The British Shorthair Cat Breed

The British Shorthair, probably the oldest English breed of cat, traces its ancestry back to the domestic cat of Rome. This breed was first prized for its physical strength and hunting ability, but soon became equally recognized and valued for its calm demeanor, endurance and loyalty to man.

The British Shorthair is a comparatively rare cat in the United States. Around 1980 it was recognized for championship competition by CFA stimulating much needed interest in the breed. Recognized world-wide, many fine "Brits" are still imported today from England, Ireland, New Zealand and Australia to help widen the gene pool for breeders in the United States.

The British Shorthair is gaining in popularity every year as it is bred and exhibited by an increasing number of enthusiastic fanciers. Because of its easy-going nature and intelligence, it has become a favorite of animal trainers, for use in Hollywood films and television commercials. The British Shorthair has a short plush coat with a luxurious feel which is very easy to groom. A British Shorthair is always in quiet control of his or her environment, supervising everyone and everything that happens in the family. A larger sized cat that prefers to be on the ground, Brits are not known for acrobatics or speed. However, they are steadfast companions to the entire family and definitely look before they leap. When gracelessness is observed, the British Shorthair is duly embarrassed; quickly recovering with a "Cheshire Cat smile.”

Although first known as the British Blue, due to the breed's original color, its native country incorporated a wide variety of colors under the term British Shorthair in the 1950's. CFA also now recognizes the British Shorthair in many different colors and patterns.

Usually breeders make kittens available between twelve and sixteen weeks of age. After twelve weeks, kittens have had their basic inoculations and developed the physical and social stability needed for a new environment, showing, or being transported by air. Keeping such a rare treasure indoors, neutering or spaying and providing acceptable surfaces (e.g. scratching posts) for the natural behavior of scratching are essential elements for maintaining a healthy, long and joyful life.

Colorpoint Shorthairs

Colorpoint Shorthairs are the first cousins of the Siamese. This breed is distinguished by its elegance in sixteen different "point" colors beyond the four Siamese colors. Half-siblings to the Siamese by virtue of their foundation and continuing breeding with the Siamese, the Colorpoint Shorthair is a hybrid breed of the Siamese. Colorpoints, circa 1947-48, are a far cry from their angular, leggy descendants of today. Today's Colorpoints are the same structural standard of the Siamese, with the only difference being their unique point colors.

In the early breedings, breeders concentrated on cats with red or cream restricted to the points (face, legs, ears, tails and genitals). Early hybridizations with domestic shorthairs, and refinement by concentrating the Siamese gene with the red gene, produced the first of the colors to eventually be called Colorpoint Shorthairs. To distinguish the new breed from the Siamese, CFA breeders adopted the name Colorpoint Shorthair for registration purposes, and through a painstaking process won recognition as a breed in 1964. The early cats who helped become the new breed were given the first color class of the Colorpoints, called the solid points, which are the red and cream points.

As time progressed and the early hybrids gained popularity, the tabby versions of the Siamese were introduced into the Colorpoint Shorthair programs in the four Siamese colors. In CFA, these tabby pointed cats are called lynx points and are exhibited in their own "lynx point class" as seal-lynx points, chocolatelynx points, blue-lynx points, lilac-lynx points, red-lynx points and cream-lynx points.

The tortie, or parti-colors, are an interesting phenomenon of the hybridization process of the red gene. Shortened to "tortie or cream points," this color class of the Colorpoint Shorthairs are exhibited as the parti-colors. They are memorable representatives of the breed because of their loving yet independent attitudes. The parti-colors are a "by product" of the red gene and come in the four Siamese colors with random mottling or "blotching" of red and/or cream with the basic Siamese color. They often also have what is called a "blaze," a symmetrical split of the red and/or cream on one side of the face mask and the Siamese color, such as seal, on the other half. Indeed, this is a very striking appearance. Because the red color gene is sex linked, tortie or cream parti-color points only come in females. Color descriptions start with the primary Siamese color and add the mottling of red or cream. Thus we have the seal-tortie points, chocolate-tortie points, blue-cream points and lilac-cream points. When bred to a lynx parent, the last four of the sixteen colors are the tabby, or lynx, versions of the parti-color points, i.e. the seal-tortie lynx point, chocolate-tortie lynx point, blue-cream lynx point and lilac-cream lynx point.

Like their Siamese cousins, Colorpoint Shorthairs require little grooming and are especially good in households with allergies to cats since both breeds have little dander. An occasional bath is recommended, but allow the freshly bathed coat to air dry in a warm spot. Do not blow dry, but do brush the coat with the concave or short side of a small rubber brush to remove loose hair and make the coat lie smooth. The coat can be "finished" by smoothing the coat with a chamois cloth. Balanced diets high in protein are generally recommended, since part of the natural beauty of the Colorpoints is their glistening, muscular hard tubular bodies. Heed the instructions of your cat's breeder when you acquire your Colorpoint Shorthair, and you will be blessed with a long-lived joyous companion

The head is a modified short to mediumlong wedge with finely outlined cheekbones and eyebrows. Flat forehead with many vertical wrinkles spreading in horizontal lines above the eyes, which are medium-size, almond shaped, set slanted. There is no relationship between eye color and coat color The ears are large, set wide apart, slightly tilted forward, wide at the base, with rounded tips. The Don Hairless has a Medium-long, straight, tail that tapers to the tip.

The skin is elastic and very wrinkled on the head, neck, under the legs and in the groin. With young cats the muzzle may be covered with short, thin fur, slightly longer on cheeks and at the ears base, "ear muff". Sparse fur trimming the whole body can make an appearance in winter. The whiskers are curly, thick, may be broken.

The Don Hairless are cats of medium size, with strong bones, wrinkled skin, soft and hot to the touch. Clearly expresses sexual dimorphism. They are very active and friendly.

The Egyptian Mao is either a Tabby and/or Silver/Smoke looking cat. The colors will have either a spotted pattern, bronze spotted tabby, black silver spotted tabby, or black smoke pattern appearence.

The head is medium length, slightly modified wedge without flat planes. Cheeks are not full. The ears are medium to medium large, moderately pointed, broad at base. Upstanding with ample width between the ears, set well-back on head, cupped forward, alert. Short, close lying hair on outside, may have lynx tips. The eyes are large, rounded almond shape. Aperture is level in head with slight upward slant to lower lid. Neither round nor oriental. Normally gooseberry green (light green) in color.

The Egyptian Mau is the only natural domestic breed of spotted cat. The body is graceful, showing well developed muscular strength. It strikes a balance between the heftiness of the cobby and svelteness of the oriental types. It is an alert, active, strong, colorful cat of medium size. It should be well-balanced physically and temperamentally. General balance is more to be desired than size alone.