Misplaced Pages

#395604

36-456: Domestic Shorthair may refer to: Domestic short-haired cat , the most common type of non-purebred house cat; "Domestic Shorthair" is a cat show competition category name for this landrace, as used by some but not all fancier organizations which permit them American Shorthair , a formal cat breed; "Domestic Shorthair" was its original name in some US-based fancier organizations Topics referred to by

72-571: A circle of black nasal line on the periphery. First introduced to Britain by the Romans, the British shorthair was one of the domestic cats originally bred for its hunting prowess. In the last 150 years, breeding has emphasized physical qualities. The British Shorthair breed debuted — along with a wide range of other selectively bred felines — in the first organized cat show arranged by Harrison Weir at London's Crystal Palace in 1871. British shorthairs remained

108-453: A distinctively stocky body, thick coat , and broad face. The most familiar colour variant is the "British Blue", with a solid grey-blue coat, pineapple eyes, and a medium-sized tail. The breed has also been developed in a wide range of other colours and patterns, including tabby and colourpoint. It is one of the most ancient cat breeds known. In modern times, it remains the most popular pedigreed breed in its native country, as registered by

144-523: A few generations, which means they express their coats as a tabby cat . This can be any colour or combination of colours. They also exhibit a wide range of physical characteristics, and as a result, domestic short-haired cats in different countries tend to look different in body shape and size, as they are working from differing gene pools . DSH cats in Asia tend to have a build similar to a "classic" Siamese or Tonkinese , while European and American varieties have

180-516: A life expectancy of 9.58 years for the British Shorthair and British Longhair compared to 11.74 years overall. Swedish insurance data puts the median lifespan of the breed at >12.5 years. Eighty-two percent of British Shorthairs lived to 10 years or more, and 54% lived to 12.5 years or more. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) can be a problem in the breed. A Danish prevalence study with more than 329 cats showed that 20.4% of males and 2.1% of

216-481: A mane similar to a Maine Coon 's, as well as toe tufts and ear tufts. Some long-haired cats are not able to maintain their own coat, which must be frequently groomed by a human or may be prone to matting. Because of their wide gene pool, domestic long-haireds are not predisposed to any genetically inherited problems. Having apparently originated in Western Asia , Domestic long-haired cats have been kept as pets around

252-598: A small proportion of the manul's genes. In 1907, zoologist Reginald Innes Pocock refuted this claim, citing his work on the skull differences between the manul and the Angoras or Persians of his time. This early hypothesis overlooked the potential for crossbreeding within the family Felidae . For example, the Savannah cat is a crossbreed between a domestic short-haired cat and a wild serval —both of which have different skulls and evolutionary lineage. Furthermore, hybrid females in

288-705: A thicker, heavier build. A domestic long-haired cat is a cat of mixed ancestry – thus not belonging to any particular recognized cat breed – possessing a coat of semi-long to long fur. Domestic long-haired cats should not be confused with the British Longhair , American Longhair , or other breeds with "Longhair" names, which are standardized breeds defined by various registries. Other generic terms are in British English , moggie and in American English alley cat . Domestic long-haired cats are

324-527: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Domestic short-haired cat The vast majority of cats worldwide lack any pedigree ancestry. Cat fancying is relatively new, with over 85% of cat breeds coming into existence since the 1930s. In the US domestic short-haired cats make up 95% of the cat population. In the UK 89–92% of cats are of non-pedigree lineage. In

360-547: Is observed, the British Shorthair is duly embarrassed, quickly recovering with a 'Cheshire cat smile'." Researchers are not sure how cats first reached the British Isles. In many other parts of Europe cats became common at the same time as the spread of the Roman Empire, however it appears that housecats reached the British Isles before the Romans did. These cats then interbred with the local European wildcat population. Over

396-587: Is one of the breed's defining features. It is very dense, the texture being plush rather than woolly or fluffy, with a firm, "crisp" pile that breaks noticeably over the cat's body as it moves. Although the British Blue remains the most familiar variant, British Shorthairs have been developed in many other colours and patterns. Black, blue, white, red, cream, silver, golden and—most recently—cinnamon and fawn are accepted by all official standards, either solid or in colourpoint , tabby , shaded and bicolour patterns;

SECTION 10

#1733085638396

432-469: The World Cat Federation : "All classic colours are permitted. Any amount of white is permitted. The colours chocolate and cinnamon, as well as their dilution (lilac and fawn) are not recognized in any combinations (bicolour, tricolour, tabby). The pointed pattern is also not recognized." Domestic short-haired cats are characterised by a wide range of colouring, and typically "revert to type" after

