Breed in the spotlight: British Shorthair
History
The history of the British Shorthair dates back to ancient Rome, where cats were imported from Egypt and used to control the rat population. They were later introduced to Britain by the Romans, where they adapted to the cold, wet environment and eventually formed the British Shorthair breed.
In the 19th century, the British Shorthair became popular as a pet and breeders began to focus on improving the breed's characteristics, such as coat colour and body size. During this period, other cat breeds, such as the Persian cat, were also crossed with the British Shorthair to create new colour variations.
After World War II, the breed became almost extinct and had to be bred again with other breeds, including the Siamese cat, to restore its population. In the 1970s, the breed regained popularity and was recognised by many cat associations around the world.
Today, the British Shorthair is one of the most popular cat breeds in the world and is appreciated for its friendly and calm nature as well as its plush appearance.

Health
The British Shorthair has an average life expectancy of 12-17 years. The breed has a short, dense coat that requires little grooming. By brushing their coat weekly to remove loose hairs, you can easily keep them healthy and shiny.
There are, as with any breed, some health problems that can occur in the breed, such as Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) and obesity. British Shorthairs tend to be prone to obesity quickly if they don't get the right amount of exercise and nutrition. It's important to limit their diet and get them regular exercise! Furthermore, serious hereditary disorders such as heart failure and knee and hip disorders are common.
The British Shorthair has a somewhat flat face and shorter muzzle than some other cat breeds, but they don't have the extremely flat face of some other short-snouted breeds such as the Persian cat. The flat snout quite often causes tightness of breath, watery eyes and abnormal position of the teeth, resulting in pain. Make sure your British Shorthair at least has properly open nostrils for breathing purposes.
It's important to know that cats with shorter muzzles may face respiratory and other health problems, so take this into account when choosing a pet.

Upbringing & behaviour
Famous owners of British Shorthair cats
- Taylor Swift has a British Shorthair called Olivia Benson.Â
- Ed Sheeran has two British Shorthairs named Calipo and Dorito.Â
- Grace Kelly, the former actress and princess of Monaco, had a British Shorthair called Romeo.Â
- Ernest Hemingway had a British Shorthair called Snow White.Â
- Isaac Newton, the famous scientist, also had a British Shorthair called Hodge.Â
Everything your British Shorthair needs
In a nutshell
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