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General: The British Shorthair is a medium to large almost square cat. It is a sturdy cat, well knit and powerful with a broad, rounded chest. The head is broad with well rounded contours when viewed from any angle, with full cheeks, giving a chubby appearance, with a short broad nose. Overall appearance of this breed with its short bull neck, standing on strong muscular legs and well rounded paws, is that of a solid muscular cat, with no fat on its body, pleasing to the eye and very amenable to handling.
Head:
Shape: Broad with well-rounded contours when viewed from any angle. Full cheeks give a chubby appearance. Nose is short and broad but not snub nosed, good muzzle. Ears: Medium in size and set wide apart but not extreme. Broad at base and rounded tip. Eyes: Large, round and well opened. Set to show breadth of nose. Eye color must conform to requirement for coat color.
Body:
Body: Medium to large. Almost square and very sturdy. Shoulders at withers broad and flat. Hips same width as shoulders. Chest broad and rounded. Body well knit and powerful, especially in males. Neck: Short and bull like, particularly in males. Legs/Feet: Legs strong and muscular. Feet well rounded, not splayed. Tail: Length in proportion to the body. Thick at base with a slight taper. Well set to carry almost level with the back.
Coat:
Coat should be short, well bodied and firm to the touch. Not double coated or woolly. Dense with a natural protective appearance.
Color:
For cats with special markings, points are divided equally: 10 for color, 10 for markings. Pattern and color descriptions to be the same as American Shorthair with the following exceptions:
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Spotted:
Good, clear spotting is the first essential. The spots may be
round, oblong or rosette shaped. Any of these markings may be of
equal merit but, the spots, however shaped or placed, should be
distinct and not running into each other. They may be of any
color suitable to the ground coloration. Eye color should
conform to coat color. Cameo McTabby: Use color description for MANX. Bluecream: The two colors, blue and cream, should be softly mingled, NOT PATCHED. Eye color should be copper or orange. Tortoiseshell: The three colors, black, read and cream, should be equally balanced and each color should be as brilliant as possible. The colors should be softly mingled, NOT PATCHED. The legs, feet, tail and ears should be as well colored as the body and head. Blaze desirable. Eye color should be copper or orange. Bicolor [any Solid and White]: The patches of color should be clear and evenly distributed. Not more than two-thirds of the coat should be colored and not more than one-half white. The face should be patched, with a white blaze desirable. Eye color should be appropriate for the solid color. |
Accepted Colors:
| Blue Eyed White Copper Eyed White Odd Eyed White Blue Black Cream Red Blue Tabby Cream Tabby Red Tabby Brown Tabby Silver Tabby Cameo Tabby Blue Silver Tabby Mc Tabby: Same colors as Classic Tabby |
Spotted Tabby Same colors as Classic Tabby Blue Cream Tortoiseshell Blue Patched Tabby Brown Patched Tabby Silver Patched Tabby Blue Silver Patched Tabby Chinchilla Shaded Silver Blue Smoke Black Smoke Shell Cameo Shaded Cameo Smoke Cameo |
Blue & White Black & White Cream & White Red & White Blue Cream & White Tortoiseshell & White Blue Patched Tabby & White Brown Patched Tabby & White Silver Patched Tabby & White Blue Silver Pat Tby & White Tabby & White: Same colors as Classic Tabby |
Mc Tabby & White & Spotted Tabby & White: same colors as Clas-sic Tabby Chinchilla & White Shell Cameo & White Shaded Silver & White Shaded Cameo & White Blue Smoke & White Black Smoke & White Smoke Cameo & White Van patterns accepted in all & White combinations |
Pattern/Color Descriptions
SOLIDS:
White: Pure clear white. Eyes deep blue, brilliant gold or odd (one blue and one gold) eyed with equal color depth. Nose leather and paw pads pink.
Blue: Even blue, lighter shades preferred: one level tone without shading or markings from nose to tip of tail, and sound to the roots. Eye color gold. Nose leather and paw pads blue.
Black: Lustrous jet black, with sound color from roots to tip of fur. Eye color gold. Nose leather and paw pads black or charcoal.
Red: Deep, rich red, free from shadings, markings or ticking, and sound to the roots. Eye color gold. Nose leather and paw pads brick red.
Cream: One level shade of cream, lighter shades preferred; free from shading, markings or ticking, and sound to the roots. Lips and chin same color as the coat. Eye color gold. Nose leather and paw pads pink.
Lavender: Frosty gray with pinkish tone, ranging from silvery pinkish tone to gray mauve tone. Nose leather and paw pads lavender pink.
