We have tried to give a broad spectrum of general information about the British Shorthair, as we are sure that many people thinking of bringing one of these lovely cats into their home will want to know as much as they can about the breed standard, their character, background, health and so on. This page will be added to as we think of any thing else that will be of interest.

We are now coming to the end of this years breeding season and it would be a good time to consider neutering any cats not being used in a serious breeding plan.

British Short Hair cats are an old fashioned breed. Shorthaired cats have been known in Britain for generations, it is thought from the time of the Romans: and for centuries they have been companions of humans. Shorthairs were probably originally kept for their ability to catch mice and for the fact that, unlike the Persians and Angoras also seen at this time, they did not require any additional help with their grooming.

The character and appearance of these lovely cats have captured the hearts of owners throughout the years and made them certainly the most popular cats around.

The modern standard calls for a compact, well balanced and powerful cat, showing good depth of body, full broad chest, short strong legs, rounded paws, thick tail with rounded tip. Small ears, round cheeks, firm chin, large round and well opened eyes and a short broad nose. The coat to be short and dense. All in all a strong, muscular cat, with an alert appearance.

From: Blue, Black, Red, Cream, Lilac, Tortie, and on to the silver series, the tipped and the new colours of fawn and cinnamon.

Eye colour varies from gold or copper in the self colours, green and hazel of the silver series and of course the stunning blue of the colour-points.

British Shorthairs should be large, strong, sturdy and muscular. The male is larger than the female, more obviously so than in most other breeds. Typically the chest should be deep and broad with short, strong legs and neat, rounded paws. The head should be wide and rounded and the adult males should show definite "jowls" with maturity. The ears should be small and set wide apart. In all colours the coat should be short, crisp and thick, a better description would be a dense coat.

This breed's coat is ideally adapted for the British climate, short, very dense and bouncy, it is protected by guard hairs which give it a distinctive crisp feel and protect the soft, warm under fur from the weather. It usually grows at it's thickest in time for winter.

Given normal care, they are healthy and exceptionally easy to care for as they are a hardy and long lived breed who needs very little grooming. A quick once a week brush or grooming with damp hands to remove dead fur is all that is required. The well groomed cat is less likely to fur ball, that is the mass of hair, which accumulates in the stomach with continual washing, and grooming of itself. It is as just easy to spoil the coat through over grooming as it is with neglect.

Most breeders recommend a high-quality dry food. Care must be taken to not allow your British Shorthair to get fat, or its life span will be shortened. Middle-aged cats (5-10) are most likely to have weight problems which can usually be controlled by switching to a low-calorie food. Feed controlled portions once or twice a day; if your cat seems to be overly heavy, ask your vet for more specific advice.

British Shorthairs make excellent pets, but like most things in life you only get out what you put in. Lots of love and attention will be repaid one-hundred fold from these lovely cats.

Although cats are regarded as independent and spend a large amount of their time asleep or merely resting, they do, on the whole appreciate company. The British Shorthair will quite happily live indoors, a much safer environment for it, but where there is no human company during the day, due to owners working etc., then it is kinder if possible to have two cats for company for each other.

The character of these cats is generally one of a gentle, willing to please, playful and affectionate companion. They are not noisy cats but will sometimes engage in conversation with you, especially if it is getting near time to be fed. They enjoy a game of chase with a small toy, and some will fetch it back to you for it to be thrown again. They are quite lazy at times and love nothing more than lazing about in the gentle sunshine or completely crashing out in a cool area.

The general health of the British Shorthair is good, with no apparent weaknesses to affect it. They have a life span of approximately 15 years, some living to a much riper old age of 20 years. The care of these cats is just general common sense. They need good quality food supplied at regular times, a bowl of fresh drinking water to be available at all times. Cats are extremely clean, fastidious animals and under normal circumstances the most attention that a British Shorthair cat requires is love – and plenty of it.

A warm bed, out of draughts, should be provided – you will probably find that they type that they prefer is around 24” off the floor and have an area of 4’6” x 6”0” and usually covered with a duvet !!

Indoors

Only those who have had a cat can truly appreciate the contentment and the shared affection such a companion can bring. Cats are, to millions of people, the most fascinating of non-human associates, the most fun to be with, to watch and be watched by in a companionship that is warm on both sides, yet not to the point of slopping over. With a cat, it is a friendship between equals, pursued on a basis of mutual self-respect. A cat is as content to live with you in an apartment or a large house. His throaty purr calms you like a lullaby and his silky coat against your cheeks fills you with peace. Yet he remains utterly independent. We who are interested in cats must remember that the cat is one of the most poorly understood of all animals. Why? Simply because the cat is a realist and does things because there is a reason for doing them. Most animals do things because their master commands or forces them to do so. But not so with the cat. How wonderful this world be if we human beings did things because they were necessary, and not for show or effect upon individuals less discerning than we.

