BRITISH
SHORTHAIR
History
of the breed
The
breed was developed in Europe going back as far as Roman times
where they used them to guard their food stores and keep out
vermin, as well as being domestic companions.
The
British Shorthair breed itself became recognized in the 1950`s
with the British blue cat as that was the only color then,
but they now come in a variety of colors as diverse as: white,
black, blue, red, cream, chocolate, lilac, tortoiseshell,
blue-cream and the latest cinnamon & fawn, with white
added they become bi & tri colors. Patterned cats include
the tortie, tabby, spotted, colorpointed and tipped. Eye color
varies from gold to copper in the self's (one colored coat)
and the bi & tri colors to green in the tipped, hazel
in the tabby's and spotted, and blue in the colorpointed.
British
Breed Profile
British
shorthair breed is the largest and the oldest breed amongst
Shorthair cats. British cats are very sturdy, powerful cats
with a crisp, short, ˇ°plushˇ± kind of coat. Their head is
very round and big, however needs to be in proportion with
the body size. Round chubby cheeks create on open and sweet
expression. They got the looks of a little bears. Ears are
set apart medium to small. The biggest accent in the British
appearance is large round shape eyes. Bright copper color
is proffered. However, for silvers green color is also acceptable.
Heavily muscled neck should be blending with massive torso
creating the look of ˇ° no neckˇ±. Torso is wide, rounded,
and muscular with broad wide chest. Legs are short to medium
length, slightly less that body length. Tail is thick and
straight in length (2/3 of the body).
At
this time we only have breed blue color, but in the future
we would be planning to add lilacs and silvers.
Temperament
No
one can resist charm of quite and even-tempered ˇ°teddy-bearsˇ±.
The Cheshire smile on their face gives them unique and unforgettable
look. British Shorthairs will make ideal family pets. Their
territorial ˇ°desiresˇ± somewhat represented. However, from
my personal experience, fixed British males just do not spray.
For example, my Barsi knows that litter box is the only place
in the house where he can get a little ˇ°dirtyˇ±. There is
certainly an explanation to that. British shorthair cats has
been domesticate a long time ago and a lot of wild instincts
are starting to faint. One of it is territorial behavior.
Their
coats require low maintenance. Just groom it weekly with a
brush. I usually give them a bath just before the show. My
female cats are extremely clean. What can I add more to it
¨C they are British ˇ°trueˇ± British ˇ°ladiesˇ±. This breed
is loyal to their owners, intelligent and playful as kittens.
However, they are also called slow ˇ°bloomersˇ±. Cats are
fully matures by the age of five. The life expectancy for
Brits is 18-20 years. This breed is known as healthiest breed
with fewer health problems.
As
all the other breeds Brits are not an exception ¨C they are
independent, but they do need your company. They will follow
you everywhere you go and would watch you for hours. Some
"go" for a cup of coffe in in the morning, some
like to go in "bed" with you.
Here
you can find Breeding profile BSH / BLH of the TICA: (pdf
file)
http://cats.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tica.org%2Fbsbrdgrpstd03.pdf
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