468-417: The World Cat Federation : "The colours chocolate and cinnamon, as well as their dilution (lilac and fawn) are not recognized in any combinations...[and] the pointed pattern is also not recognized". Domestic long-haireds come in all genetically possible cat colors including tabby , tortoiseshell , bicolor cat , and smoke . Domestic long-haireds can have fur that is up to six inches long. They can also have

504-691: The cat fancy , and among veterinarians and animal control agencies, domestic short-haired cats may be classified with organisation-specific terminology (often capitalized), such as: Such a pseudo-breed is used for registry as well as shelter / rescue classification purposes. While not bred as show cats , some domestic short-haired cats are actually pedigreed and entered into cat shows that have non-purebred "Household Pet" divisions. Show rules vary; Fédération Internationale Féline (FIFe) permits "any eye colour, all coat colours and patterns, any coat length or texture, and any length of tail" (basically, any cat). Others may be more restrictive; an example from

540-454: The British Blue and otherwise vary in colour depending on the coat. Their large ears are broad and widely set. They are slow to mature in comparison with most cat breeds, reaching full physical development at approximately three years of age. Unusually among domestic cats, they are a noticeably sexually dimorphic breed, with males averaging 9–17 lb (4.1–7.7 kg) and females 7–12 lb (3.2–5.4 kg). The British Shorthair's coat

576-546: The Crystal Palace in London in 1871, and enjoyed great initial popularity. By the 1900s with the advent of the newly imported Persian and other long-haired breeds, the British Shorthair had fallen out of favour, and breeding stock had become critically rare by World War I . At least partially to alleviate this, British Shorthair breeders mixed Persians into their bloodlines. The genes thus introduced would eventually become

612-521: The GCCF's 2013 registry data, it is once again the most popular pedigreed breed in its native country. The British Shorthair is a relatively powerful-looking, large cat having a broad chest, strong thick-set legs with rounded paws, and a medium-length, blunt-tipped tail. The head is relatively large and rounded, with a short muzzle, broad cheeks (most noticeable in mature males, who tend to develop prominent jowls) and large round eyes that are deep copper orange in

648-492: The GCCF, FIFe and TICA also accept chocolate and its dilute lilac, disallowed in the CFA standard. All colours and patterns also have tortoiseshell variants. The Tabby patterns include Classic Tabby, Mackerel Tabby, Spotted & Ticked Tabby. The non-tabby patterns include: Tortoiseshell, Bi-Colour, Van patterns Bi-Colour & White, Smoke, Tipped & Colourpointed. British Shorthair's nose colour: black, cherry red, brick red;

684-635: The Highlander or Highland Straight, is a longhaired variant of the British Shorthair. Some registries such as The International Cat Association recognise it as a distinct breed, others such as the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy treat it as a variant of the British Shorthair, which may be referred to as simply 'British'. The breed is identical to the British Shorthair aside from its longer and denser coat. A UK study looking at veterinary records found

720-656: The Persian and Russian Blue were reintroduced into the mix. British Shorthair breeders also worked with the French Chartreux , another ancient breed, which although genetically unrelated to the British Blue, is very similar in appearance. Breeders worked to reestablish the true British type, and by the late 1970s the distinctive British Shorthair had achieved formal recognition from both the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) and The International Cat Association (TICA). According to

756-418: The Persian cat. While not bred as show cats , some mixed-breed cats are actually pedigreed and entered into cat shows that have non-purebred "Household Pet" divisions. Show rules vary; Fédération Internationale Féline (FIFe) permits "any eye colour, all coat colours and patterns, any coat length or texture, and any length of tail" (basically any healthy cat). Others may be more restrictive; an example from

SECTION 20

#1733085638396

792-587: The UK's Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF). A quarter of all kittens registered with the GCCF each year are British Shorthairs, making the British the most popular pedigree cat in the UK. The breed's good-natured appearance and relatively calm temperament make it a frequent media star, notably as the inspiration for John Tenniel's famous illustration of the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland . The Cat Fanciers' Association profile reads: "When gracelessness

828-620: The basis for the British Longhair . At the time, any long-haired cats produced were placed into the Persian breeding program, as all cats with the blue colouration were then judged together as variants on a de facto single breed. The Blue Shorthair, outcrossings of the British with the Russian Blue were also common. After the war, in an attempt to maintain the breed standard, the GCCF decided to accept only third-generation Persian/British Shorthair crosses. This contributed to another shortage of pure breeding stock by World War II, at which point

