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British Shorthairs TGFC Cattery
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The British Shorthair is the breed of domestic cats that are the direct descendents of the short-haired cats that the Roman Soldiers brought to the British Isles over 2,000 years ago.
Because shorthair is genetically dominate and can’t produce long hair, those early Roman cats had to go through some evolutionary changes to adapt to the cold, wet, almost-arctic climate of early Britain. The offspring of the cats that survived developed a very thick and lush coat of fur. They also developed large round eyes, small round-shaped ears, and a large, round, cobby, thick-legged, and stout body to reduce the amount of heat lost by the body’s surface area, along with developing a layer of fat directly underneath the skin which provided excellent insulation against the cold. |
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Today, the British Shorthair is the largest shorthair breed of domestic cats in the world, with adult mails weighing up to thirty pounds at three years of age.
Their added layer of fat underneath the skin gives today’s British Shorthair a “puffy” appearance, which is particularly apparent in the adult male cats. The cats reach their full mature appearance much later than other cat breeds, usually at three to four years of age. The British people recognized the uniqueness of their own cats by making the British Shorthair one of the first recognized cat breeds when the Cat Fancy began in Britain in the late 1870’s. Both World Wars I & II caused extreme hardship among breeders and reduced the numbers of the breed. After World War II, British breeders introduced some Persian bloodlines to help return the British Shorthair to their pre-war appearance.
Today’s British Shorthair cats come in all imaginable coat colors and patterns, although solid blue (gray) is the most easily recognizable color. The cats have extremely sweet, loving, mellow, and calm personalities. The cats have been described as being the closest cat breed in their temperament to that of a dog, while still being very much a cat. |