Good day to you. How do you do? Allow me to introduce myself, I am a British Shorthair and professor at Oxford, well…..my owner is. But enough about me, if you’ll kindly allow me five minutes of your incredibly valuable time I’ll tell you more about my breed, after all that’s why you’re here, is it not?
The Best of British
Now listen carefully, the British Shorthair cat has been a permanent fixture in some of Britain's best parlours for generations. A cat breed like ours doesn’t just happen. British Shorthairs are the result of the very selective breeding of British street cats. Our breed can probably be traced back as far as the Roman invaders but it took years of selective breeding to produce the pedigree we are today.
Carroll's Cat
No one is quite sure whether it’s our cheeky grin, our piercing eyes or our sheer size and general bear like appearance but Lewis Carroll liked something about British Shorthairs. So much so that he used us as the inspiration for the most notable cat of the 19th century: The Cheshire cat.
The Life We’ve Become Accustomed To
Despite our street cat ancestry British Shorthairs have become accustomed to a life indoors. We’re not ones for spending hours roaming the garden,we’re much happier with a comfy chair or cosy bed to curl up in. We’re a very calm breed with a quiet nature, and as you’d expect we have impeccable manners, for example, we’d never sit on your knee, we’re too heavy and, put plainly, it’s unnecessary to sit on you when I can sit next to you.
Quintessentially British
The British don’t like to make a fuss and British Shorthairs are no exception. While we are a loving and affectionate cat breed we don’t need a constant stream of attention to know that we are loved, unlike some breeds I could mention. So don’t feel the need to pick us up, we don’t need it and, frankly, we don’t appreciate it.
Scaredy Cat
It’s a little bit embarrassing to admit but British Shorthairs are scared of heights. I recognise this is an irrational fear given that cats always land on their feet but generally speaking we don’t like anything taller than your bed. We’re a simple cat that likes to feel grounded.
So there you have it. Hopefully I’ve inspired you to find out more about British Shorthairs!
