American Shorthair

American Shorthair
Information
Origin	Emigrated from Europe to America
Breed Standard
CFA	Standard
TICA	Standard
AACE	Standard
ACF	Standard
CCA	Standard
Cat (Felis catus)
List of Cat Breeds

The American Shorthair is a shorthaired cat found in North America. This breed is known for its longevity, robust health, good looks, quiet disposition and amiability with children and dogs.

History

When settlers sailed to North America they carried cats on board ships to protect their stores from mice. Many of these cats "settled" in the New World, interbred, and developed special characteristics to help them cope with their new life and climate. Early this century a selective breeding program was established to develop the best qualities of these cats. The American Shorthair is also called the Mouser because they caught mice on ships.

Characteristics

A very athletic cat, American Shorthair has a larger, leaner, and more powerfully built body than its relation, the British Shorthair. It is also known as a "working cat."

American Shorthairs are a pedigreed cat with strict standards and a distinctive appearance as set by the various Cat Fanciers Associations worldwide.

Originally known as the Domestic Shorthair, the breed was renamed in 1966 to the "American Shorthair" to better represent its "All American" character and to differentiate it from other shorthaired breeds. The name "American Shorthair" also reinforces the notion that the American shorthair is distinct from non-pedigreed, short-haired cats in the United States. A non-pedigreed shorthaired cat (called a Domestic Shorthair) might resemble an American Shorthair, just as another non-pedigreed cat might look like a Siamese, Persian or Maine Coon. The difference, however, is that American shorthairs are a purebred cat and are recognized as such by the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA).

Personality and History

The American Shorthair is usually very personable and affectionate. Usually outgoing, the American shorthair takes pride in greeting visitors to its home. The American Shorthair is America's own breed, whose ancestors came to North America with early settlers from Europe. Records indicate that the Mayflower carried several American shorthairs to hunt ship's rats. For centuries, 'working cats' flourished along with their pioneer owners and eventually established themselves as the native North American shorthaired cat. Their beauty and loving nature came to be valued as much as their rat-catching skills.

Color

American Shorthairs come in all colors, divisions and categories. The Amеrican Shorthair is recognized in an unlimited variety of different colors and patterns ranging from the striking brown patched tabby to the glistеning blue-eyed white, the beautiful shaded silvers, smokes and cameos to the flashy calico van, and many colors in between. The most well-known American Shorthair color today is the cameo tabby, with dense orange markings set on an off-white background.

