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| BRITISH SHORTHAIR |
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This is perhaps the oldest of British breeds and traces it's ancestry back to Roman times. These cats were probably taken to England by Roman troops who would have found them useful for keeping mice away from their foodstuffs.
Shorthairs must conform to strict standards and differ quite considerably from common domestic or farm cats. Although they appeared in quite substantial numbers in cat shows at the end of the nineteenth century, they lost popularity in favour of Persian and Angora cats, specially imported for showing. In the 1930's resurgence began with selective breeding producing good quality cats with the blue-grey-British blue being highly prized. During world war 11 many owners had to give up breeding and neutered their animals. With few stud males the breed suffered till the 1950's.
The earliest recorded British cats were tabbies which are still popular especially the silver tabbies, but the seal colour cats are the best known and favourites. Black and blue are two of the older varieties which are still popular. Because an original colour was blue the breed at one time was known as the British blue but this was changed to British Shorthair when other colours appeared. |
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British Shorthairs are robust healthy cats, with a broad round head and small neat ears set far apart. The legs are short to medium in length. It is calm and sweet natured and makes a loyal pet, very undemanding and fits well into family life. The female makes an excellent mother. They can be left alone for a few hours without complaint and are generally not destructive. They are equally good with children and older people as they are not as active as foreign breeds- a typical fireside cat.
Remember though they make large adults and need more food than most other breeds until they reach maturity and their thick coats require regular grooming- more than other short hairs. |
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| Last Update: 25/03/07 07:44 |
Views: 15760 |
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