British Shorthair - breed description

There is a fairly large number of cat breeds. They are characterized by their own characteristics, character traits, demeanor, and other features that distinguish them from each other. All this fully applies to the British Shorthair.

History of origin, formation and development

The birthplace of these cats is considered to be Britain. It is not difficult to guess about this yourself, since the moment is enclosed in the name itself. If we are talking about historical information about the origin of these cats, then there is very little data on this subject. Therefore, there are many versions about the origin of the breed. One of them is associated with the Romans. It is believed that they brought these cats to the British Isles during their victorious campaigns. This happened a long time ago, since there is evidence that already in 43 AD the Romans already regularly attacked the British.

These cats had a number of undeniable advantages. They had short hair, which reliably protected them from moisture and insects. This feature allowed them to quickly get used to the new climate. By the way, he left his mark in the process of long-term formation of the external features of the breed. The same applies to the physiological characteristics of cats of the British breed.

For a long time, the population of Britain has been searching for ways and methods of combating rodents that inhabited the islands in a fairly large number. This cat had undeniable help in this matter. She had decent stamina, quite strong physical strength, had excellent health. In the fight against rodents, they established themselves as wonderful hunters. One could only envy their agility while catching mice.

Having mastered quite well in the new territory, the cat began to show interest in herself, not only from the standpoint of benefit. She attracted attention with her excellent appearance. The graceful lady was already such that she could rarely leave anyone indifferent at her appearance. This situation began to be observed only at the beginning of the 16th century. Official cat shows featuring this breed began later. This happened only at the end of the 19th century. To be precise, this first happened on July 13, 1971. By this time, criteria had already been formed by which cats were evaluated, assessment standards were developed. Since that time, felinology as a science has received its further intensive development.

Selection work began to be carried out with enviable constancy. In the case of the Briton, only the best breeds were selected. In parallel with this, measures were taken to consolidate the basic qualities inherent in British cats. Persian cats played a role in the formation of the breed. It was from them that the Briton received and retained some elements of the external outlines.

War contributed to the number of individuals. Two world wars made adjustments to the number of existing individuals, significantly reducing it. Unfortunately, wars take away not only human lives. Many animals die during them. To restore their numbers, breeders have taken enhanced measures. Various breeds were crossed. Representatives were used for this, in outward appearance closely similar to the British. These include Persian, Scottish cats, other representatives.

Despite this, the British are considered to be one of the most natural breeds.The transformation was carried out insignificant and was aimed only at improving the external characteristics. This circumstance is one of the reasons that the British have simply excellent health.

It will be useful to note that the Briton is the first breed to receive official registration in Britain.

Description of breed standards

A characteristic feature is the power of the individual. This is more typical for cats. Naturally, cats look more graceful, have smaller dimensions and are by no means as powerful as cats. The breed is quite large, with a developed chest and muscles. Squat is characteristic of all of them. The head is round, with an arrangement on the muzzle of thick cheeks.

For the breed as a whole, the following symptoms are characteristic:

1. No sharp transitions from one part to another in appearance can be noted. The muzzle elements are represented by wide cheekbones. Cheeks are well developed. Between the ears is a flat platform. The head connects to the body with a short neck. Pronounced skin folds frame the neck. You will not see this anymore in any breed.
2. The nose is medium and wide in its parameters.
3. The head of the Briton is equipped with a strong chin.
4. The ears are located on a wide base, with medium sizes and rounded tips. Their wide landing is noted.
5. The Briton is marked by the presence of rather large eyes. If they are fully disclosed, then it can be noted that they have an almost circular shape. The eyes have a wide arrangement. The breed is characterized by various distinctive features and one of them is the presence of a bright orange eye color. At birth, kittens have a blue or blue eye color, which subsequently undergoes a certain transformation. Blue and green eye color may occur. In any case, it should be distinguished by purity and saturation.
6. Most likely, the body can be called large in size. Anyway, above average, that's for sure. The body of the animal with a flat back and a wide chest, which is also a hallmark of this breed.
7. Cats have short or medium limbs with well-developed muscles. The paws are rounded in shape, with respect to the body they are proportional in size.
8. The tail has proportional parameters with an average length.

Wool and its features

The climate of Britain is very difficult to call comfortable. This led to the fact that cats have a well-developed coat. The undercoat is also quite thick. The coat is evenly distributed throughout the body. Rigidity of an average nature, closer to a soft characteristic. The adherence of the wool to the body is loose, with the formation of a pronounced “hedgehog”. This is most pronounced when the cat is in a sitting position.

Wool has a dense dense structure. Having a great resemblance to plush, representatives of this breed secured the name of plush cats. The nature of the undercoat has, as already mentioned, a very thick structure. The presence of a short cover allows the cat to take care of the hair with great efficiency on its own.

