British Shorthair: Characteristics of the breed
The British Shorthair is a large, round, strong cat. A calm but playful, affectionate and non-independent teddy bear, or a perfect feline companion. All of this and more is what made this breed one of the most popular in the world.
Origin of the British Shorthair
It is said that the British were born from the cross between the cats that the Roman legions brought to kittens for sale with the cat native to the region. To protect themselves from the rainy and humid UK climate, they have developed a feature of a very thick and short double layer, which makes it unmistakable.
The breed was first recognized at an exhibition by artist Harrison Heir in 1871 at Crystal Palace in London. After World War II, the British population was wiped out. To get it back, the breeders were forced to crossbreed with other breeds, like the Persians. Thanks to genetics, these crosses gave the British new physical characteristics, new colors, bone structure and even long-haired specimens emerged. This “new breed” was called British Longhair and is currently recognized in some feline associations like TICA and WCF but not in others like FIFE.
British shorthair standard and price
The current British shorthair kittens for sale standard is defined as a compact and balanced cat, with a strong body and wide chest, short, thick, and rounded paws, and tail. Their ears are small, rounded at the tip, and well separated. High cheeks and firm chin. Eyes: Round, wide, and wide open, with a short and broad nose. Their coat is short and very dense, with a crispy feel and a good undercoat. And the price of British shorthair
Colors and patterns of the British shorthair coat.
The range of colors is very wide, from golden British shorthair, black, blue, red, cream, chocolate, lilac, turtle to the latest recognized, cinnamon and fawn. If we add white, we will have bicolor and tricolor, or even whole whites. Note that turtles (a mixture of cream or red) and tricolors can only be females. In addition, the color patterns that can be found in English are brindle, spotty, and color point.
These patterns are still little known in our country, but in recent years, and thanks to the work of certain breeders, we are starting to see good specimens. The most representative color of English is blue, but it must be confused with other breeds whose specimens can only be of this color, such as Chartreux or Russian Blue. The eye color is consistent with the coat and pattern, being the usual copper-orange color, but we can also have blue and green eyes in the British silver tabby and golden gradient.
The character of the British Shorthair
One of the reasons that so many people choose this breed is because of its character. It is a calm cat, playful even in adulthood, and very affectionate. It is not an independent cat, it is happy to be in the company of its owners, to welcome them on their return home, and to always seek contact or proximity. It gets along well with children and other animals as it is neither aggressive nor territorial compared to other breeds. For all this, he is considered the perfect companion to live in our house and you can buy kitten easily here kittens for sale near me
Common diseases among British Shorthairs
The Briton, in general, is a strong and healthy cat. However, when buying a cat of this breed, it should be taken into account that due to crossbreeding with other breeds there is a certain incidence of polycystic kidney disease (PKD). S/ince this is a genetic condition, if our kitten’s parents test negative, we don’t have to worry.
British Shorthair Basic Care
The care of the British is very simple, similar to what any other breed of short hair needs. To maintain its coat, occasional brushing is enough to remove excess fur, most often during the molting season. If your cat does not come out of the house, it is not necessary to wash it frequently, but when we do, it will be necessary to use specific products for cats. It is convenient to check and clean our cat’s eyes and ears when we observe excess tears or streaks in the eyes or wax in the ears. Just a gauze or similar (avoid cotton for the eyes) and a suitable product.
We hope this short guide has helped convince you to include a British Shorthair in your life.