The British Shorthair is an easygoing, laid back companion. They are some of the most loving and loyal cats you’ll ever meet. They usually welcome visitors, but can take a little time to really warm up to someone. Once they’re used to you, they will follow you around the house, happy to settle nearby wherever you stop. They are the truest friends,attaching to a few special people and establishing a really wonderful connection. Some BSHs will reserve their loyalty for a special one or two family members, others are less choosy and happy to shower anyone with love.
They generally don't like to be picked up and snuggled, and tend to keep lap visits brief, but having said that, some will snuggle on your lap...depends on the personality of the individual cat. They love attention and affection, by being close to you, on top of your paperwork or laptop, and pats. They are a keep close to you, not in your face type of cat..mostly.
They tend to be quiet, prefering to purr loudly rather than Meow.
They do like to play, especially energetic during kittenhood, but tend to slow down after the first year. They spend much of the day sitting or lying quietly in their preferred lookout spots, dozing or supervising the household with their big round eyes. The british shorthair is big, but he shouldn’t be fat. Watch his food intake to make sure he doesn’t become obese. Encourage him to chase fishing-pole toys for exercise.They are intellligent, easy to train and delight in learning new games and tricks.
The British is an easy cat to manage. As they are slow to mature (3-5 years), the British kitten should be fed kitten food for at least the first year whilst bone is being laid down. Males weigh in at an average of 4.0 to 7.7 kg and females 3.2 to 5.4 kg. They live on average for 12-16 years.
As well as one-on-one play and cat toys, you need to offer equipment such as a scratching post. Posts need to be tall enough for your BSH cat to stretch all the way up with her forelegs fully extended. Ideally, have more than one post and include scratching surfaces at different angles. Different textures are great, cardboard, sisal, carpet. Posts for British Shorthairs may need to have heavier bases and be larger overall to accommodate their large size. The same goes for cat trees make sure they’re going to be big enough for your BSH companion as they can swiftly be outgrown.
Never-ever Declaw a cat. Its incredibly cruel, and mutilates their feet. The first joint of the cats toes are surgically removed, leaving them permanently disabled. Nails can be gently trimmed instead, as needed.
Their fur is short, and wonderfully dense and plush. It will need combed at least weekly, more in spring when they shed their winter coat. This will help avoid furballs and fluff everywhere. Check their ears are clean too.
We include a kitten information sheet with some helpful information on care before every kitten leaves us for its new home.
They are a muscular cat with a compact cobby body and short legs. The head is round and the eyes are large and round. They have a short, dense, soft coat with a crisp appearance which tends to break open as the cat moves.They have a cute short broad nose. They are classified as a medium to large cat, and have a heavy build. Males can get very large (roughly 4.0-7.7 kg), while females tend to be smaller (3.2-5.4 kg). They need plus - sized equipment.
British Shorthairs come in many more colours than the popular British Blue. Black, white, red, cream, cinnamon, fawn, chocolate, lilac, and now golden, or silver. There is also tabbies, tortiseshells, colourpoints and vans. Kittens start out with blue eyes, as they get older over 6-12 months they develop their colour. Colour of their eyes depends on their coat colour. The colourpoint British Shorthair will have blue eyes, tabbies can have green eyes, solid colour British Shorthairs (blue, black etc) have copper eyes in the range from deep orange, rich amber, dark copper.
Golden British Shorthair One of the rarest colours in the breed. Is classified as “Shaded Golden” and described as: “The undercoat is a rich warm cream color, with a mantle of black/dark brown tipping. The coat on the back, flanks, head, ears and tail should be tipped with color. The tipping should be evenly distributed and it is the even distribution rather than the degree of tipping which is of paramount importance. The legs should show tipping which will decrease towards the paws, but which should be as even as possible. The chin, stomach, chest and under tail is a pale apricot color. Nose leather: brick red may be outlined in black/brown. Paw pads: black/dark brown. Eye color: green or blue-green.”