British Shorthair

The British Shorthairs, known to be the oldest English cat breed, are perfect family pets.
If you are thinking of bringing home a British Shorthair you will find it to be a loyal and affectionate companion.
British Shorthairs were developed by the interbreeding of Roman cats and the English wild cats. Later, the breed from this union was bred with the Persian cat to enhance the look of the coat. They are usually heavy and are loving animals that are very energetic.

Physical Appearance

• A fully grown British Shorthair has a long and compact body, which often looks like a stuffed teddy bear. 
• Its main feature is the thick and plush coat that adorns its beauty. 
• This graceful animal has a round face, with perfect and beautiful round eyes. 
• The British Shorthair is usually known for its splendid blue colour, but it is also found in various other colours like blue, red, cinnamon, chocolate, white, fawn, black, lilac and cream. These colours can appear in various patterns including, tabby, colour print, smoke, tortoiseshell, shaded, bicolour, etc. 
• This breed is said to have a permanent smile on its face. 
• The eye colour of the British Shorthair depends on the colour of the body.

Nature and Temperament

• British Shorthairs love to be around people, especially children and also in the company of other pets in the house. Although they like to run and jump around, when they grow up, they tend to laze around a lot, supervising the ongoing activities in the house, while lying in a very comfortable position. 
• They do not need to be given too much attention, and are peace loving creatures. 
• British Shorthairs do not like to be picked up, but love to sit beside the owner and be petted occasionally. 

Training and Grooming

• Training the British Shorthairs is interesting and a very easy task as they are calm and intelligent animals. 
• Due to their short hair, they also do not need constant grooming. Their thick fur coat only needs to be brushed once in a while. 

Health Care

• British Shorthairs are very healthy and live for 14 - 20 years and not many of them are found with genetic disorders. However, British Shorthairs can be affected by the diseases that normally affect all feline breeds. 
• One major problem found in the British Shorthairs is obesity, especially during the adolescent period. So take extra care with their food as obesity in the cat can give rise to health problems and even an early death of the cat.