This is a feature about breeds that we have in the TICA EW Region and some information from Breeders to tell you why their cats are so special

BRITISH SHORTHAIR

BREED OF THE MONTH 2022

Our featured Breed this month is the most popular cat in Great Britain and one of our Native Breeds, Kim and Mark Norton from Kimcats Cattery have been involved in breeding beautiful  British Shorthairs for many years and have kindly offered some insight on the Breed for our page, along with some gorgeous photos of Cats they have bred. 

Our names are Mark & Kim Norton and we have been breeding the British Shorthair Cat since 2005.

We started as active members of the GCCF but switched to TICA about 14 years ago, breeding and showing under the Kimcatz prefix. 

We have always been passionate about cats but have always had a strong love for our native breed, the British Shorthair.

We wanted to work with a breed that was relatively 'low maintenance' due to both working full time and the Brit seemed to be the perfect breed for us. We have never looked back.

Approx 12 years ago, the British Longhair was accepted as a recognised breed and we were amongst the first breeders in the UK to help develop the breed further.

We are also very proud that the first two British Longhairs to reach the title of Supreme Grand Champion in Western Europe come from the Kimcatz Cattery.

We can regularly be found at most TICA Shows within the UK with the occasional trip into Europe. 

Please feel free to come and have a chat with us.

DESCRIPTION
 
APPEARANCE

The British Shorthair is a relatively powerful, sturdy and compact 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 coppery orange in the British Blue and otherwise vary in colour depending on the coat. Their medium-sized ears are broad at the base and widely set.
They are slow to mature in comparison with most cat breeds, reaching full physical development at approximately three - four 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).

COAT AND COLOUR

The British Shorthair's coat is one of the breed's defining features. It is very dense but does not have an undercoat; thus, the texture is 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 stanTEdards, either solid or in colourpoint, tabby, shaded and bi/tricolour patterns.

All colours and patterns also have tortoiseshell variants.
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TEMPERAMENT

They are an easy going and dignified breed, not as active and playful as many but sweet-natured and devoted to their owners. They tend to be safe around other pets and children since they will tolerate a fair amount of physical interaction, but as a rule do not like to be picked up or carried. They require only minimal grooming and take well to being kept as indoor-only cats; however, they can be prone to obesity unless care is taken with their diet.

We now also have the British Longhair as a fully recognised breed.

Their characteristics are the same as for the Shorthair, but in a 'medium' length coat