American Shorthair Cat

American Shorthair Cat

Like its British cousin and partial ancestor, the American Shorthair is very much a cat of the streets, the barnyards, and the countryside. It was brought to North America on the same ships that brought the European settlers, to protect the ship’s stores from mice and rats. Once ashore they interbred and adapted to a new lifestyle and environment.

The first officially recognized individual of the breed was Buster Brown, a cross between British Shorthairs and the emerging American cats; that was in 1904.

As happened with the British Shorthair, breeders quickly began to breed from the best of the naturally occurring cats.

Another characteristic the American Shorthair shares with its British counterpart is its hardy, healthy nature. Even larger and more muscular than the British Shorthair, this American cat epitomizes the pioneer spirit of the nation. It is .a bold, inquisitive cat with a “working” past that needs outside spaces to roam. Always ready to do something, anything, the American Shorthair is happiest when active.

The breed will show affection to the entire family and friends, as long as it receives respect in return. It also demands praise when returning from a successful hunt with dead prey in tow.

Befitting a cat that originated in the outdoors, the furies are thick and dense, the body is athletic and strong, and the legs are medium and powerful with large, round paws. The head is egg-shaped (with the more pointed ends on the sides of the head) with large, round eyes and a well-developed muzzle. The ears are medium in size, rounded at the tips, and lightly tufted.

There is a large number of varieties: White, with a white coat, no markings, and blue, gold, or odd eyes; Black, with a black coat, no markings, and gold eyes; Blue, with a blue-grey coat, no markings, and gold eyes; Red, with red-brown coat, no markings, and gold eyes; Cream, with buff coat, no markings, and gold eyes; Bicolor, with a white coat with blue, black, red or cream patches and gold eyes; Shaded Silver, with white undercoat with grey-tipped markings and green eyes.

Brown Tabby, with a brown coat with black Classic or Mackerel pattern and gold eyes; Red Tabby, with a redcoat with darker red Classic or Mackerel pattern and gold eyes; Silver Tabby, with a grey coat with black Classic or Mackerel pattern and green eyes; Blue Tabby, with a bluish coat with dark grey Classic or Mackerel pattern and gold eyes; Cream Tabby, with a cream coat with darker cream Classic or Mackerel pattern and gold eyes; Cameo Tabby, with a white coat with red Classic or Mackerel pattern and gold eyes; Patched Tabby, with a silver, brown or blue coat with black or light silver Classic or Mackerel pattern, red or cream patches, and gold eyes.

Chinchilla, with white undercoat with black tipping and green or blue-green eyes; Shell Cameo, with white undercoat with red tipping and gold eyes; Shaded Cameo, with white undercoat with longer red tips than the Shell Cameo and gold eyes; Cameo Smoke, with white undercoat with red tipping and gold eyes. Blue Smoke, with a white undercoat with blue tipping and gold eyes; Black Smoke, with a white undercoat with black tipping and gold eyes; Blue-Cream, with a bluish coat with cream patches and gold eyes; Tortoiseshell, with black with cream and red patches and gold eyes; Tortoiseshell Smoke, with white undercoat with black, red, and cream tipping in tortoiseshell pattern and gold eyes; Calico, white with red and black patches and gold eyes.

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