WHO'S THE BRITISH ?

Here what the LOOF (Official Book of the Cat-like Origins) says on the british:

British Shorthair and Longhair

It from now on is recognized in two varieties, one with hair short, dense and grating (British Shorthair) and the other with the semi-long and soft fur like mohair (British Longhair). But British remains a cat single and reassuring, all in roundness, all carefully.

Of yesterday with today

It is to pay homage to the beauty of the English domestic cats that Harrison Weir, father of the modern félinophilie, had the idea to organize the first cat-like exposure to the Hook De luxe hotel of London in 1871. It thought indeed that the small cat-like ones which ran the British campaigns had nothing to envy the charm of the exotic cats - Siamese, Bleus Russians, Angoras… - which broke on Large Albion.

The result of this great first was to give him reason since ultimate gaining exposure was a splendid English she-cat blue tabby with short hair, pertaining to the race baptized for the occasion, British Shorthair.
It was not so much the work of the stockbreeders who was rewarded by this victory, but that of Natural Lady which had worked a cat all in roundness, adapted perfectly to an often difficult climate thanks to its thick, woolly and quasi impermeable fur.

The other charms undeniable of British Shorthair was the large variety of its colors and its reasons: black, white, blue, tabby, silver, tortie, two-tone. Infinite combinations…

The First World War however failed to ring the knell of this splendid cat. The famine which struck the English touched also their cats who all were almost decimated and it was necessary, at the end of the war, to introduce cats without pedigree to reconstitute the race. This addition caused to refine British. The stockbreeders had recourse to Persan “to round” their cats. These marriages resulted in to introduce gene “hair long” into the British potential. One obtained in the first generations of the cats with remarkable qualities of fur, but also in the following generations - Oh shocking! - kittens with long hair. A long time, these Ugly Ducklings were hidden and it is only very recently that France recognized this charming named variety from now on British Longhair.

Its look

British is a cat of average size to large, built all in roundness.
Its large round head, in the apple shape, is lit by two large eyes, and very so expressive rounds them. The ears rather small and are well spaced, thus respecting the round-off of the head. The neck is squat and short. The body is powerful and muscular with shoulders and hips broad and round.

The legs are solid and firm, the rather short and round tail at the end. At British Shorthair, the fur short, dense and is drawn up with an important undercoat. Sometimes the hairs half-open like the bits of a wool carpet. At British Longhair, the semi-long fur with the texture of the mohair. It is provided on the flange and the back of the legs.

The color

The introduction of Persan at British supported the emergence of very popular blue then. This preeminence was reinforced by the confusion which reigned up to one still recent time between blue British and another very popular race in France: the Carthusian monk. Today, the two races are again distinct.

All the colors are recognized, including the colourpoint, the mink and sepia.

Its company

The character of British undoubtedly plays largely in the success which it meets near general public. Calm and posed, always present without being invading, it offers an alternative alleviating to those which are stressed by the modern life and which can ressourcer with its contact. Its small voice, of which it uses moreover very little, contrast with its imposing physique. The females, finer and gracious can use of their charm.