Cats of the British Shorthair breed can safely participate in exhibitions, if they have the following types of color:

• Solid color option.
• Tortoise color.
• Cats with a patterned color.
• Smoky animals.
• Bicolor (the main color is combined with a white tone).
• Chinchilla.
• The color inherent in Siamese cats is blue point.

A bit about the varieties

Varieties can exist in only one way. He is represented by a British cat with long hair. Sometimes it was possible to celebrate the birth of just such kittens. This could be the case if the Briton crossed with a Persian cat. Such experiments on the part of English breeders have taken place. Sometimes this could happen with true British.This made it possible to establish the gene responsible for long hair. Although it is considered weak, it is still sometimes capable of showing itself (the appearance of a long-haired kitten when both parents carry a similar gene). Longhair Britons do not cause any problems. Their wool is not able to get very confused and does not require special care. Some mistakenly believe that there are fold British. This opinion is fundamentally false, since such a breed does not exist. Such kittens can be seen after crossing a short-haired British with a fold Scottish cat. But this is not a separate breed.

Becoming an adult cat

The body of the Briton gets full development quite late. The body will receive maximum dimensions only by the age of 3, and the final development will be completed only in 6 years.

Knitting

Under the age of one year, cats cannot be crossed. The female organism is not yet prepared for bearing the fetus. In such situations, cats at birth may even die. With early breeding, cats lose their ability to reproduce offspring by the age of two years. Having nodded, the female shows all the traits inherent in caring mothers. She is completely committed to caring and raising kittens.

Cats are neutered, and cats are sterilized if they do not want to have offspring.

Kittens

Kittens resemble adults in miniature. It is not yet possible to predict future parameters. Physiologically, kittens develop extremely unevenly. Paws may increase first, and then the head and trunk. There is a reverse sequence. Do not be scared and attribute this to the pathology. The uneven development is the normal state of the British. The hair of a kitten is shiny, dense and thick in nature.

Care

1. The British do not have special requirements for their maintenance and care. Not required and increased attention to hygiene procedures. Cats themselves are able to perfectly monitor themselves. They lick their short coat with special care. But a weekly combing is still necessary. This is required to prevent clogging of the stomach with hair. Of course, during molting, it must be combed much more often.
2. Those cats who take part in exhibitions constantly cannot stay in the open sunlight for a long time. Otherwise, the ends of the woolen hair will acquire a reddish tint.
3. The Briton has a pronounced cleanliness. It is enough to accustom them to the tray and there will be no problems with the place of departure of natural necessities.
4. They only bathe the Briton if for some reason he is very dirty.
5. Do not forget 2 times a month to clean the British ears. The presence of a light, odorless earwax indicates excellent health.

Feeding

Cats of this breed are real gastronomic gourmets. On occasion, they are not against rich, hearty and tasty food. Do not overfeed cats, it is better to constantly monitor their body weight. This is important, as the British are prone to obesity.

Representatives of this cat breed may suffer from constipation. The fight against this condition is to add to the food a few drops of petroleum jelly. Its daily addition in the amount of 2 ml will be quite sufficient.

You can feed cats with various products. It can be both dry food and natural food. It is only necessary to monitor its diversity and balance of the constituent components.

Important! Natural milk should be given only until the age of three months. In the future, it should be replaced by dairy products. It can be kefir, sour cream or yogurt.

The bowl should be wide in size. From it, an animal with a round head will be comfortable to eat.

Character

It should be said right away that it is almost impossible to find two Britons with exactly the same character. A certain imprint is imposed on him by the conditions of detention and education. Of course, this also depends on what Mother Nature laid.

Particularly close attention is paid to the upbringing of kittens at the beginning of their lives. Curiosity is moderate. They strive in every way to emphasize their sense of self-worth. The breed is independent and does not allow anyone to dominate itself. A cat is always inclined to do exactly what she sees fit.

Self-sufficiency determines the fact in which constant attention to the feline person is not required. The Briton is suitable for someone who is at work for a long time and is not able to pay a lot of attention to a cat. Sociability and friendliness are the hallmarks of the Briton. When the owner leaves for work, she kindly accompanies him, and when he comes home, she welcomes him at the threshold.

A cat will never show aggression, but in return requires warmth and affection. If this is not enough for her, she will close and go into herself. When communicating with a cat, it should be borne in mind that they perfectly understand the intonation of the human voice. If a person speaks evil to her and in raised tones, she may be offended.

The member of the family who pays attention to the cat most of all automatically becomes its owner. In gratitude, they constantly approach him and sit on their knees. But here they show a pronounced unfriendliness to the guests. They are as if pondering what constitutes a given subject.

It will not work for the child to use the cat as a toy. No, they will not offend the baby. They simply retire and will not participate in such games.

Disease

The British themselves nature gave good health and resistance to various diseases. But you shouldn’t forget about carrying out preventive vaccinations.

Video: British Shorthair cats