Cat
Breed Description:
Owners of British shorthair cats don't want the secret to get out. They know they have found their perfect house cat for any environment. The British shorthair is a popular breed but it is their personalities that can often set them apart. Now, every cat owner will think their breed is the best on earth. And they may well be telling the truth because if your cat is perfectly suited to you and your environment and your personality, then it is the best breed for you. So, grant me a little bit of slack here because I want to talk about my British shorthair from a peculiarly biased point of view. I know, I know, it's all been said before and it's also been disagreed with before and agreed with too, but I want to have my say anyway! My British shorthair is a male of adequate proportions, meaning he is a little overweight, whose name is Buster. I picked up Buster from a reliable breeder that I have been dealing with for many years and transported him to his new home with me and my family when he was about 10 weeks old. Although he cried and scratched at his transport box as we drove him home on the two-hour journey, he left into his new environment with great joy and with no apparent sign of trepidation. In fact, he christened his new environment almost immediately on arrival and did so for the next week or two as we slowly introduced him to his cat litter box. He is nine years old now and I have watched him develop and change over that time from an inquisitive, sometimes cheeky and very demanding little pussy cat into an inquisitive, cheeky and very demanding adult male. He dominates his environment, and his family, in equal proportion. In fact he has a daily routine which he follows almost rigorously without exception. Every morning he will appear from his evening sojourn at about 8 AM and expect his morning snack to be ready in his bowl. If the family has slept in he will parade outside any bedroom door issuing his command to be fed. He will not result from this activity until he receives an adequate response. After his snack, which he never really completely consumes, he will rest in his favourite corner, or somewhere under the house, or somewhere in the neighbour's house or perched in a high vantage point on the deck at the back of our house where he can casually open an eye every now and then to look for intruders. He may wander in from time to time to complete his morning snack, but generally will be on scene until precisely 4:30 PM. It is at this time that he reappears to demand his evening meal. With the evening meal complete he will disappear until 6:30 PM, when he will reappear to demand a small top up feed. He will wander around the house for the next two hours making casual conversation with us until 8:30 PM when he will disappear again only to re-emerge at 9:30 PM whereupon he seeks solace of my wife's lap to be cuddled and scratched until he purrs with contentment. He then leaps out of her lap to begin his nightly crusades. He has been demonstrating this routine to us for several years now and so I can only conclude that he is a creature of habit and at the same time a self-reliant confidence Is who is truly master of his domain.
Temperament:
British Shorthairs are an easygoing breed of cat. They have a stable character and take well to being kept as indoor-only cats, making them ideal for apartment living. They are not terribly demanding of attention, although they will let you know if they feel like playing and enjoy mouse type or stick style toys. They are not hyperactive or "in your face" cats, preferring to sit next to you or near you rather than on you. They will tend to supervise household activities either watching from a comfy perch or laying on the floor nearby.
British Shorthairs are wonderful cats for people who work, as they are very happy just to laze around the house while you are out. They don't get destructive or need other animals for company, though they do enjoy having another British Shorthair or a cat with similar temperament around.
They like attention and enjoy being petted. They are not a very vocal breed but will meow to communicate with their owners. For example, they might meow when they are hungry and their food is being prepared. They may also meow at their favourite toy as they play with it. They tend to scratch doors to signal they want it to be opened rather than meowing like most cats. British Shorthair cats have a tendency to follow people from room to room, as they may want to be with you and see what is going on. Some do not mind being cuddled, but most prefer to keep four paws on the ground and have you pat them rather than pick them 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.[6] They can learn small tricks spontaneously.
Weight:
The males' average weight is 5-10 kilograms
Health Problems:
The British Shorthair breed of cats share some of the same common gentic strengths and weaknesses as many of the breeds. Some common inherited health problems for many breeds can be gingivitis (red inflamed gums), which will cause an affected cat to require careful dental care, and cardiomyopathy, which can cause anything from a minor heart murmur to severe heart trouble. Again, neither of these problems is specific to the breed.
Living Conditions:
The British Shorthair breed of cat is in quiet control of his or her environment, they tend to supervise everyone and everything that happens in the family. This breed of cat is larger sized and prefers to be on the ground. British Shorthair breeds are not known for acrobatics or speed. They are a moderately active cat and are not destructive as a breed. They can adapt well to any size household.
Exercise:
British Shorthairs are big cats with a heavy bone structure and solid build. They can be prone to obesity when altered or kept indoors so care should be taken with their diet. They are a heavy cat, so a good rule of thumb is how they look rather than how much they weigh.
Life Expectancy:
The typical lifespan of this breed is 14 to 20 years.
Grooming:
The British Shorthair breed of cat does not require a lot of grooming due to the fact that their fur does not tangle or mat easily. Of course it is recommended that their coats are brushed occasionally, this becomes important especially during seasonal shedding, as the brushing can limit the amount of hairballs they may develop.
Origin:
The British Shorthair breed of cat descends from cats brought to Britain by the Romans. These cats interbred with wild native cats. Later the British Shorthairs breed was crossbred with the Persian breed of cats to improve the thickness of their coat. The breed was defined in the 19th century and British Shorthairs were shown at the 1871 Crystal Palace cat show. The popularity of the breed had declined by the 1940s, but It has been the most popular breed of cat registered by the UK's Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF) since 1999 when it overtook the Siamese breed. 