British Shorthair(cat)
August 2nd, 2008 | by admin |
The British Shorthair is a stocky, sturdy cat resembling a plush teddy bear. It is a calm, quiet companion.
While solid blue is the color most associated with the breed, so much so that this breed is sometimes known as the British Blue, “Brits” are found in a number of other colours and patterns as well. It is accepted in most colors and patterns, except colorpoint.
Like the Abyssinian, the British Shorthair breed suffered dramatic losses during World War II in England, and other breeds were brought in to bolster the gene pool and restore the old type.
Origin
The British Shorthair is the descendant of cats brought to Britain by the Romans which then interbred with wild native cats. Later they were crossbred with Persian cats to improve the thickness of their coat. The breed was defined in the nineteenth century and British Shorthairs were shown at the 1871 Crystal Palace cat show . The popularity of the breed had declined by the 1940s, but since the end of the second world war breeding programs have intensified and the breed’s popularity is high once again. The first British Shorthairs arrived in Australia in 1968. Breeding under the prefix Redwyton, Tops and Trevor Jowett imported a blue breeding pair. One of the largest online resources for British Shorthair pedigree information is Pawpeds. The free database maintained by Hanny Olsen contains records for nearly 39,000 cats dating back to the beginning of the cat Fancy we know today.
History
Harrison Weir, father of all cat shows, was a great admirer of these cats. “The ordinary garden cat,” he wrote, “has survived every kind of hardship. That he exists at all, is a tribute to his strength of character and endurance.” Mr. Weir’s devotion to the shorthaired British cats was shared by Mr. Jung, who was to become one of the first cat show judges. He believed if these beautiful cats were thoughtfully bred, a race of cats with aristocratic pedigrees and the same inherent goodness and quality would be developed. The breed produced was named the British Shorthair and were the only cats to be shown as pedigreed at the first cat shows. All others were simply shown as longhair or shorthair, divided by their various colors.
Characteristics
The British standard calls for the cat to be of compact build, powerful and well-balanced. A full broad chest, short strong legs, rounded paws and a tail that is thick at the base and tapers slightly to a rounded tip show off a “football player” physique. The British Shorthair has a round head with good width between the ears. The eyes are round and wide-open. One of the most appealing features are the “Brit’s” built-in smile caused by the round prominent whisker pads. This smile was never displayed better than in Lewis Carroll’s Cheshire cat; originally a tabby British Shorthair. The British Shorthair coat is like no other; short, dense, like deep pile carpet. The coat needs minimal care yet has a luxurious feel.
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