British cat breed: types, description, how to care for, colors, varieties, standard, character

It is worth considering all the arguments for having a British cat, because there are practically no arguments against, unless dogs are closer to your heart.

The origins of the British breed are in Ancient Rome

Of course, everyone chooses an animal for themselves in accordance with their temperament and aesthetic preferences, which is why British cats are also good because they have a wide range of colors and shades not only of fur, but also of eyes. This makes it possible to choose exactly the color scheme that will constantly evoke only positive emotions in you.

Some people think little about what role color plays in our lives, but every person at the subconscious level has a firm belief about which colors he likes and which he doesn’t. Considering the dim industrial landscapes that surround you, it would be nice to imagine yourself looking at the sunlight every day, carried in your eyes by a bright fiery ginger cat or a calico cat with golden shining eyes. For lovers of fog and gloom, British Shorthairs will be able to offer a gray or black version of a plush cat, whose eyes will resemble coals in a fireplace late in the evening.

Standard requirements

Despite all their external massiveness, they manage to maintain grace and captivate with their intelligent look. But this is not enough, you need to know some of the subtleties of matching.

The description of the British Shorthair cat breed includes mandatory standards:

• The head is large, round, massive
• Wide cheekbones
• Full cheeks, slightly sagging, fluffy
• The neck is strong and short, with a pronounced skin fold
• Nose average
• The ears are medium, set low
• The eyes are very large and round, a beautiful amber color, but they can be emerald and blue
• The body is massive, closer to large, up to 6-8 kg
• Legs are short and muscular
• Paws are dense and round
• The tail is powerful at the base, gradually tapering towards the bottom, where it is slightly rounded
• The coat is thick, dense with a developed undercoat, similar to plush

It is a huge misconception that there is a British Shorthair cat. There is no such breed in nature! It is confused with the Scottish Fold.

Sizes and weights of British Shorthairs

British dogs range in size from medium to large. These plush creatures also weigh a lot. Their weight is directly dependent on genetics, care and maintenance. Whether the pet is sterilized or not plays a big role in this.

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The height, weight and length of animals depend on gender: females look somewhat smaller than males. To find out how much an adult pet will weigh, you will have to wait 3-4 years - this is when the formation of the body is completed and the final weight is established. It was also noticed that the weight of a blue cat is greater than that of a chocolate-spotted cat.

Males of this breed weigh 5-8 kg, castrated representatives reach 10-12 kg.
Cats weigh about 3-4 kg, and sterilized pets can reach 7 kg. British Shorthair weight table by month

Color variations

There are almost 200 colors of the British Shorthair. The most popular is blue. But others are no less beautiful:

• Tortoiseshell - when several shades are combined at once, but only happens in cats
• Color point - similar to the original Siamese color, when the body is light, and the limbs, muzzle and ears are dark (this group includes 20 variations)
• Smoky - only the upper part of the hair remains smoky in color, and the lower part remains white
• Chinchilla – the upper part is chinchilla, and the lower part remains white
• Bicolor - the main color combines noble white
• Tabby - a combination of sparkling gold or silver with a marbled, striped or ticked pattern reminiscent of small leopards
• “Whiskas” - a clearly and contrasting pattern in the form of stripes across the body on a silver base
• Solid – single-color, even deep coloring of the hair along the entire length. The colors are magnificent: chocolate, black, red, blue and a rare lilac shade, artificially bred.

Description of British shorthair cats

The breed standard was approved back in 1871.
A characteristic feature of the description of these cats is the fairly frequent use of the word “round”. It is this feature that largely characterizes the appearance of British cats with short hair. The British have a lot in common with the Scottish branch of cats, however, there are also many differences.

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Body

Case sizes range from medium to large. The animals are well built: straight, strong back, wide chest, strong muscles. They reach their maximum size at the age of four years. Moreover, males weigh noticeably more than females.

Limbs

The cat's paws have a length proportional to the body. This feature persists in adults. The fore and hind legs are medium in size and very strong. The paw pads are round and strong. There are five fingers on the front ones, only four on the back ones.

Tail

This part of the breed's body is proportional to the body and has an average length. The tail is thick at the base, gradually tapers towards the tip and ends roundly.

Head

British Shorthairs are characterized by a regular, rounded and fairly massive skull. This shape is emphasized by a slightly sloping forehead and a flattened crown. The outline of the muzzle also has the shape of a circle. The whisker pads are round and convex. Wide, medium sized nose. If you look at the cat in profile, you can see a slight bend. The nose, together with the upper lip and chin, forms a vertical line. The chin itself is quite strong.

Ears

The ears of cats are set wide apart and are of medium size. The relatively wide base of the ears and rounded tips do not interfere with the overall round shape of the head.

Eyes

The breed is characterized by wide-set, round eyes. The open gaze of large eyes gives cats an attentive and slightly surprised expression. The iris palette includes orange, gold, copper, blue, lavender, green.

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Wool

The British Shorthair's coat is their pride. Short and thick hair has a characteristic, pleasant shine. Cats that have long or downy hair are disqualified from being purebred cats.

Pets' fur is always soft and elastic to the touch. This is explained not only by the structure of the hair, but also by the nature of the entire coat. Cats have a thick undercoat equal in length to the center hair. In this case, the hairs do not fit tightly to the body. The short, plush coat makes the British kitten look like a toy.

British Shorthair colors

The standard allows for more than thirty colors of wool. The British Shorthair cat can have either a single color or a multi-colored one. In the first case, all hairs are dyed evenly in one color. At the same time, shaded, smoky and slight shimmer is allowed in cats.