One big advantage of a pet cat over a dog is the fact that cats naturally use their litter tray and therefore there is no need to turn them out. In fact, if you really love your cat and value him, you will never let him out of doors unless he is with you in a carrier. Unattended, the odds are that your cat will be run over, poisoned, shot or stolen. Males kept entire, will certainly fight with other cats, he may develop abscesses due to bites. Females will certainly be chased by their feline suitors, possibly away from their known area, they will hopefully return, but unfortunately, very definitely pregnant. When your cat is kept indoors, no one can complain about him. In order to avoid in any way creating a dislike for our pets, we must not let them disturb other people, nor allow them to roam on their premises. A cat which has never been outdoors will have no desire to go out

Outside or Inside Cats ?

Our cats have never ventured out into the outside world, they are perfectly happy to sit in the house and watch the birds and the squirrels in our garden from the windows, or from the safety of their cat run, when they are ‘outside.’
Our cats are primarily house cats and all our kittens are sold as house cats. We do not agree that they should be allowed to roam freely and to do what is natural. As we do not live in an ideal world and there are a great many hazardous situations for a cat allowed to go outside.

Recently a poem was printed in Cat World that explains why a cat should be in the safety of it’s own home.

Somebody’s cat went missing last night,
Somebody’s cat had an awful fright,
Somebody’s cat was very brave,
So many kind people his life to save.

No-ones' name hung from his collar last night,
Just a strip of tape for reflecting the light,
But a small strip of tape can in no way compete,
With so many cars and a busy town street.

Just a number to call could have meant, instead,
Of kind strangers, she could have held his head,
I wonder if she’s sorry she let her cat roam,
When he could have been safe within his own home.

The morning sun would have warmed his soft fur,
As he sat on her lap to wash and to purr.
Somebody’s cat gave death quite a fright,
When somebody’s cat sadly died late last night.

The British Shorthair is an undemanding, and very gentle-natured breed, at home with dogs, children and other cats. Growing into large cats (15 pounds or more is normal for a male neuter).

These gentle, intelligent and extremely loveable cats are graceful and active, taking a great interest in everything that goes on in the house and garden.

This is a common question but the only answer is no, although the majority of British Shorthairs are Blue and being the most popular colour, there is actually a real difference between the shades of Blue and Grey.

British have gold or copper eyes, whilst the Russians have green eyes. British have a much denser and harsher coat, the Russian coat is thick and soft. A British has a heavy cobby body, fairly large and built for strength. A Russian is a lithe moderate cat, with a narrow face, and a smaller leaner build that is great for speed and quickness.

At maturity, a typical British male will be approximately 12 to 18 pounds, with the females generally being somewhat smaller. But this does vary from certain lines within the pedigree. It does take this breed a long time to mature. Both sexes will continue to fill out and thicken up until 4 years of age.

A lot of it is down to personal choice, but Males tend to be more carefree and happy go lucky characters, being much more loving to everyone in general. Females are extremely loyal but to a chosen group of people. This is the general train of thought, whilst our some of our girls are choosey, about who they shower with their affection, on the whole they are very delighted to meet new ‘friends’.

In general no definitely not. Although some of our girls would love this all day, mainly a British likes to be around you, they will take great pleasure in following you, watching you and basically supervising any activity. However being a very large and heavy cat, they feel very uncomfortable with their feet off the ground

British have a normal kitten activity level until they are about eighteen months old, they then start to slow down with maturity’ Although they do have short bursts of activity, they can become real couch potatoes. unless given some stimulation ie, company, possibly the time has come to think of a feline companion, interactive toys and just family activities etc.

In general, cats live longer than most dogs. An average life span might be 12 to 14 years, with some cats reaching 20 and more. A cat's longevity depends on whether or not it lives indoors or is allowed outdoors (outdoor cats live an average of eight years), genetics, feeding, environment, veterinary care and some other factors. The general consensus is that at about age seven a cat can be considered "middle-aged", and at age 10 and beyond - old.

It was once generally thought that one year in the life of the cat was equivalent to seven years of a human life. A new scale of equivalents is now recognized: after the first two years, the cat's life proceeds more slowly in relation to human life and each feline year is approximately four human years.

Cat's Age: ...................................Human's Age:

6 months...............................................10 years
8 months...............................................13 years
10 months..............................................14 years
1 year....................................................15 years
18 months..............................................20 years
2 years..................................................24 years
4 years..................................................32 years
6 years..................................................40 years
8 years..................................................48 years
10 years................................................56 years
12 years................................................64 years
14 years................................................72 years
16 years................................................80 years
18 years................................................88 years
20 years...............................................96 years
21 years..............................................100 years

Many cats' lives are compromised because their owners don't know what to do in common pet emergencies. The next several articles will be devoted to cat first aid.

