British Black Shorthair

British Black Shorthair

The British shorthair cat is the famous national cat of the British empire. As mentioned in other posts, this type of cat emerged as a result of selective breeding that has reached a state in which high quality British shorthair cats are being produced in high volume. This cat has been recognised for a great number of years and is thought to have originated from cats that arrived onto the British Islands from Rome. This dates back many years ago and the pedigree of the British shorthair was one of the first to be recognised. To this very day, the British shorthair remains as one of the most bred cats in the world. Consistency is seen across the gene pool but a great colour and pattern variation has been maintained. This means that prospective owners will be spoilt for choice when looking for the catalogue of British Shorthair cats. Some of the more characteristic parts of the cat will relate to its rounded head and small ears.

The mentioned characteristics are most prominent in the Black British Shorthair, this is due to the Black shorthairs being used in the first selective breeding programmes. Dating back hundreds of years ago, breeding of the black shorthair cats made some of the purest breeds available. The black shorthair cats will often be shown as symbolic for this type of cat due to their pronounced bodies and features. They were of the first show cats to be shown in the United Kingdom and are well renowned for their top pedigree aesthetics. The highest quality specimen of the Black Shorthair cat will carry a shiny dark coat that will be dense and closely compacted to the skin. There are no colour variations or patterning in the most perfect specimens.

The black cats are often accompanied by a set of bright copper or yellow eyes that assume a rounded shape. The gene pool of the black shorthair is selective and interestingly enough, there are no genes that are able to create green eye colour in this type of cat. This can be attributed to the selective breeding process and missing genes in its lineage. The black shorthair is still often used as a desirable base for breeding and have been observed to strengthen results in endeavours where breeders wish to improve their breeding programmes with other cats. The British Black shorthair is a great companion in the household but will also need space to exercise its freedom and independence.