British Shorthair cat: photo, description of the breed, character

Each person, intending to have a pet, studies the characteristics of the breed. Most love cats, and today one of the most popular breeds is British. This article will provide basic information about the British Shorthair. You can get acquainted with the character, habits, colors, body standards and rules for caring for this beautiful animal. We will introduce you to the standards of "stite" (straight ears) and "Scottish fold" - a British Shorthair fold cat. Let's start with the standard breed - straight.

Origin history

The British Shorthair cat, whose photo can be found in this article, is one of the oldest breeds. The history of this animal begins in the first century of our era, but it began to enjoy popularity from the end of the nineteenth century, when it appeared before the whole world in all its glory. The breed of the British Shorthair is loved not only in its homeland - Great Britain, but also around the world. The best individuals of this breed are registered and continue to be registered to this day in a special stud book.

The history of the British Shorthair began not in Great Britain, but in Ancient Egypt and Rome. There are many historical documents describing people who were accompanied by huge stocky cats with blue-gray hair and very sharp fangs. That is why scientists believe that this breed came to us from those countries.

Roman legionnaires were accompanied by these beautiful cats and, visiting the British Isles, left animals. Those, in turn, began to interbreed with local forest cats, and their offspring fell in love with the British for their aristocratic appearance, excellent health, endurance and special dexterity when hunting.

In the 19th century in England, it was decided to breed the true breed of the British Shorthair. For these purposes, the most beautiful individuals were selected, and Harrison Weyer created the standards of this breed and soon held the first exhibition of "true British". As an independent breed, this cat was officially registered only a hundred years ago.

Basic colors of the British Shorthair

From the very beginning, the color was the same - blue. This is how we recognized this beautiful cat. Today there are several standard colors, and everyone can choose the one that is more like:

1. Solid - these are cats that have a uniform color without various spots, even small dots are not allowed. Of course, the favorite of this type of color is blue.
2. Tortoiseshells are cats whose fur is dyed in several colors. The most popular combinations are red and black, cream and blue.
3. Smoky is a contrasting color. Such cats have a light undercoat and saturated ends of the hairs.
4. Tabby is a British short-haired cat, painted with "marble", pronounced wide stripes or spots. The sharper the picture, the more valuable the breed. Another special distinguishing feature is that the letter "M" must be placed on the forehead.
5. The colorful, or Siamese color of a cat is one of the rarest today. The owners of this color are interesting in that they can change the shade depending on weather conditions. The body of this cat is white, and the muzzle, ears, paws and tail have a different color.
6. Bicolor is a color consisting of two colors. One of them is white, but it should not be more than half.

In any of the colors, the British Shorthair is incredibly chic! A photo of this beauty will prove it to you. What attracts cat lovers so much to this animal? Let's look at the external description of the British Shorthair.

Breed standards

Like any breed, this cat has certain standards, deviation from which will speak of marriage. If you want to buy a real British shorthair cat, the cattery will be the only right decision. Professional breeders do not deviate from accepted standards, and only their best specimens are put up for sale. So what should be a "true British"?

1. The head of the British Shorthair is a regular round shape. You can hear such a legend, which says that the ancestor of this breed is a Cheshire cat. It is the "smile of the Cheshire cat" and bryly that must be present in the breed. The muzzle of this animal should also be as round as possible.
2. This cat has a wide, straight and short nose, and on the bridge of her nose she always has a small indentation.
3. Ears are small, set wide and low.
4. Eyes resemble round saucers, these cats look like owls! The standard color is gold (orange). But if it is a "chinchilla", then the eyes can be green and lavender, if the color is point, then without fail the eyes should be blue. The dull rim bordering the pupil of the British Shorthair cat speaks of marriage in the breed.
5. The body of this animal must be muscular, broad-boned and strong. The back of such a cat is wide, massive, the same torso. The tail is short and thick, tapering to the tip. The front legs of the beauties of British cats are always as if clumsy, widely spaced. Cats are much larger than cats, their weight can reach eight kilograms. Cats, albeit physically massive, are mostly 4-6 kilograms. Kittens grow quickly, but we can talk about full maturity only by the age of four, and before that they will be naughty, play and even naughty.
6. There are two branches of the breed - British Shorthair and British Longhair. Both views are beautiful! Today we are talking about the first representative. Its coat is short - up to 2.5 mm, resembles plush, very pleasant to the touch, soft and delicate.
7. Every Briton must meet color standards. For example, if you chose solid - monophonic color, then it should be uniform, without "additives". Only slight smokiness and overflows are allowed.

