Cat Breeds

American shorthair cat

American shorthair cat is the American version of the popular roofer, which unexpectedly found its way to the salons.

Nature

American shorthair cats are intelligent and curious. They like to watch birds and other animals through the window. They are usually calm, but from time to time they like to play – for example, twice a day they can get a “foolish” attack, manifested in a race around the apartment. However, they are not overly active, they like peace and quiet.

They have a strong hunting instinct and hunt both inanimate moving objects (e.g. a cursor on a computer screen) and live animals, e.g. insects or mice. For their proper development, it is important that they have the opportunity to play hunting (e.g. with the use of a moving toy) and realize their instincts.

American shorthair cat

They have a friendly disposition, easily make contact not only with people, but also cats and other animals at home. They can play nicely with children. Despite being sociable, they also maintain a lot of feline independence.

They easily adapt to different conditions. Unlike many cats, they are unlikely to demand loud attention. They meow little and quietly, only when they want something. They are neither too insistent, nor do they maintain an excessive distance. They are perfect for people who like the cat to sit on their lap and not go crazy around the house.

With a bit of firmness, it’s easy to raise them – teach them what to scratch and what not to do, where to jump, and which places are prohibited. They don’t like long loneliness, so if you work late, it’s worth having two cats at home instead of an “only child”.

American shorthair cat. Advantages and disadvantages

Disadvantages

  • very rare breed in Europe
  • badly tolerates loneliness

Advantages

  • very healthy and resistant breed
  • his fur is easy to care for
  • calm and unobtrusive, likes to be close to a man
  • ideal family cat – likes children
  • suitable for seniors
  • gets along with both another cat and dog
  • it doesn’t need much space – it will even be found in a small apartment

American shorthair cat. Health

This breed belongs to one of the healthiest. With good care, American shorthair cats live up to 20 years.

Feeding

American shorthair can be fed both dry and wet food as well as home-made food. It is important that it is high-quality food, and that the food you prepare is well-balanced.

Care

Care is easy – it is limited to the regular combing of hair during molting periods, checking ears and trimming claws.

American shorthair cat

American shorthair cat. History

The history of the American Shorthair cat goes back almost 400 years. He is a descendant of European cats imported to America by settlers from the first half of the 17th century. They were cats from the British Isles. In the countryside and in cities they were valued for catching, also on ships, they were designed to protect loads from mice and rats. Many of them came ashore with settlers, after which they lived and reproduced, gradually adapting to new conditions and climate.

Selective breeding of this breed began at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1906, the Cat Fanciers Association (CFA) recognized her as one of the first five breeds it recognized. Currently, in the United States, the breed is recognized by all cat breeders’ organizations. In turn, the largest international organization FIFe has not recognized it yet.

Initially, the breed was given the name domestic shorthair, i.e. a domestic shorthair cat. In 1966, she was changed to American Shorthair, to emphasize her origin and distinguish her from other shorthair breeds. The name also emphasizes the fact that they are pedigree cats. They should be distinguished from the accidentally breeding population of short-haired domestic cats in North America – although many of them look like purebred cats.

American shorthair cat

Americans refer to American shorthair cats (and also the roofing animals from which the breed derives) as “working cats” because in the past they have helped control rodent populations on ships and farms.

In the course of breeding, some features of American Shorthair cats were more emphasized. These cats have, for example, a slightly more massive structure and a stronger, more round head compared to the average roofer, but they are still very similar to their working ancestors.

These cats are mostly bred in the United States and Japan. In Europe, this breed is extremely rare – one farm is currently operating in our country. This is probably due to the fact that the breed has a lot of competition with us in the form of short-haired European and British cats.

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American shorthair – American shorthair cat – a breed not recognized by FIFe

EMS code: WCF

  • Origin:  United States
  • Character:  very calm, balanced, friendly
  • Activity:  moderately active, likes peace
  • Size:  medium to large
  • Weight:  females 3-5 kg, males 5-7 kg
  • Body:  stocky, muscular and compact, broad chest, straight back; short, massive limbs, well-muscled
  • General appearance:  muscular, strong and athletic body; strong, broad torso, straight back; construction without extremes
  • Head:  broad and round, slightly longer than wider, characterized by strong jaw and well-developed cheekbones; in the overall impression the face looks a bit angular, has distinct cushions with whiskers, and its profile is visibly curved; medium nose, characterized by uniform width along the entire length, except for a slight fracture at the root
  • Ears: oblong, medium-sized, rounded at the tips; they have a fairly wide spacing, are open and vertical
  • Eyes:  large, round, slightly slanting towards the outside;  their color depends on the color of the coat and may take the following colors: copper, green, blue and also gold; individuals with a silver coat should have green eyes, while those with a chocolate coat should have golden eyes
  • Nose:  Medium length, wide
  • Neck:  Muscular and solid
  • Tail: Medium length, thick at the base, but slightly tapering towards a round tip
  • Coat:  short, dense, hard, shiny
  • Color:  there are about 60 color varieties; all colors are allowed, except those in chocolate, lilac, cinnamon and fawn, as well as point colors indicating crossbreeds with other breeds; any amount of whiteness is allowed in spotted coloring; silvery or tabby individuals are most often bred, silvery tabby cats with a black pattern on a silvery-white background are the most popular and most desirable; In recent years, chinchilla and silvery shaded cats have become the most valuable
  • Resistance/susceptibility to diseases:  very resistant
  • Lifespan:  15-20 years

Interesting facts

The American Shorthair cat ranks between the British Shorthair and European Shorthair cats. It is “stronger” than European, but lighter than British. Unlike the latter, its appearance is only a matter of selection, while in the British genetic pool some of the Persian cat‘s blood was “mixed in” in the past.

According to data from the Cat Fancier’s Association (CFA), the American Shorthair cat has been in the top ten most popular breeds in the United States for years: 2012 – 7th place, 2013 – 7th place, 2014 – 6th place, 2015 – 6th place, 2016 – 6th place

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