Where the Breed Came From

The British Shorthair is one of the oldest recognized pedigree breeds. It was built up from ordinary British working cats, the sort that lived in barns and kitchens, and it still looks the part. Heavy, low to the ground, and hard to rattle.

That working-cat history is why the breed is so steady. These were not cats bred to be decorative. They were bred from animals that had to cope with noise, weather and other animals, and the temperament stuck.

What They Are Like to Live With

Calm, and they stay calm. A British Shorthair will usually follow you into a room, pick a spot a few feet away, and settle. They want to be near you rather than on you. Most of ours dislike being picked up and will squirm out of it, then sit beside you for two hours quite happily.

They are not noisy. You will get the occasional chirp rather than constant talking. They are also slow to anger, which is the single most useful thing about them in a busy household.

With children

Good, with one rule. Teach the child to let the cat walk away. A British Shorthair will tolerate a great deal of handling but it will not fight back when it has had enough, it will just leave. If a child chases it, the cat starts avoiding the child. Get that right and they are excellent family cats.

With dogs and other cats

Usually fine. They are not territorial in the way some breeds are, and they tend to ignore a boisterous dog rather than square up to it. Introduce slowly as you would with any cat and expect a week or two of sizing each other up.

Being left alone

Better than most breeds, but not indefinitely. They are independent enough to cope with a working day. They are not built for being alone from Monday to Friday. If nobody is home most of the time, consider two.

Size and Build

Males usually finish somewhere around 9 to 17 lb, females around 7 to 12 lb. They look heavier than that because of the dense coat, the broad chest and the short legs.

They mature slowly. A British Shorthair often does not reach full size and full coat until about three years old, so the kitten you collect keeps filling out long after you stop expecting it to. People are frequently surprised at how different their cat looks at three compared with one.

Colors and Patterns

Blue is the color almost everyone pictures, and it is still the most asked for. The breed comes in a great deal more than that: lilac, black, cream, chocolate, cinnamon, colorpoint, bicolor, tabby and silver shaded among others.

Eye color usually follows the coat. Most are deep copper or gold. Silver and golden cats often have green eyes instead, and colorpoints have blue.

Worth knowing before you set your heart on something: the rarer the color, the longer the wait and the higher the price. If you are flexible on color you will usually get a kitten sooner.

Coat and Grooming

The coat is short but exceptionally dense, which catches people out. There is far more of it than the length suggests, and it needs more attention than a typical shorthaired cat.

Once or twice a week with a brush is usually enough, more while they are shedding. Add nail trims, a weekly look at ears and eyes, and dental care. None of it is difficult, but skipping it for months is how you end up with a matted, overweight cat at the vet.

Health and Lifespan

With decent veterinary care, a sensible diet and an indoor or safely enclosed life, British Shorthairs commonly live into their mid teens.

The breed puts weight on easily. This is the single most common health problem we see and it is almost entirely preventable. They are not energetic cats, they will happily eat what you put down, and the dense coat hides the gain until it is substantial. Weigh the cat occasionally rather than judging by eye.

Like all pedigree cats, the breed has inherited conditions associated with it, polycystic kidney disease and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy being the two usually discussed. Ask any breeder you speak to what screening they do. We examine our cats with our vet but we do not currently run DNA or cardiac screening, and we would rather tell you that than leave you to assume otherwise.

Is a British Shorthair Right for You?

Probably yes if you want a calm cat that fits around a normal household, you are home at least part of most days, and you like the idea of a cat that keeps you company without climbing on you.

Probably not if you want a lap cat that demands cuddles, you want a cat that will tolerate being carried around by small children, or nobody is home for long stretches most days.

They are also a slow burn. A British Shorthair kitten is not an instantly affectionate animal in the way some breeds are. The relationship builds over months and it tends to last.

British Shorthair Breed Guide