864-462: The cat should have a sturdy and muscular torso, complemented by medium to short legs, finished with round medium to large feet. The tail should be thick at the base and taper to a rounded tip, totaling about two thirds of the body length. The cat should have substantial bone and a firm, sturdy musculature. No preference on colour is stated for the cat's coat, but the coat should be straight, dense, and even in length. The British Longhair, also known as

900-411: The cats for their circular head shape, muzzle, and cheeks. Small to medium ears are desired, with large, round, leveled eyes. Eye shape is more important than colour. The muzzle and chin shape should complement the circular face; the profile and nose should be short, further complementing the circular face. The neck should give the illusion of the cat having no neck, blending in with the cheeks. The body of

936-406: The centuries, their naturally isolated descendants developed into distinctively large, robust cats with a short but very thick coat, to better withstand conditions on their native islands. Based on artists' representations, the modern British Shorthair is unchanged from this initial type. Selective breeding of the best examples of the type began in the nineteenth century, with emphasis on developing

972-573: The females had HCM, with an additional 6.4% of males and 3.5% of females judged to be equivocal. HCM testing of males used for breeding is now mandatory for breeders organised under the Danish Fife member, Felis Danica. The breed is thought to be at high risk of polycystic kidney disease (PKD). A study of over 190,000 patient records in England found the British Shorthair to be less than half as likely to acquire diabetes mellitus as either moggies or

1008-568: The most popular pet cat breeds today. For example, in the 1980s, the British Shorthair was featured in competition by the Cat Fancier's Association (CFA), which led to an increased demand for British Shorthairs as household pets. As of 2023, the British Shorthair ranks as the 6th most popular cat breed in the United States. As of 2015, the TICA cat show competition standards for British Shorthairs judge

1044-697: The premiere pedigree at cat shows up until 1895. Shortly after the British Shorthair exhibit in the Crystal Palace show, the popularity of British Shorthair increased. The public began searching for breeders of British Shorthairs with various character and color traits, all in the pursuit of "exoticness". From the late 19th century to the early 20th century, certain British Shorthairs would occasionally earn notoriety or decorated titles in Cat Competitions. The British Shorthair publicity from 19th and 20th century cat shows helped British Shorthairs become one of

1080-521: The related genus Panthera , such as ligers and tigons , have successfully mated, producing tiligers and litigons . The first modern, formal breeds of long-haired cats were the Persian and the Angora (named after Ankara, Turkey ) and were said to have come from those two areas. British Longhair The British Shorthair is the pedigreed version of the traditional British domestic cat , with

1116-415: The result of a recessive mutant gene . When a long-haired cat is mated to one with a short coat, only short-haired kittens can result; however, their offspring, when mated, can produce a proportion of long-coated kittens. Successive litters of early European long-haired cats produced more and more long-coated offspring, which were more likely to survive in the cooler European climates. By the year 1521, around

Domestic Shorthair - Misplaced Pages Continue

1152-432: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Domestic Shorthair . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Domestic_Shorthair&oldid=542109236 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

1188-452: The third most common type of cat in the United States. In the cat fancy , and among veterinarians and animal control agencies, domestic long-haired cats may be classified with organisation-specific terminology (often capitalized), such as Domestic Longhair ( DLH ), House Cat, Longhair ( HCL ), or Semi-Longhair Household Pet . Such a pseudo-breed is used for registry and shelter / rescue classification purposes, and breeds such as

1224-501: The time they were first documented in Italy, the variety had become fixed after only a few generations. In the late-18th century, Peter Simon Pallas advanced the hypothesis that the manul (also known as Pallas's cat) might be the ancestor of the long-haired domestic cat. He had anecdotal evidence that established even though the male offspring would be sterile hybrids, the female offspring could again reproduce with domestic cats and pass on

1260-427: The unusual blue-grey variant called the "British Blue" or "English type" (to distinguish it from the more fine-boned " Russian type "). Some sources directly credit UK artist and pioneering cat fancier Harrison Weir with the initial concept of standardising the breed. Others suggest a group of breeders may have been involved. The new British Shorthair was featured at the first-ever cat show, organised by Weir and held at

1296-496: The world for several centuries. During the 16th century, the first long-haired cats were imported into Europe. In the mid-17th century, when the Great Plague of London decimated much of London 's human population, the number of cats started to recover after centuries of persecution, as they were encouraged as protectors from flea-carrying rats. How the variant developed is still a matter of speculation. The long coat may have been

#395604