Characteristics Of American And British Short Hair Cat

Cat has been one of the favorite pets over years. There are many known breeds of cats. Depending on the length of the hair they are broadly classified into long hair, semi-long hair and short hair cats. American and British short hair cats are Pedigree breed cats.

The main characteristics of American and British short hair cat are as below:

American Short Hair Cat

American short hair cat is considered to have originated as a result of crossbreeding between British short hair cats and American cats. The sailors brought the British short hair cat to America. They carried them in their ships to protect their cargos from rodents.

Characteristics Of American Short Hair Cat

1. American short hair cats are athletic. They have lean bodies with a long tail. They are very strenuous.
2. They are very affectionate and playful and hence people love to have them as pets.
3. They have a protective coat on their body that protects them from extreme weather conditions. The pattern and color of the coat varies from cat to cat. There are about 80 different colors and patterns of the protective coat.
4. They are very intelligent. They adapt themselves easily to different weather conditions, as they are a crossbred variety.
5. These cats are healthy and require little maintenance.
6. The average age of the cat is 15 - 20 years.
7. The weight of the adult male is around 10-14 pounds and that of an adult female is around 8 - 11 pounds.

British Short Hair Cat

The British short hair cats are believed to be the descendants of the Roman cats. The short hair cats were brought by Romans to Britain and they were then crossbred with the British cats to produce the British short hair variety.

Characteristics Of British Short Hair Cat

1. They have big round eyes and cheeks, due to which they resemble a teddy bear. Their eyes are generally blue or copper in color.
2. They have wide chest and shoulders. Their neck, legs and tail are short. They are very strong and muscular.
3. These cats become full-grown at the age of 3-4 years. The weight of an adult male cat is around 18 pounds and that of an adult female is around 10 pounds.
4. The average life span of these cats is 15 - 20 years.
5. The British short hair cats are of different colors like red, white, blue, cinnamon and chocolate. Some of the British short hair cats are bi-colored and some have patterns on their body.
6. These cats love humans. They are gentle, affectionate and curious and hence make good pets.
7. These cats are lazy unlike the American short hair cats that are active.
8. They have a dense short fur coat on their body. Their coat is denser in summers than winters.
9. These cats require little maintenance. They need to be groomed once a week.

Both American and British shorthair cats are excellent pets with distinct features of their own. The American short hair cats have slender body while the British short hair cats have cobby bodies i.e. round and short. The American short hair cats are very active while the British short hair cats are lazy and like to be left alone. You can choose your pet depending upon your choice.