So you are thinking about getting a British Shorthair Cat, and whether
this cat breed is right for you. When you consider their big amber eyes,
round face, and laid back nature, it’s easy to fall in love with a British Shorthair cat.
I am the Cat Butler, usually my two ragdoll cats Teemo and Arya are the stars of the channel,
but today I will visit Dorayaki, a British Shorthair Cat and interview his owner Elaine.
Hello everyone my name is Elaine, I have this British Shorthair Cat named Dorayaki.
We will discuss the 10 things you should know before getting a British Shorthair Cat.
And at the end she will share some of her favorite memories of her cat.
I think the most important thing that drew me to this breed is the round face.
I feel like if a cat has a round face, it looks cuter.
Round is the key word to describe this breed.
In terms of appearance, British shorthair cats have large, round faces with chubby cheeks.
The most common pattern associated with the breed is a solid blue coat with orange amber eyes.
But they can come in other colors like lilac, cinnamon, white, chocolate, and other colors.
Cats with other coat colors can have green, copper, amber, or blue eyes.
It is 14 pounds right now and he has been on a diet for 2 years,
but the diet was not successful. British shorthairs are relatively large, solid cats
weighing an average of 6 to 12 pounds, and taking up to five years to reach physical maturity.
British Shorthair really eats a lot.
So you have to prepare a lot of cat food for them, and they can grow to a very big size.
Due to its size and moderate activity level, measure food portions to
prevent this breed from becoming overweight. And I really like the personality of this breed,
which is more that they are attached to people, but they are not too needy.
British Shorthair cats are affectionate, but not needy or clingy.
There was a period of time that he was very affectionate and
for example the morning that I wake up I can see him sleeping on the top of my head and purring.
But that happens I have to be kind of lucky to see that happening because it just varies time
to time and sometimes he just likes to stay at the desk or at the chair for the whole night.
Low key and relaxed, they may like to stay near you,
but may not like to cuddle or sit on your lap.
He really is not a lap cat. He likes to stay in a place that he can see you.
Lastly they are great with children, and other pets in the household.
So if you are the type of person that likes to have their personal space,
and want an easy going cat the British Shorthair cat is the one for you.
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British Shorthairs can be quite intelligent. They are quick learners, easy to train and
fond of puzzle games and toys. Dorayaki can even open doors!
Another of my favorite moments is the moment that I found out that he is capable of opening doors.
So he starts to stand up and then press down the knob.
And then suddenly the door first open a little bit and then he use his nose and mouth
So I have to add a bar under each knob so that every time he wants to gets out he cannot.
The British Shorthair is known to be the inspiration for the Cheshire Cat in
Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland." Believed to have come to England with
invading Roman troops, the British Shorthair cat was valued for their hunting skills and
kept rodents out of the army’s food supplies. Over the centuries in England they became house
pets, and in the 19th century breeders started to shape the British Shorthair Cat we know today.
British Shorthair Cats have an average lifespan between 14 to 20 years old,
but this is dependent on their health.
This breed must be fed carefully, for risk of obesity.
The British Shorthair is not especially active, preferring to spend most of its
time taking it easy, so it does not get the opportunity to burn calories.
Some potential health problems you may encounter in this breed
is Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy or HCM. HCM is the most common cardiac disease in cats.
Affected cats are at risk of sudden cardiac death due to defects in the heart.
The heart walls thicken, thereby decreasing the heart’s efficiency and causing
symptoms in other parts of the body. Some cats have no symptoms from HCM.
Others start to show signs of congestive heart failure, such as lethargy or labored breathing.
In British Shorthair cats they are more at risk for this disease.
Unlike Mainecoon and Ragdoll cats, there is no genetic test to weed out
the HCM mutation from the breeding pool. The only way to diagnose HCM in a British
Shorthair is using an ultrasound. A test that uses sound waves to see
if the heart's muscle is unusually thick. Some breeders will screen for unusually thick
heart muscles and remove those cats from the breeding pool.
There is no cure for HCM, but medication can reduce the risk of complications.
It’s a progressive disease that can get worse as the cat ages.
Another disease to watch out for is Polycystic Kidney Disease or (PKD).
This is most common in British shorthairs who have Persian cats in their bloodline.
This inherited condition causes multiple cysts to form in the kidneys.
Present at birth, these cysts will grow larger over time,
and can cause problems with kidney function.
There is a genetic test you can take from UC Davis that determines if your cat has this disease.
Some breeders have been able to use genetic tests, ultrasound screening methods,
and improved breeding practices to reduce PKD from the breeding pool.
If you are interested in the genetic tests from UC Davis I will link it in the description below.
British Shorthair cats are also not very energetic or athletic.
Considered to be a low energy cat once they reach adulthood,
they do have their energetic moments but tend to spend most of the day sleeping or observing you.
The downside of this low activity is that British Shorthairs can develop
obesity related to their overly chill lifestyle.
If left to their own devices, they can become couch potatoes,
especially when they become seniors. So it is up to you to get them exercise
and stimulation from time to time to keep them in shape.
You can use a cat toy and have two play sessions a day roughly 30 minutes each.
British Shorthairs have a very strong hunting drive and you can
use that to get them up and moving. If you are interested in getting cat
toys for your cat, you can check them out at Teemo and Arya’s cat store, thecatbutler.co.
Most of the toys are handmade with the best materials.
I will link it in the description below. Your support helps me continue to make fun
and educational videos for this channel. British Shorthair Cats have thick, velvety fur
that is very soft to the touch, but unfortunately their coats can be prone to matting.
So brushing their hair often will keep their fur tangle free.
British Shorthair cats do shed throughout the year and brushing will help control the amount
of hair that ends up on furniture and floors. It will also reduce the incidence of hairballs.
A purebred British Shorthair Cat is not cheap. Due to the high demand for pets during
the pandemic prices have gone up. In the US British Shorthair kittens
from a reputable breeder registered with the TICA can cost from $1,800 to $4,000 depending on the
quality and pattern of the cat. A show quality cat usually costs
more than a pet quality cat. Costs can also go up in high cost
of living areas like Los Angeles or New York. Familiarizing yourself with the British Shorthair
breed is a very important step in buyer protection.
Breeding British Shorthair cats responsibly and ethically requires time and money.
So err on the side of caution when the price of a kitten is too low.
Avoid backyard breeders as they can sell you a sick cat.
Elaine has been a wonderful owner to her cat and it was a pleasure
to see their relationship in person. Here are some of her fondest memories.
I used to live at the first floor and there are a lot of squirrels coming by.
Those are the best friends of my cat. So he likes to stare at the squirrel and sometimes
yell at a squirrel or smashing the window because the squirrel was bearing the food by the windows.
Yeah I feel like by that time that was his happiest moment because he
had a lot of friends to play with. I have a collection of his whiskers
So the other fun thing I like to do with my cat is I like to collect his whiskers.
There is a…I don’t what it is called. There is a story that if you can collect
the cat’s whiskers and you can make a wish and then the wish will come true
because of the blessing of the cat. Because of that reason I have collected
more than 20 whiskers of my cat and I use that as my wishes.
Fortune box I will say? I just like, feel like that is a
cute thing to do and then everytime I found his whiskers either on the sofa or on the
floor I will just like carefully pick it up and then collect it in my collection.
So those are the funnest memories I have of my cat.
I hope you enjoyed learning about the British Shorthair Cat, and that it helped you decide
whether this cat breed is right for you. If you like to learn more about other
cat breeds you can check out the playlist at the end of the video.
Comment down below what do you think of British Shorthair Cats?