British Shorthair & Longhair
History of the British:
From the Middle East, he was introduced to Gaul by the Romans, he joined England where he became a farm cat, a hunter of rats.
It was only at the end of the 19th century that the English judge Harrison Weir, passionate about cats, selected the most beautiful subjects among these cats of short-haired farms. He exhibited them at the Crystal Palace in London in 1871, the first public appearance to be awarded the highest award with the nomination of a short-haired tabby blue tabby at the highest place on the podium. He then proposed to call them "British Shorthairs" literally the "Short-haired Briton" as opposed to "foreigners" (Persians and Oriental). The identity of the British shorthair is then acquired. At the beginning of the 20th century, there are already British black, blue, white, tortoiseshell and tabby. Although considered too banal at this time, the British did not reach his letters of nobility until 1930 becoming the cat in fashion.
Unfortunately World War II greatly affects race. At the end of the war, there was practically no British left. The English decided then, to save the race, to marry the survivors to Persians who, at the time, had noses less flattened. The British gain from this hybridization a more compact bone structure, hair density and roundness.
These marriages also reveal long-haired cats. For a long time ignored or hidden, they are recognized in France, on April 16, 2000 by the Official Book of Feline Origins. In 1950, the breed is recognized in the USA. At the same time, the population of these cats expands and we see the selection of different colors grow.
In 1970, the FIFé decided to regroup the British and Chartreux races and to judge them with the British standard. Some hybrid lines still survive today when these marriages were banned in 1977. In 1979, the breed was officially recognized by FIFE in Europe. The United States allowed the British to compete in the Championship from 1980 onwards. Since the late 1980s, the British Shorthair have been present everywhere. They are sometimes rare on show but in 1996, at the World Championship, which took place in Holland, there were no less than 78 British.
Today, the British is available in many colors.
From the Middle East, he was introduced to Gaul by the Romans, he joined England where he became a farm cat, a hunter of rats.
It was only at the end of the 19th century that the English judge Harrison Weir, passionate about cats, selected the most beautiful subjects among these cats of short-haired farms. He exhibited them at the Crystal Palace in London in 1871, the first public appearance to be awarded the highest award with the nomination of a short-haired tabby blue tabby at the highest place on the podium. He then proposed to call them "British Shorthairs" literally the "Short-haired Briton" as opposed to "foreigners" (Persians and Oriental). The identity of the British shorthair is then acquired. At the beginning of the 20th century, there are already British black, blue, white, tortoiseshell and tabby. Although considered too banal at this time, the British did not reach his letters of nobility until 1930 becoming the cat in fashion.
Unfortunately World War II greatly affects race. At the end of the war, there was practically no British left. The English decided then, to save the race, to marry the survivors to Persians who, at the time, had noses less flattened. The British gain from this hybridization a more compact bone structure, hair density and roundness.
These marriages also reveal long-haired cats. For a long time ignored or hidden, they are recognized in France, on April 16, 2000 by the Official Book of Feline Origins. In 1950, the breed is recognized in the USA. At the same time, the population of these cats expands and we see the selection of different colors grow.
In 1970, the FIFé decided to regroup the British and Chartreux races and to judge them with the British standard. Some hybrid lines still survive today when these marriages were banned in 1977. In 1979, the breed was officially recognized by FIFE in Europe. The United States allowed the British to compete in the Championship from 1980 onwards. Since the late 1980s, the British Shorthair have been present everywhere. They are sometimes rare on show but in 1996, at the World Championship, which took place in Holland, there were no less than 78 British.
Today, the British is available in many colors.