Chocolate: Chocolate brown, ranging from dark bittersweet to milk chocolate, sound throughout. Nose leather and paw pads brown.
TABBIES:
Classic Tabby Pattern Description: Markings dense, clearly defined and broad showing good contrast between the pale ground color and the deep, heavy markings. Legs evenly barred with bracelets coming up to meet the body markings. Tail evenly ringed. At least one unbroken necklace on neck or upper chest. Frown marks on the forehead extending between the ears and down the neck to meet the “butterfly”, single or double, on the shoulders. An unbroken line runs back from the outer corner of the eye to the ear. Swirls on cheeks. Back markings consist of a vertical line down the spine from Butterfly to tail with a vertical stripe paralleling it on each side. The three stripes well separated by stripes of the ground color. The dark swirls on the sides of the body shall be centered by a dark blotch surrounded by the ground color. The underside of the body should have a double vertical row of buttons in the color of the dense markings.
Mc Tabby Pattern Description: Markings dense, clearly defined and all narrow penciling, showing good contrast between the pale ground color and the dense markings. Legs evenly barred with bracelets coming up to meet the body markings. Tail evenly ringed. At least one unbroken necklace on neck or upper chest. Frown marks on the forehead extending between the ears and down the neck to meet the shoulders. An unbroken line runs back from the outer corner of the eye to the ear. There are three distinct spine lines but they are very narrow and often meld into what looks like one wide stripe without fault. Narrow penciling lines in the dense marking color run around the body in vertical fashion in the unbroken lines. The underside of the body should have a double row of vertical buttons in the color of the dense markings.
Spotted Tabby Pattern Description: Good, clear spotting is the first essential. The spots may be round, oblong or rosette shaped. Any of these markings may be of equal merit but, the spots, however shaped or placed, should be distinct and not running into each other. They may be of any color suitable to the ground coloration. Eye color should conform to coat color.
Blue Tabby: The ground color, including lips and chin, should be pale bluish Ivory. Markings are very deep blue affording a good contrast with the pale ground color. Warm fawn overtones or patina over the whole. Eye color gold or hazel. Nose leather and paw pads rose.
Cream Tabby: The ground color, including lips and chin, of very pale cream. Markings of buff or cream sufficiently darker than ground color to afford good contrast, but remaining in the dilute color range. Eye color gold or hazel. Nose leather and paw pads pink.
Red Tabby: The ground color, including lips and chin, should be red. Markings a dense dark red affording a good contrast with the lighter red ground color. Eyes gold or hazel. Nose leather and paw pads brick red.
Brown Tabby: The ground color should be a rich, tawny brown. Lips and chin should be the same color. Markings dense black. Eye color gold or hazel. Nose leather brick red, paw pads black or brown.
Silver Tabby: The ground color, including lips and chin, pale pure silver. Markings dense black. Rims of eyes, nose and lips outlined in black. Eye color green. Nose leather brick red, paw pads black or charcoal.
Blue Silver Tabby: The ground color should be pure, clear silver. Markings are deep blue, affording good contrast to the light ground color. Eye color green or hazel. Nose leather and paw pads rose.
Cameo Tabby: The ground color, including lips and chin, of pale ivory white. Markings of a rich red; affording a cool contrast with the pale ground color. Eye color gold or hazel. Nose leather and paw pads rose.
Cameo Mc Tabby: Ground color of pale ivory should be broken with well defined cameo (red or light red) markings in the classic or mackerel pattern. Cameo markings should be deeply shaded (tipped) with diminishing intensity of color approaching the roots of the hairs. NOTE: Depth of shading/tipping, will vary in the individual cat. Clarity of markings should take precedence over the depth of the shading/tipping. Nose leather and foot pads to be pink. Eye color: gold.
Blue Patched Tabby: The ground color should be pale bluish ivory. Markings a very deep blue providing good contrast with the pale ground color. Patches of cream clearly defined on both body and extremities. Cream markings on the face are desirable. Warm fawn overtones or patina over the whole. Nose leather and paw pads to conform to requirements for coat colors.
Brown Patched Tabby: The ground color, including lips and chin, should be a rich tawny brown. Markings of dense black with patches of red and/or cream clearly defined on both body and extremities. Markings of red and/or cream on the face are desirable. Eye color gold or hazel. Nose leather and paw pads to conform to requirements for coat colors.
Silver Patched Tabby: The ground color is pure pale silver. Markings dense black. Patches of red and/or cream clearly defined on both body and extremities. Markings of red and/or cream on the face are desirable. Rims of eyes, nose and lips are outlined in black. Nose leather and paws to conform to requirements for coat colors.