Deficiencies in breed standards

Often there are purebred British shorthair cats with obvious defects in appearance. This is not a marriage, this is their feature, which some consider a disadvantage. What can be present?

1. Pillows may be too pronounced.
2. Some individuals have a small hump on their nose, which in a certain way changes the proportions of the muzzle.
3. It happens that kittens are born with a slightly narrowed muzzle.
4. Some Britons have the wrong bite.

Most often, such special kittens never find their owners, and their sentence is to spend their whole lives in a nursery or shelter.

These are British Shorthair cats. Description of character is a further paragraph of our article.

British character

This breed is endowed with its own, unlike other cats, special character. No other breed can compete with the British in independence. If you like the animal to purr in your arms, then the British Shorthair is not the choice. She hates it when even the owners take her in her arms, to say nothing of the guests who strive to cuddle her! It is because of this trait that the breed has not only fans, but also haters.

The British cat does not like excessive affection. She will run away, hide from the caresser, and if he caught her - to break out, dodge, it can even hurt to bite!

This is a self-contained and proud cat. She will never go after her master and give a voice, asking to fill a bowl. She waits for food in silent patience, can sit for a long time, looking at her breadwinner.

These are quite arrogant representatives of the cat family. They won’t even turn their heads to “kitty-kitty”, they will respond only to their name!

The nature of this beauty is far from sugar, let's look at its main features.

Character Features of a British Cat

This is a proud and independent breed. She perfectly tolerates loneliness, and even loves him. If you are a busy person, often traveling, then this is your choice. The main thing - do not forget to feed, otherwise the cat can take revenge!

The breed is quite balanced. She will not behave indecently, running around the apartment for a bow! It's almost impossible to play with an adult British cat.

He may lose his temper by showing a difficult temper, but in rare cases. For example: she was caught and forcibly stroked. But basically aggression is not peculiar to her.

The British need personal space, the restriction of which is unforgivable. He also does not like to be scolded and insulted.

The representatives of this breed are adamant. If something does not suit you in the pet, there are illegal habits, then it is unlikely that they can be fixed. For example, a cat liked tearing up curtains, stealing and hiding things, or even walking past a tray as needed - humble yourself!

British cat behavior

Raise a British Shorthair cat, the main character traits of which are given above, you need up to a year! It is during this period that you can train her, accustom her to order, manners of behavior, and correct some nuances of behavior that do not suit you. After the cat’s year of life, nothing will change. If there are any problems in behavior, this is a lack of upbringing in childhood.

The British are very lazy cats and cats. They can sleep for a long time, sometimes all day long! At rest, this animal cannot be disturbed, otherwise it may be aggressive and the rest of the day will be irritable.

The British are noble cats. They are very scrupulous in their appearance, devote a lot of time to taking care of themselves, licking themselves.

Despite the fact that in almost everything this breed is good, there are also shortcomings in its character, which some owners of such cats and cats are unhappy with. What for the most part can be annoying?

1. They really like to carry and scatter various objects and things. Of course, in childhood it is pretty cute - the kitten plays. But, having matured, cats begin to drop flower pots, large and fragile things. It is already necessary to wean a kitten from such behavior by processing items he likes with special mixtures that are sold in the store. As mentioned above, an adult animal cannot be taught or weaned from anything.
2. Do not teach a kitten to play with its legs, throwing at them, and hands. An adult animal can severely injure your limbs with its sharp teeth.
3. The British are incredibly curious. They climb into cabinets, bags and various secret corners of the house.
4. If the Briton didn’t like something about you or if you offended him, he can do something wrong with personal things. In this case, change the attitude towards the animal or something in your behavior.

This is such a difficult character for British Shorthair cats. This breed is not suitable for everyone, and not everyone can cope with such an animal unique in nature. We suggest moving on to the closest relative of the British short-haired “straight” - “Scottish fold”, a fold representative.

Origin of breed

As such, there is no British Shorthair fold cat, many mistakenly call it that. This is a Scottish fold cat, whose calling card is an interesting shape of the ears.

