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The British cat derives its ancestry almost
exclusively from the Domestic Shorthair Cat, the ‘moggy’ that we all
know so well. Over the past century careful selection has resulted in
a clearly identifiable breed. The British Shorthair Cat should be a cobby
cat with short, strong legs, a round head with well-rounded eyes and a
tail broad at the base and rounded at the tip. The coat should be
short and dense. The general impression should be that of a compact,
alert, fit and healthy cat.
British Shorthair Cats come in a great range of varieties: Self,
Tabby, Tortoiseshell, Bi-Colour, Smoke, Tipped and Colourpointed.
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The plain-coloured British Shorthair Cats are known as
Selfs,
and these may be White, Black, Blue, Red or Cream, or
one of the newer colours such as Lilac, Cinamon,
Fawn or Chocolate.
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There are patterned cats, for example
Tabbies or Spotteds in various colours with or without
the Silver gene; this latter gene has the effect of
producing a silver undercoat.
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There is a range of colours in Tortoiseshell
cats, and these colours are mirrored in their Tortie
and White variations.
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The Bi-Colours combine the various Self colours with the
addition of white.
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The Smokes exhibit the Silver gene, giving them a silver
undercoat, the remainder showing a Self-colour or
Tortie pattern.
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Then there are the Tipped; these too carry
the Silver gene which has the effect of making their
coats appear white almost to the ends where they show
tipping of various colours, most commonly Black
but also Golden.
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The Colourpointed cats have British type
with a Siamese pattern; their faces, ears, legs and
tails are of a contrasting colour to that of their
bodies.
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