Hey cat lovers and welcome back to another article the british short hair is noted as having a playful affectionate and intelligent nature with their signature rounded faces and plush coats british short hairs are just as cute on the outside as they are on the inside .They are fiercely loyal to their families and love to spoil their owners with love and affection. Being one of the oldest domestic cat breeds there is a lot to learn about these beautiful felines so whether you’re thinking about getting a british short hair or simply enjoy learning about cat breeds.now without further ado here are 10 fun facts about british shorthairs .
- British short hairs come in a wide variety of colors
- They’re believed to have descended from ancient rome
- The british shorthair was loved by the father of cat fancy
- There was a time when they nearly went extinct
- They’re prone to being chunky
- It’s believed that the british shorthair inspired the cheshire cat
- A british shorthair was the face of a popular meme
- A british short hair once held the title of world’s loudest purr
- They’ve been subject to several strange news stories
- They are nicknamed teddy bear cats
10 Fun Facts British Shorthairs
1.British short hairs come in a wide variety of colors
A blue gray coat is what comes to mind when most people think of british short hairs but contrary to popular belief the british short hair comes in a wide variety of colors. Other names for this breed are the british short hair blue or the british blue so it makes sense why many people think they only come in one color.
But it turns out that grey is just one variation of the british shorthair’s many coat color possibilities although their traditional color is blue gray british short hairs can be white black gray red and the list goes on this breed can also come in tortoise shell and tabby patterns. While they’re most commonly one solid color british short hairs can be just about any color or pattern .
2.They’re believed to have descended from ancient rome
British short hairs are wildly considered to be one of the oldest cat breeds in the world experts generally consider the british short hair to have descended from the cats of ancient rome in fact they are believed to have been transferred from ancient egypt to rome. This means that the closest thing we may have to ancient domesticated cats is the british shorthair we know and love today so how did they get from rome to great britain you may ask when the romans invaded great britain in 43 ce the romans took these cats with them to keep rodents away.
After arriving in great britain they interbred with local european wildcats and eventually developed to withstand conditions on the island british shorthairs became beloved by many in england for their prominent hunting instincts and natural prey drive they were often used by home and business owners for vermin control .
3.The british shorthair was loved by the father of cat fancy
Harrison weir was a 19th century artist and cat lover that particularly fancied british shorthairs he began breeding them out of love for their wonderful temperaments exquisite personalities and adorable characteristics. Weir was actually the first to set standards for specific cat breeds to be judged this led to the world’s first cat show in 1871 at the london crystal palace. Thanks to weir british short hairs made their debut at this event along with other cat breeds like the persian and siamese .
One of weir’s british shorthairs even won the title of best in show in 1887 weir founded the national cat club and was its first president and show judge between that and his cat show history he is known as the father of cat fancy weir even wrote about his love for the british shorthair in his book titled our cats and all about them.He was somewhat biased towards his country’s native breed and we don’t blame him in the novel he famously wrote my first love will always be for the short-haired domestic cat.
4.There was a time when they nearly went extinct
In the early 20th century long-haired breeds surpassed the british shorthair as the chosen domesticated cat as a result the popularity of the british shorthair was dwindling in fact it nearly led them to become extinct. To make matters worse due to the first and second world wars purposeful and intentional breeding for the breed became non-existent. at that point british shorthair suddenly faced the very real and possible reality of extinction to keep the breed alive die hard lovers of the british short hair began breeding them with persians and other cat breeds to ensure their survival the british short hair persevered and continues to live on today thanks to their breeding in the early 19th century. We can’t imagine what we do without this darling breed .
5.They’re prone to being chunky
With their rotund bodies and round faces the british short hair is prone to being a little chunky this can range anywhere from a little chunk to olori kamen but typically full-grown male british shorthairs weigh anywhere from 9 to 17 pounds while females range from about 7 to 12 pounds.
While it’s not known why british shorthairs are prone to tipping the scales we do know that all overweight and obese cats are at a higher risk of health problems this is why it’s important to feed your british short hair a healthy diet and provide quality exercise just remember that the ideal diet for one cat may not be the best for another because all cats have different needs .Those needs also vary depending on their age and medical history that’s why it’s important to ask your veterinarian which diet is best for your cat.
6.It’s believed that the british shorthair inspired the cheshire cat
Published in 1865 lewis carroll’s alice in wonderland is a cult classic .He remains a beloved character by so many although carol’s inspiration for the cheshire cat is debated some historians believe that it was inspired by the british shorthair if you take a moment to examine the famous character it makes sense most notably the cheshire cat’s huge grin is similar to that of a british shorthair also as mentioned earlier this breed is prone to being heavy and it just so happens that the cheshire cat is a little bit chunky too .
7.A british shorthair was the face of a popular meme
Back in the early days of the internet a british shorthair was the face of a popular meme called i can haz cheeseburger. This adorable meme went viral very quickly so how did it start well in 2007 a hawaiian blogger named eric nakagawa uploaded a photo of a happy british shorthair and captioned it icon has cheeseburger and the rest was history it’s also considered to be one of the earliest memes on the internet the original meme sold for a whopping 2 million us dollars.
So basically if you want to quit your day job try to come up with a perfect meme yes the pun was intended but jokes aside this meme inspired the cheeseburger network which is a social humor website. today people still fondly remember the meme thanks to the british short hairs darling face.
8.A british short hair once held the title of world’s loudest purr
It’s no secret that british short hairs are incredibly vocal loving and affectionate cats in 2011 a tortoiseshell british shorthair by the name of smokey won the world’s title for the loudest purr .It recorded a whopping 67.7 decibels smokey was known to be particularly vocal so i guess that makes him especially deserving of this title in 2014 smokey sadly passed away from kidney failure today his loud purr lives on in the guinness book of world records in 2015 another cat .By the name of merlin won the record with a 67.8 decibel per smokey’s loud per can be found here on youtube which we’ll link in the description box below.
9.They’ve been subject to several strange news stories
Given that the british short hair is an incredibly popular breed it’s not surprising that they’ve made the news several times in fact british shorthairs have made the front page of several strange internationals news stories particularly in russia and eastern europe in 2015 a british shorthair named maggie was kidnapped by an eastern european gang the gang demanded a ransom of about 6 700 us dollars to return her home.
Safely maggie’s family paid the ransom money the gang returned her safely to her family in a public park in russia a british shorthair named dustia rose to fame for her appearance in photo shoots and tv productions she made about 2700 us dollars which is more than what most russians make in a year .
10.They are nicknamed teddy bear cats
Between their plush coats chunky bodies and round faces british short hairs have often been described as feline teddy bears and it’s no wonder why for this reason british short hairs are nicknamed teddy bear cats but this nickname applies to a british short hairs personality as much as its appearance this is because british shorthairs are known for having wonderful temperaments they make wonderful family cats and are usually great with other animals .They’re often described as active affectionate loving and reserved these cats love playtime while retaining their independence so with their easygoing and friendly natures this breed can easily be a snuggle buddy just like a teddy bear.
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With all the wonderful facts about british shorthairs it’s no wonder they have such an interesting history and so many devoted owners today they continue to be a popular and adored breed and we can see why as always please share your thoughts about these fun facts in the comments below .
Summary
Discover 10 fun facts about British Shorthairs, their history, unique traits, and why they are beloved by cat lovers worldwide.