In 1796, the first almost fold cats were discovered. At this time in China, specimens were recorded with interesting, flattened auricles.

On the farm of William Rosso, who became the founder of the breed, interesting lop-eared kittens appeared in 1961. This happened already in Scotland. Not understanding what was happening, the farmer turned to a veterinarian for advice, who revealed a gene mutation in this form - a defect in bone-cartilaginous tissue. The farmer crossed specimens for many years, achieving different colors and coat lengths. But the breed was recognized only after 15 years, and this happened already in America.

Breed features

The main feature of the breed is the tips of the ears hanging forward and down. They fit snugly to the head, repeating its shape and covering the ear holes.

The eyes are huge, round, can have different colors, but only those defined by the standard. Thanks to these eyes and hanging ears, cats have a unique appearance, some people compare them with owls.

The breed standards are as follows:

1. The body of Scottish fold cats, like the British, is strong, massive, muscular. The weight of an adult can reach ten kilograms.
2. The paws, like the British, are strong, thick, rounded. Ideally, a cat has woolen tufts on the heels between the toes.
3. The tail is medium long, thick, tapering at the tip.
4. The head is round, slightly flattened. The pads from which the mustache grows, plump, crisp and round - add extra charm!
5. Ears, as mentioned earlier, hanging - down and forward, and not on the sides.
6. The eyes are expressive, round, set deep. Their color depends on the color.
7. The nose is short and wide, almost never has a clear transition from the nose to the tip.
8. The coat is plush, short, soft. But it can vary depending on the time of year and place of birth. The colors are the same as those of the British Shorthair.

Since Scottish fold cats are the result of a gene mutation, some defects may occur. This is due to bone-cartilage tissue. Most often there are such disadvantages as:

• wrong number of fingers;
• thickening of the hind legs;
• irregular shape of the ears;
• spinal problems;
• deformation of the tail.

Lop-eared cat character

These cats are recognized as one of the best breeds that are suitable for home. They adapt perfectly to the new place, become attached to their owners, love the house, get along well with other pets and children.

This breed differs from the British in that it loves to accompany the owner, it is good for affection. She is not hyperactive, but also not as lounger as the British. He likes to play - in moderation. If tired or just not in the mood, then better not to bother the cat. No, she will not show aggression, as the British does, but she will leave her place of residence in a dark corner so that they will not be bothered anymore, and will leave it only when she wants to - do not pull out any persuasion.

He is easygoing and easy-going, easily makes contact not only with the owners, but also with strangers. Tolerant of children, it will be an excellent companion for them, so for families it is an excellent choice!

Care for the British and Scots

Like any animal, the cat needs to be looked after. Caring for both the British and the Scots is similar and fairly simple. What rules do you need to follow?

1. Bathing is recommended to be done once a month. Put a towel on the bottom of the bathtub so that the cat's feet do not slip. The ideal temperature for swimming is 35-37 degrees. A professional shampoo for cats should be used for washing; do not wash it “human”! Auricles must be protected from water, for this purpose, insert balls of cotton wool into them.
2. If the cat does not walk on the street, but only lives in the apartment, then you need to cut its claws once a month. If the cat likes to take a walk on the street, then its nails grind off, they don’t need to be cut.
3. A cat needs to be trained to comb from a very young age. For these purposes, use a special glove or brush made of natural wool. If there are warlocks, then it is necessary to cut them.
4. The ears of lop-eared cats are especially in need of care; they must be cleaned once a month. For Britons with straight ears, ear cleaning is also a must, but once every two months. For cleaning, cotton buds or tampons are used that need to be moistened in soapy water.
5. Eyes must also be wiped. Use cotton pads soaked in a weak solution of boric acid or in a strong brewed tea.
6. Do not forget about the vaccinations necessary for each animal. They must be done every year, the schedule will be given by the veterinarian after the first vaccination.
7. Even if the cat is domestic, does not visit the street, it needs a collar from parasites. You yourself can bring home a tick that cries into an unprotected cat. And fleas, even with proper care, can attack completely unexpectedly!

We talked about the breed British Shorthair. A photo of this beauty is in this article. You also learned that there are no British folds, these are Scottish cats, which are simply confused with them because of the strong similarity. The description of the breed of the British Shorthair cat will help you determine whether it is worth it to start.