The most popular colors are:

All possible combinations of short coat color types are allowed.

• tabby mackerel
• brindle
• tortoiseshells
• marble
• bicolor
• smoky
• ticked
• chinchilla

Shorthaired British Chinchillas are precious colors and are highly prized.

Despite such an abundance of colors and combinations, CFA does not allow chocolate color in color.

Other felinological organizations (GCCF and TICA) do not cull individuals with this coat color. At the same time, all experts agree that spots and medallions in the appearance of animals are a disqualifying sign.

Character traits

The character is quite complex. These are balanced, slow, reserved cats that prefer calm and solitude. They are unattached, even the company of their owners sometimes tires them.

Over the years they become very important and sedate. They do not rush to the kitchen, even if they are hungry, but carry their body to the bowl with dignity.

That’s why they can’t stand human cuddling and outbursts of love, lying on their knees. They do not rub against their legs to be caressed, and if they want, sometimes depending on their mood, they themselves will come up for their portion of tenderness and warmth.

Leaders by nature cannot stand closed doors in front of them; this causes anger and discontent. They do not immediately release their claws, but first warn them by slapping the offender with a soft paw.

The manners of the British are hereditarily purely aristocratic and refined. They are intelligent, well-mannered and clean, they constantly take care of their appearance and wash themselves all day long. They have no problems with the tray.

Over the years, they become similar in character to their owners, feeling like full members of the family. They get along well with children, but do not tolerate being pulled by the tail.

Note!

• Nicknames for girls' cats in alphabetical order: instructions on how to name a kitten for a girl in a cool and unusual way

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When their owners are not at home, cats will always find something to do. But despite the English restraint, when they return, they still begin to purr contentedly.

But they perceive strangers too warily, and they may unexpectedly show aggression towards them. Ideal for busy business people.

Character and psychology

The British Shorthair cat has an excellent character: he is easy-going, calm, very smart and clean.

You can read about other smartest cat breeds here:

Speaking about these charming plushies, I would like to note the characteristics of their breed.

• Energy. While the British are small, they are, as expected, very nimble and energetic. But an adult British Blue cat (and other colors) becomes more reserved and even lazy, just like a Scottish Fold cat or Scottish Straight . Be sure to chase him around the apartment, including in outdoor games, so as not to gain weight (these breeds are prone to obesity).
• Friendliness. Their friendliness and dedication make the British truly part of the family. They adore their owners and are patient with babies, but they do not like excessive care, preferring to periodically retire to a place secluded from human eyes.
• Pet compatible. The British quickly find a language with other pets, but they like to show their superiority and some importance. Their familiar attitude towards people and animals is determined by genes from the Persians.

Let me scratch your ear!

• Patience (restraint) and its facets. Appearances can be deceiving, and this is also the case with the British breed. Despite their plush toy appearance, they do not like baby talk, although they can tolerate it for a long time - until the actions of the person playing with them seem to them unworthy of their person (degrading to their dignity). The degree of their patience depends on personal qualities that will become known to their owners over time. In order to avoid extended claws directed towards the person playing with him, do not exceed the limits of what is permitted and remember that you need to “tease the cubs” in moderation.
• Training. British cat kittens are difficult to train, but this is not particularly necessary. Their genes endowed cats with intelligence, aristocracy and good manners. Therefore, you don’t have to worry that their claws will scratch your furniture and carpets, and your bedside rug will become a toilet.

Pet care

Cats of this breed are not fussy about grooming. But the standard minimum is required:

• They don’t like water, so bathe them twice a year with a special shampoo
• Clean ears and eyes with a moistened cotton pad as they become dirty or once every 2 weeks
• Trim the claws very carefully, without touching the blood vessels.
• Clean plaque with special food
• Brush once a week, and during shedding - daily is better.
• Deworming and vaccination are absolutely mandatory

The British immune system does not fail, so with proper care they can become long-lived and live up to 20 years.

Balanced feeding

The owner needs to strictly monitor the diet, because these pets are prone to gaining excess weight. An adult cat needs premium food 2 times a day, no more.

If you feed your animal homemade food, it is preferable to give low-fat beef in small pieces, boiled boneless sea fish, chicken, cereals, vegetables, cat grass, and sometimes kefir.

It is better to consult a veterinarian regarding an individual vitamin-mineral complex.

Conclusions about the breed

The British are often called Cheshire. Big eyes and a semblance of a smile on his round face make him look like this famous character. Although perhaps it was they who served as the prototype for the legendary fairy-tale cat. This once again proves that the British Shorthair is not just an ordinary member of the cat fraternity. She is a historical and legendary creature on Earth.

Over time, plush kittens turn into noble, sedate and majestic cats, deserving a place on the virtual throne among all domestic four-legged animals.

People's sympathy for short-haired pets from Britain does not require proof. It is unconditional and limitless. And the great thing is that this love is mutual. The British cat went through considerable trials, but its representatives faithfully and devotedly remained close to humans. To this day, they continue to decorate homes with their presence, giving adults and children a lot of positive emotions.

Easy care, excellent character and healthy genetics are excellent reasons for owning a handsome thoroughbred.

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Russian nurseries

On a professional basis, they are engaged in breeding British breeds of the prototype of the fabulous Cheshire cat in nurseries in several regions:

• Village Zeleny, Moscow region “SunRay”
• Moscow "Wonder Plush"
• Moscow "Miracle Cats"
• Vladivostok "Galeksy"
• Krasnodar “Steppe Stars *RUS”
• Ekaterinburg "Silver Shine"

Photo of British Shorthair