About the Breed

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 exists at all, it is a tribute to its 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 cat 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 colours.

This sturdy teddy bear has a smile and a plush coat combined with a wonderful disposition that makes them great family pets. It traces its ancestry back to the cats of Rome and is one of the of the oldest breeds of cats. The British Shorthair is also one of the largest breeds of cat. It is chunky and substantial, the male is much larger than the female. The face is round with full cheeks and the nose is short and broad. The chin is deep and strong. The ears are small and rounded and set so as to blend with the round contour of the head. The eyes are large and round. The head is set on a short thick neck. The body is cobby with a short level back. The chest is deep and the shoulders are strong. The legs are short and strong with round paws. The tail is thick and of medium length.

They is an immensely popular show cat and with the huge combination of coat colour and pattern available it is one of the biggest breed sections at major cat shows. They are relatively easy to prepare for shows because of their short coat and their easy temperament means that most cats enjoy a trip to a show. The competition is always tough and the standard is high. Prizes are withheld for long or fluffy coats,un level bite, incorrect coat colour or pattern, incorrect eye colour, white patches on anything other than a white cat as well other faults as stated in the breed standard.

British Shorthairs usually have  between three and five kittens in a litter, Generally the queens make good mothers, being placid by nature, they are very content with their brood.

They can be bred in ‘self’ or ‘solid’, which are all one colour, as well as the colour pointed, tabby, shaded and bi-colour patterns. All colours and patterns also come in the tortoiseshell pattern, which is a combination of red and cream with other colours.

Cats being cats, there are occasionally some cats who do not like the shows, or do not take to  breeding, this is no reflection on the breeder, it is  part of the cats' charm that they are individuals and we  as cat lovers have to accept this.
  
About The Breed
These cats have dense, plush coats that are often described as crisp or cracking, referring to the way the coat breaks over the contours of the cat's body. Their eyes are large, round and widely set and can be a variety of colours, though the copper or gold eyes of the British Blue are the best known. Their heads are round with full, chubby cheeks and their bodies are large and muscular. The breed has a broad chest and shoulders, short legs, round paws and a plush tail with a blunt tip.

The males of this breed are larger than the females, and the size difference between them is more easily noticed compared to other breeds. The males' average weight is 5-10 kilograms, whereas a female weighs up to 5–7 kilograms. As with many breeds, the adult males may also develop prominent cheek jowls that distinguish them from their female counterparts. The typical life span of this breed is 14 to 20 years.

They do not require a lot of grooming as their fur does not tangle or mat easily. However, it is recommended that the coat be brushed occasionally, especially during seasonal shedding, since they may develop hairball's at this time. British Shorthairs can be prone to obesity when de-sexed or kept indoors, so care should be taken with their diet.

The British come in many colours and patterns. For many years, the more popular blue variety was common enough to have a breed name of its own: the ‘British Blue’. It remains one of the most popular colours, though there is now a large variety of other colour and pattern variants accepted by most feline governing bodies and associations. These include the colours black, blue, white, red, cream, chocolate, lilac, cinnamon and fawn. The British Shorthair is a large cat and will require approximately 70 Kcals per kg bodyweight per day of food. However, many British Shorthairs are prone to obesity, particularly neuters, and some restriction on their diet may be necessary.

British Shorthairs are wonderful cats for people who work, as they are very happy to simply laze around the house while their owner is out. They do not get destructive or need other animals for company, though they do enjoy having another British Shorthair cat with similar temperament around. They are not a very vocal breed but will meow to communicate with their owners, for example when they are hungry and their food is being prepared. Some do not mind being cuddled, but most prefer to keep four paws on the ground and be patted rather than picked up.

The breed has become a favourite of animal trainers because of its nature and intelligence, and in recent years these cats have appeared in Hollywood films and television commercials. They can learn small tricks.

GCCF Standard of Points for the British Shorthair

The British Shorthair cat is compact, well balanced and powerful, showing good depth of body, a full broad chest, short legs, rounded paws, tail thick at base with rounded tip. The head is round with a good width between small ears, round cheeks, firm chin, large round and well opened eyes and a short broad nose. The coat is short and dense. A muscular cat with an alert appearance and in perfect physical condition.

Head - Round face with full cheeks and good breath of skull with round underlying bone structure. The head should be set on a short thick neck.

Nose - The nose itself should be short, broad and straight. In profile, a rounded forehead should lead to a short straight nose with a nose break that is neither too pronounced nor too shallow.

Chin - A strong, firm and deep chin is essential. Any deviation from this to be considered a fault. The bite MUST be level, the tip of the chin to line up with the tip of the nose in the same vertical plane.

Ears - Small, rounded at the tips. Set far apart, fitting into (without distorting) the rounded contour of the head. External ear to be well covered with fur, internal furnishings not to be excessive.

Eyes - Large, round and well-opened. Set wide apart with no tendency to Oriental shape. No squint.

Body - Cobby type with short level back. Low on legs with broad deep chest. Equally massive across the shoulders and the rump. Medium to large, but not rangy.

Legs & Paws - Short strong legs. Paws round and firm. Toes carried close, five on each forefoot (including dew-claw) and four on each back foot.

Tail - Should be thick and of medium length, thicker at the base with rounded tip.

Coat - Must be short, dense and crisp. A soft and / or overlong and fluffy coat is incorrect.

For the full Standard of Points please click for the GCCF link.

The British Shorthair Breed Advisory Committee (BSGC)

The BSH Cat Club has 2 club representatives who attend regular meetings to discuss and agree all things British, Breeding Policies, Registration Policies and also monitor Probationer Judges and GCCF Stewards on their journey through the BAC.

For the BAC website please follow this link

The BSH Breeding Policy is now available online - Breeding Policy

The current Registration Policy is also available online - Registration Policy

The BSH BAC are working with Langfords and the RVC on research of HCM within British Shorthair's

The BSGC are helping to support this project - we have a very real opportunity to help the RVC find the genes that cause this devastating disease in our beautiful breed. Please do not hesitate to use this page to ask any questions or email the RVC directly. Please note that the RVC will respect confidentiality at all times.

HCM project, locations confirmed at the moment are:

RVC
QUEEN MOTHER HOSPITAL FOR ANIMALS
HAWKSHEAD LANE
NORTH MYMMS
HERTFORDDHIRE
AL9 7 TA
EMAIL: dconnolly@rvc.ac.uk

BRISTOL VET SCHOOL
SMALL ANIMAL HOSPITAL
LANGFORD VETS
LANGFORD HOUSE
LANGFORD
BS40 5 DU
EMAIL: k.borgeat@bristol.ac.uk

At both these centres they can offer a basic cardiac ultrasound for £12.00 each for the following :
a. an affected British Shorthair cat with HCM (any age)
b. or immediate offspring of an affected cat (any age)
c. or normal British Shorthair cats 12 years or older.
2 mls of blood would be taken from the jugular vein at the same visit for genotyping.

What would be best is if anyone has cats that they are willing to take for testing could you contact the RVC directly.
It is important to note that this cost of testing only applies to the groups mentioned above as the RVC have research funding.

Also if anyone does have cats in the groups of interest, but the costs involved might be an issue could you please advise the RVC of this -
Sue and Julia BSGC