The
British Shorthairs of today are the descendants of domestic cats brought
to Britain by Caesar and the conquering Roman Legions. During the 400
years that Rome ruled Britain, these house cats mated with the local
European cats to create a hardy breed.
Careful
and selective breeding since the 19th century has produced shorthaired
cats which conform to a set standard. The best of their characteristics
were maintained so that they are now a very hardy cat which has not
changed much over more recent years except to add a variety of different
colours to the breed.
Harrison
Weir, who wrote the first comprehensive book on cats in 1889 gave this
breed the most prominent place in his book. He so loved the British
street cat that he almost singlehandedly elevated it to a registerable
breed.
Until
the turn of the century, the British Shorthair was the most popular
breed of cat at the cat shows held at the Crystal Palace in London.
Then the exotic Persians and Siamese landed on English shores, and so
captured the nations cat lovers that it was not until the 1930's that
the popularity of the British Shorthair regained some lost ground.
With
today's hectic lifestyles, many people find the British Shorthair to
be a perfect addition to their household. He is a calm, quite companion
who appreciates quality time without demanding your total attention.
Physical Characteristics
The
ideal British Shorthair can be described as "square" in body, and having
a short, firm, dense coat. This cat is compact, well balanced and powerful
having a round muscular body with short and sturdy legs. The tail is
short and thick with a rounded tip. The head should be massive and rounded
with the ears and eyes set wide apart. The face should have round full
cheeks with a short straight nose and a firm chin. The neck is short,
strong and well developed.
Big,
round, even coloured eyes reveal that this is an animal with "inner
strength" and a calm composure which enables it to handle most situations.
Females are less massive in all respects than the males with the males
in particular, having larger jowls.
The
classic, and best known British Shorthair is the British Blue with the
lovely deep copper coloured eyes. However, the British come in ALL colours,
including black, white, red (yes, just like GARFIELD), cream,
chocolate, lilac, blue/cream, tortoiseshell and patched.
Crossing
the British with the Himalayan created the very striking colourpoint
british shorthair which has lovely BLUE eyes, not the copper eyes of
it's more well known counterpart.