| British Shorthair | |
|---|---|
 British Shorthair in the classic colour ’blue’. | |
| Other names | British Blue (legacy) |
| Origin |  United Kingdom |
| Breed standards | |
| CFA | standard |
| FIFe | standard |
| TICA | standard |
| WCF | standard |
| FFE | standard |
| ACF | standard |
| ACFA/CAA | standard |
| CCA-AFC | standard |
| GCCF | standard |
| Domestic cat (Felis catus) | |
The British Shorthair is the pedigreed version of the traditional 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, pineapple eyes, and a medium-sized tail. The breed has also been developed in a wide range of other colours and patterns, including tabby and colourpoint.
It is one of the most ancient cat breeds known. In modern times, it remains the most popular pedigreed breed in its native country, as registered by the UK's Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF). A quarter of all kittens registered with the GCCF each year are British Shorthairs, making the British the most popular pedigree cat in the UK.[1]
The breed's good-natured appearance and relatively calm temperament make 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 profile reads: "When gracelessness is observed, the British Shorthair is duly embarrassed, quickly recovering with a 'Cheshire cat smile'."[2]
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.[3]
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.[4]
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.[5]
By the 1900s 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.[6][page needed] At least partially to alleviate this, British Shorthair breeders mixed Persians into their bloodlines.[citation needed] The genes thus introduced would eventually become the basis for the British Longhair. At the time, any long-haired cats produced were placed into the Persian breeding program.[citation needed] As all cats with the blue colouration were then judged together as variants on a de facto single breed. The Blue Shorthair, outcrossings of the British with the Russian Blue were also common.[4]
After the war, in an attempt to maintain the breed standard, the GCCF decided to accept only third-generation Persian/British Shorthair crosses.[citation needed] 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.[citation needed]
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. 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 Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) and The International Cat Association (TICA).[4] According to the GCCF's 2013 registry data, it is once again the most popular pedigreed breed in its native country.[7]
The British Shorthair is a relatively powerful-looking large cat, having a broad chest, strong thick-set legs with 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 copper orange in the British Blue and otherwise vary in colour depending on the coat. Their large ears are broad and widely set.[8]
They are slow to mature in comparison with most cat breeds, reaching full physical development at approximately three years of age. Unusually among domestic cats they are a noticeably sexually dimorphic breed, with males averaging 9–17 lb (4.1–7.7 kg) and females 7–12 lb (3.2–5.4 kg).[9][10]
The British Shorthair's coat is one of the breed's defining features. It is very dense, the texture is plush rather than woolly or fluffy, with a firm, "crisp" pile that breaks noticeably over the cat's body as it moves.[4][8]
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 bicolour patterns; the GCCF, FIFe and TICA also accept chocolate and its dilute lilac, disallowed in the CFA standard.[11] All colours and patterns also have tortoiseshell variants.[8]
The Tabby patterns include:[12] Classic Tabby, Mackerel Tabby, Spotted & Ticked Tabby. The non-tabby patterns include: Tortoiseshell, Bi-Colour, Van patterns Bi-Colour & White, Smoke, Tipped & Colourpointed.
British Shorthair's nose colour: black, cherry red, brick red; a circle of black nasal line on the periphery.
First introduced to Britain by the Romans, the British shorthair was one of the domestic cat breeds originally bred for its hunting prowess. In the last 150 years, the breed pivoted towards being bred for physical qualities.[13] The British Shorthair breed debut — along with a wide range of other selectively bred felines — in the first organized cat show arranged by Harrison Weir at London's Crystal Palace in 1871.[14] Ever since their debut, British shorthairs maintained the premiere pedigree at cat shows, up until 1895.[15]
Shortly after the British Shorthair exhibit in the Crystal Palace show, the popularity of British Shorthair increased. The public began searching for breeders of British Shorthairs with various character and color traits, all in the pursuit of "exoticness".[16] From the late 19th century to the early 20th century, certain British Shorthairs would occasionally earn notoriety, or decorated titles in Cat Competitions.[16] The British Shorthair publicity from 19th and 20th century cat shows helped British Shorthairs become one of the most popular pet cat breeds today. For example, in the 1980s, the British Shorthair was featured in competition by the CFA, or Cat Fancier’s Association, which led to an increase in demand for British Shorthairs as household pets. As of 2023, the British Shorthair ranks as the 6th most popular cat breed in the United States.[17]
As of 2015,[update] the TICA cat show competition standards for British Shorthairs judge the cats for their circular head shape, muzzle, and cheeks. Small to medium ears are desired, with large, round, leveled eyes. Eye shape is more important than colour. The muzzle and chin shape should complement the circular face; the profile and nose should be short, further complementing the circular face. The neck should give the illusion of the cat having no neck, blending in with the cheeks. The body of the cat should have a sturdy and muscular torso, complemented by medium to short legs, finished with round medium to large feet. The tail of the cat should be thick at the base, and tapers to a rounded tip, totaling about two thirds of the body's length. Internally, the cat should have substantial boning, and a firm and sturdy musculature. No preference on colour is stated for the cat's coat, but the coat should be straight, dense, and even in length.[18]
Vet clinic data from England shows a median lifespan of 11.8 years.[19] 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.[20]
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. On top of this 6.4% of males and 3.5% of females were judged to be equivocal.[21] HCM testing of males used for breeding is now mandatory for breeders organised under the Danish Fife member, Felis Danica.[22]
The breed is thought to be at high risk of polycystic kidney disease (PKD).[23]
A study of over 190,000 patient records in Engand found the British Shorthair to be more than half as likely to acquire diabetes mellitus than both moggies and the overall cat population. 0.24% of British Shorthairs were diagnosed with the condition compared to 0.58% for both mixed breed cats and the overall prevalence.[24]
In 2022, the British Shorthair was one of eight cats featured on a series of UK postage stamps issued by the Royal Mail.[25]
