Cat breed
The British Shorthair is the pedigree version of the landrace of British domestic cat, with a distinctively stocky body, thick coat, and broad face. The most familiar colour variant is the "British Blue", with a solid grey-blue coat, copper-coloured eyes, and a medium-sized tail. The breed has also been bred in a wide range of other colours and patterns, including tabby and colourpoint.
It ranks among the oldest known cat landraces. This ancient British landrace was selectively bred into one of the first pedigreed cat breeds at the end of the 19th century, and today holds full recognition status in all major cat registries. It remains the most popular pedigreed breed in its native country, as registered by the UK's Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF). Half of all kittens registered with the GCCF each year are British Shorthairs, making it the most popular pedigree cat in the UK.
The breed's relatively calm temperament makes it a frequent media star, notably as the inspiration for John Tenniel's famous illustration of the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland. The Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) profile reads: "When gracelessness is observed, the British Shorthair is duly embarrassed, quickly recovering with a 'Cheshire cat smile'."
Appearance: The British Shorthair is a large, powerful-looking cat with a broad chest, sturdy, thick-set legs, and rounded paws. The body is muscular and well boned, supported by medium to short legs and finished with round, medium-to-large feet. The tail is medium in length, thick at the base and tapering to a rounded tip, measuring roughly two-thirds of the body length.
The head is large and distinctly rounded, with a short muzzle, full cheeks—especially pronounced in mature males—and a short nose with a gentle profile. The chin and muzzle complement the circular head shape, while the neck blends into the cheeks, creating the impression of little or no visible neck. The ears are small to medium in size, broad at the base and set widely apart. The eyes are large, round, and level-set; eye shape is considered more important than colour. In the British Blue they are typically deep copper-orange, while other coat varieties may show different eye colours.
British Shorthairs mature relatively slowly, reaching full physical development at around three years of age. Unusually among domestic cats, they are a noticeably sexually dimorphic breed, with males averaging 4–[dose — ask your vet] (9–17 lb) and females 3–[dose — ask your vet] (7–12 lb).
Coat, Colour, And Patterns: The British Shorthair's coat is one of the breed's defining features. It is very dense and straight, and even in length. The texture being plush rather than woolly or fluffy, with a firm, "crisp" pile that breaks noticeably over the cat's body as it moves.
Health: A UK study looking at veterinary records found a life expectancy of 9.58 years for the British Shorthair and British Longhair compared to 11.74 years overall. Swedish insurance data puts the median lifespan of the breed at >12.5 years. 82% of British Shorthairs lived to 10 years or more, and 54% lived to 12.5 years or more.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) can be a problem in the breed. A Danish prevalence study with more than 329 cats showed that 20.4% of males and 2.1% of the females had HCM, with an additional 6.4% of males and 3.5% of females judged to be equivocal. HCM testing of males used for breeding is now mandatory for breeders organised under the Danish FIFe member, Felis Danica.
The breed is thought to be at high risk of polycystic kidney disease (PKD).
A study of over 190,000 patient records in England found the British Shorthair to be less than half as likely to acquire diabetes mellitus as either moggies or the overall cat population; 0.24% of British Shorthairs were diagnosed with the condition compared to 0.58% for both non-pedigree cats and the overall prevalence.
History: Researchers are not sure how cats first reached the British Isles. In many other parts of Europe, cats became common at the same time as the spread of the Roman Empire. However, it appears that housecats reached the British Isles before the Romans did.
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, to better withstand conditions on their native islands. Based on artists' representations, the modern British Shorthair is unchanged from this initial type.
Selective breeding of the best examples of the type began in the nineteenth century, with emphasis on developing the unusual blue-grey variant called the "British Blue" or "English type" (to distinguish it from the more fine-boned "Russian type"). Some sources directly credit UK artist and pioneering cat fancier Harrison Weir with the initial concept of standardising the breed. Others suggest a group of breeders may have been involved. 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, and enjoyed great initial popularity.
