Britain's oldest breed
Its ancestors probably arrived with the Romans, to keep mice out of their stores.
Short-haired cats · Time every day
British shorthair
Pedigree breed · from Britain
A stocky, round-faced cat with a dense, plush blue-grey coat, small ears and copper-orange eyes.
- Size
- About 30cm at the shoulder; 4 to 8kg
- Lives for
- 12 to 20 years
- Suits
- Calm homes, including flats
Pads after you, solid and unhurried. Move your pointer and see.
Good to know
Six things about the british blue
A coat like velvet
The fur is so dense that it stands away from the body and does not part when the cat moves.
The Cheshire cat
The grinning cat in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is thought to have been based on this breed.
Slow to grow up
It takes three to five years to reach full size.
Four on the floor
It likes to be near you but not on you, and most dislike being picked up.
First at the show
British shorthairs starred at the first proper cat show, at the Crystal Palace in London in 1871.
The real thing
Photos of the british blue
Photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under the free licences shown. They have been resized, and cropped where they appear in link previews.
Looking after one
It is a placid cat that needs encouraging to play, and its food measuring, as it gains weight easily. Brush the thick coat weekly.
Before you get one
This is one of the most easy-going breeds, content to live indoors. Ask the breeder about heart and kidney checks on the parents.
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