British blue color with copper eyes. British blue is the popular variation, but not the only variation.
22. They are big breeds, and hence, are on the healthier side of the weighing scale. But it is important to keep an eye on their diet and weight. They tend to gain weight and get obese quickly.
PetMD listed British Shorthair in the Top 10 Fat Cats list in 2016! A healthy diet and regular exercise should be given from the kitten stage itself.
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23. If the weight goes unchecked your kitty can get vulnerable to multiple diseases like heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, etc.
24. A man didn’t pay 12,000 rubles as tax in 2014, in Novosibirsk, a city in Serbia in Russia, The person didn’t have any valuables except for a British Shorthair and its kittens.
So, the tax collectors demanded the cat and its three kittens as they were pedigree cats. The man paid the taxes and kept the cats to himself.
25. Again in Russia, a British Shorthair cat called Dusya starred in multiple TV productions, photo shoots, and commercials for a telephone operator located in Russia. The cat earned 2,000 pounds in March 2015.
26. In 2015, a gang of Eastern Europe kidnapped a one year old British Shorthair cat named Maggie. Maggie’s owners were pretty rich and the gang demanded 5,000 pounds. Can you guess what happened? The cat owners paid the money and got their cat back.
27. A twelve year old British Shorthair cat named Smokey was declared to have the loudest purr of all the cats in 2011. His purr measured up to 67.7 decibels meaning it was as noisy as a lawn mower!
However he died of kidney failure in 2014. In 2015, Smokey’s record was broken by Merlin with a purr measuring 67.8 decibels.
28. Did you know that a British Shorthair doesn’t reach their physical maturity till it is 3 to 5 years old?
29. Brushing its teeth at least once every week is suggested to keep its gums and teeth healthy. Nails should be trimmed weekly. Ears should be checked weekly and cleaned if they are dirty.
30. Litter boxes must be cleaned at least once or twice everyday without fail. Cats (any breed) like to have a clean litter box.
31. The British Shorthair cats star in commercials of brands like Whiskas, Prada, etc. In the UK, it is the most popular pedigreed cat breed. ¼th of the total kittens in the UK are British Shorthair!
Celebrities like Naomi Campbell, Sam Smith, Stefano Gabbana, etc. love this breed. Needless to say, there are millions of fans of British Shorthair stars on social media.
PS: There are over 3 million posts on this breed on social media.
32. It is a healthy breed, but some of the health issues that plague British Shorthair are polycystic kidney disease, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, gingivitis etc.
33. According to the UK breed committee a British Shorthair has a long life. The lifespan of a British Shorthair is around 14 to 20 years!
We have come to the end of this British Shorthair facts list. If you think there is more that should be added, feel free to drop a comment or two with the facts (and proper sources).
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