Tips your cat wants you to know

Although dogs and cats have good sense as to what they can and cannot ingest, accidents do happen. Some common pet emergencies include the swallowing of very common household items such as weed killers, ammonia, scouring powder, bleach, insecticides, a variety of indoor and outdoor plants, and spoiled food. Some signs of poisoning include vomiting, diarrhoea, nervousness, difficulty breathing, and change in pupil size. Your pet may even stumble, go into convulsions, or become unconscious. Do not try to make your pet vomit. Many times this can make the situation worse, as some poisons actually cause as much damage coming up as they do going down. Comfort your pet and make it feel secure, and immediately take it to a veterinarian. If you know what your pet ingested, take a sample of it to the veterinarian to help determine proper treatment.

Drowning

Even though cats are excellent swimmers, they should never be forced to swim. They can drown if they try to swim too far by becoming exhausted in the water. Should your cat fall into water by accident, some symptoms of drowning are: gurgling noises, gasping for breath, clawing wildly, or gagging - even if the cat is already out of the water. To resuscitate your cat, place him on a flat surface, open his mouth, pull the tongue forward, and clear away any debris in his mouth. If he's still in distress, hold him by his hind legs and gently swing him back and forth in an attempt to clear the water from his lungs and stomach. If the pet is too large to lift, place him on his side and press upward on his midsection or abdomen. If necessary, perform the Heimlich manoeuvre and take him to a veterinary hospital.

Broken Bones

Cats, like people, sometimes fall the wrong way, or become victim to an array of accidents resulting in broken bones. If your pet is found with any broken bones, immobilize the pet by holding him still. Do not attempt to apply a splint or set the bone - you may actually do more damage. Place the pet on a stretcher (one can easily be made by using a board, a car floor mat, or a folded blanket). Be careful not to twist the body or spine, and take him to a vet immediately.

Choking

Rarely do cats choke, but on occasion they can put more into their mouths than they can swallow. A choking cat may shake his head, paw at his mouth, salivate, or make choking sounds. To help your cat, open the feline's mouth and if you see the object, remove it. If you cannot remove the object and the cat is breathing, take him to the veterinarian immediately. If the cat is not breathing and you cannot find what is obstructing his air passage, apply the Heimlich maunder to dislodge the object. To do this, hold your cat against you and clasp your hands around his upper abdomen. If this isn't possible, place your cat on his side on the floor or table. Then place one of your hands on top of the other. Your bottom hand should be just below his rib cage, on the midline of his abdomen. Push or lift upward to dislodge the object. The pressure you apply depends on the animal's size - a large cat requires more pressure than a kitten. If another person is with you, ask him/her to open the animal's mouth while you hold the tongue down and remove the dislodged object. Then take the pet to the veterinarian who can examine the pet for any resulting complications.

Electrical Shock

Sometimes cats chew on things they shouldn't. Of particular concern are electrical cords, and cats should be taught to keep away from them. However, accidents happen and some cats can suffer electrical shock. Never try to pull your cat out of danger; you will be putting your own life at risk. First, pull the plug or turn off the electric power. Then gently free the animal of the cord (or outlet). Wrap your cat in a towel or blanket to keep him warm and prevent possible shock.

Wounds

Cats have been known to fall victim to a variety of accidents resulting in open wounds which can be fatal if not cared for properly. If your cat is bleeding, apply a pressure bandage and rush him to a hospital. If you see spurts of blood, this indicates that a blood vessel has been severed. In this case, apply direct pressure to the wound to prevent excess blood loss. Press your fingers hard against the wound to control the bleeding (use a handkerchief, corner of your clothing, a leaf, or even your bare fingers as a last resort). Keep the pressure on until your pet is in the hands of a veterinarian. Even if your cat's wound seems minor and the bleeding has stopped, take him to the veterinarian for antibiotics to prevent possible infection.

Heatstroke

When the temperatures rise, your cat's body temperature will also rise. Even ten minutes in a car on a hot day could be fatal to your pet. Temperatures in a car could reach 160 degrees within minutes, causing your pet to suffer heat stroke and possibly causing permanent brain damage. Sometimes shady spots (like under a tree) aren't even cool enough for your cat and he may suffer heat exhaustion. Signs of heatstroke include panting, gasping, loss of mobility (the animal may stagger and stumble about), weakness, and finally collapse. The cat's body temperature must be brought back to normal by GRADUALLY cooling the body. Do not immerse a cat into cold water because he may go into shock. Place the cat on his side and bathe his body with warm water at first, then switch to cooler water. Finally, apply ice packs to his head and neck. When he is cooler and breathing normally, take him to a veterinarian. When temperatures fluctuate to the extreme (whether hot or cold), it's best to keep cats comfortable indoors with regulated temperature.

Shock

A cat may experience shock resulting from an injury, heat exhaustion, heatstroke, or illness. Symptoms of shock include panting, rapid breathing, weakness, pale or grey coloured gums, coldness, and possibly even unconsciousness. It's very important to keep the cat warm. Wrap the cat in a blanket or towel and take him to the hospital. If your cat has gone into shock as a result of heat exhaustion, wrap him loosely in a towel after his body has been cooled down

copyright of John and Christine Duffy, Katakoustiks British Shorthairs and Burmese cats, 1983 - 2007