Blue Silver Patched Tabby: The ground color should be pure, clear silver. Markings deep blue, providing good contrast with the pale ground color. Patches of red and/or cream clearly defined on both body and extremities. Red and/or cream markings on the face are desirable. Nose leather and paw pads to conform to requirements for coat colors. Eyes shades of green, gold or copper. White lip/chin trim allowed.
TORTOISESHELLS:
Blue Cream: The two colors, blue and cream, should be softly mingled, NOT PATCHED. Eye color should be copper or orange.
Tortoiseshell: The three colors, black, red and cream, should be equally balanced and each color should be as brilliant as possible. The colors should be softly mingled, NOT PATCHED. The legs, feet, tail and ears should be as well colored as the body and head. Blaze desirable. Eye color should be copper or orange.
SMOKES:
Blue Smoke: White undercoat deeply tipped with blue. Cat in repose appears blue. In motion, the white undercoat is clearly apparent. Extremities and face blue with narrow band of white at base of hairs next to skin which may be seen only when fur is parted. Eye color gold or hazel. Nose leather and paw pads blue.
Black Smoke: White undercoat deeply tipped with black. Cat in repose appears to be black. In motion the white undercoat is apparent. Extremities and face black with narrow band of white at base of hair next to skin which may be seen only when fur is parted. Eye color gold or hazel. Nose leather and paw pads black.
SHADEDS:
Chinchilla: The undercoat should be a pale silver or silvery white. The coat on back, flanks, head and tail should be sufficiently tipped with jet black to give the characteristic sparkling silver appearance. The legs and face may be very slightly shaded with tipping, but the chin, stomach and chest should be silvery white without tipping. Rims of eyes, lips and nose to be outlined in black. Eye color green. Nose leather brick red, paw pads black or dark charcoal.
Shaded Silver: The undercoat should be a pale silver or silvery white. A mantle of black tipping shading gradually down the sides, face and tail, from dark on the ridge to silver white on the chin, chest, belly and under the tail, the legs to be the same as the face. The general effect to be much darker than a Chinchilla. Rims of eyes, lips and nose to be outlined in black. Eye color green. Nose leather brick red, paw pads black or dark charcoal.
CAMEOS:
Shell Cameo: The undercoat should be Ivory white. The coat on the back, flanks, head and tail should be sufficiently tipped with red/cream to give the characteristic sparkling appearance. The legs and face may be very slightly shaded with tipping. The chin, stomach and chest to be pale Ivory white. Eye color gold. Nose leather, rims of eyes and paw pads rose.
Shaded Cameo: The undercoat should be ivory white. A mantle of red/cream tipping shading gradually down the sides, face and tail, from dark on the ridge to ivory white on the chin, chest, belly and under the tail. The legs to be the same tone as the face. The general effect to be much redder than a Shell. Eye color gold. Nose leather, rims of eyes and paw pads rose.
Smoke Cameo: The undercoat should be ivory white. The overall cat should be deeply tipped with red/cream. Cat in repose appears to be a red cat. The ivory undercoat is apparent when the cat is in motion or the hair is parted. Eye color gold. Nose leather, rims of eyes and paw pads rose.
AND WHITES:
A random combination of indicative color and white in a pattern that is pleasing to the eye. Having at least one half white is desirable but not mandatory. In patterns where the white covers the majority of the body area, spots should be patched rather than brindled. Eyes, nose leather and paw pads to conform to the indicative coat color.
Any Solid and White: The patches of color should be clear and evenly distributed. Not more than two-thirds of the coat should be colored and not more than one-half white. The face should be patched, with a white blaze desirable. Eye color should be appropriate for the solid color.
VAN PATTERNS:
A cat comprised mostly of white with color allowable as follows:
1. Confined to head and tail. The following markings will rank behind in desirability on an equal level with each other. These are still acceptable markings and should not carry a color penalty.
2. Confined to the head, tail, feet and legs
3. Trail extension onto the back from the base of the tail and/or where the color extends down the backside of the hind legs. Note: The extension onto the back may contain some white, but must not be completely broken with white.
4. Shoulder extension where the color extends down the back and neck to the shoulder area.
5. One or two small body patches anywhere on the body.
The Van may be marked as numbered above, or any combination of the numbered possibilities, bearing in mind that the least amount of color markings other than head and tail is most desirable.
Condition: Muscular. No indication of fat or flabbiness.
Balance: Amenable to handling. The type required is the same for all British Shorthairs. The males are more massive in all characteristics.
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