The Silver Tabby

Patterns

• Blue Eyed White
• Copper Eyed White
• Green Eyed White
• Aqua Eyed White
• Odd Eyed White
• Blue
• Black
• Caramel
• Chocolate
• Lilac
• Taupe
• Cinnamon
• Fawn
• Coffee
• Green
• Olive
• Khaki
• Cream
• Orange
• Apricot
• Blue Tabby
• Caramel Tabby
• Chocolate Tabby
• Lilac Tabby
• Taupe Tabby
• Cinnamon Tabby
• Fawn Tabby
• Coffee Tabby
• Green Tabby
• Olive Tabby
• Khaki Tabby
• Cream Tabby
• Apricot Tabby
• Orange Tabby
• Brown Tabby
• Silver Tabby
• Blue Silver Tabby
• Caramel Silver Tabby
• Chocolate Silver Tabby
• Lilac Silver Tabby
• Taupe Silver Tabby
• Cinnamon Silver Tabby
• Fawn Silver Tabby
• Coffee Silver Tabby
• Green Silver Tabby
• Olive Silver Tabby
• Khaki Silver Tabby
• Golden Tabby
• Blue Golden Tabby
• Caramel Golden Tabby
• Chocolate Golden Tabby
• Lilac Golden Tabby
• Taupe Golden Tabby
• Cinnamon Golden Tabby
• Fawn Golden Tabby
• Coffee Golden Tabby
• Green Golden Tabby
• Olive Golden Tabby
• Khaki Golden Tabby
• Copper Tabby
• Lemon Tabby
• Mango Tabby
• Cameo Tabby
• Dilute Cameo Tabby
• Caramelized Cameo Tabby
• Blue Torbie
• Brown Torbie
• Caramel Torbie
• Chocolate Torbie
• Lilac Torbie
• Taupe Torbie
• Cinnamon Torbie
• Fawn Torbie
• Coffee Torbie
• Green Torbie
• Olive Torbie
• Khaki Torbie
• Silver Torbie
• Blue Silver Torbie
• Caramel Silver Torbie
• Chocolate Silver Torbie
• Lilac Silver Torbie
• Taupe Silver Torbie
• Cinnamon Silver Torbie
• Fawn Silver Torbie
• Coffee Silver Torbie
• Green Silver Torbie
• Olive Silver Torbie
• Khaki Silver Torbie
• Golden Torbie
• Blue Golden Torbie
• Caramel Golden Torbie
• Chocolate Golden Torbie
• Lilac Golden Torbie
• Taupe Golden Torbie
• Cinnamon Golden Torbie
• Fawn Golden Torbie
• Coffee Golden Torbie
• Green Golden Torbie
• Olive Golden Torbie
• Khaki Golden Torbie
• Blue Cream
• Tortoiseshell
• Caramel Cream
• Chocolate Cream
• Lilac Cream
• Taupe Cream
• Cinnamon Cream
• Fawn Cream
• Coffee Cream
• Green Tortie
• Olive Cream
• Khaki Cream
• Chinchilla
• Blue Chinchilla
• Caramel Chinchilla
• Chocolate Chinchilla
• Lilac Chinchilla
• Taupe Chinchilla
• Cinnamon Chinchilla
• Fawn Chinchilla
• Coffee Chinchilla
• Green Chinchilla
• Olive Chinchilla
• Khaki Chinchilla
• Golden Chinchilla
• Blue Golden Chinchilla
• Caramel Golden Chinchilla
• Chocolate Golden Chinchilla
• Lilac Golden Chinchilla
• Taupe Golden Chinchilla
• Cinnamon Golden Chinchilla
• Fawn Golden Chinchilla
• Coffee Golden Chinchilla
• Green Golden Chinchilla
• Olive Golden Chinchilla
• Khaki Golden Chinchilla
• Shaded Silver
• Blue Shaded Silver
• Caramel Shaded Silver
• Chocolate Shaded Silver
• Lilac Shaded Silver
• Taupe Shaded Silver
• Cinnamon Shaded Silver
• Fawn Shaded Silver
• Coffee Shaded Silver
• Green Shaded Silver
• Olive Shaded Silver
• Khaki Shaded Silver
• Shaded Golden
• Blue Shaded Golden
• Caramel Shaded Golden
• Chocolate Shaded Golden
• Lilac Shaded Golden
• Taupe Shaded Golden
• Cinnamon Shaded Golden
• Fawn Shaded Golden
• Coffee Shaded Golden
• Green Shaded Golden
• Olive Shaded Golden
• Khaki Shaded Golden
• Shaded Blue Cream
• Shaded Tortoiseshell
• Shaded Caramel Cream
• Shaded Chocolate Cream
• Shaded Lilac Cream
• Shaded Taupe Cream
• Shaded Cinnamon Cream
• Shaded Fawn Cream
• Shaded Coffee Cream
• Shaded Green Tortie
• Shaded Olive Cream
• Shaded Khaki Cream
• Shaded Golden Tortie
• Blue Cream Shaded Golden
• Caramel Cream Shaded Golden
• Chocolate Cream Shaded Golden
• Lilac Cream Shaded Golden
• Taupe Cream Shaded Golden
• Cinnamon Cream Shaded Golden
• Fawn Cream Shaded Golden
• Coffee Cream Shaded Golden
• Green Tortie Shaded Golden
• Olive Cream Shaded Golden
• Khaki Cream Shaded Golden
• Blue Smoke
• Black Smoke
• Caramel Smoke
• Chocolate Smoke
• Lilac Smoke
• Taupe Smoke
• Cinnamon Smoke
• Fawn Smoke
• Coffee Smoke
• Green Smoke
• Olive Smoke
• Khaki Smoke
• Blue Cream Smoke
• Smoke Tortoiseshell
• Caramel Cream Smoke
• Chocolate Cream Smoke
• Lilac Cream Smoke
• Taupe Cream Smoke
• Cinnamon Cream Smoke
• Fawn Cream Smoke
• Coffee Cream Smoke
• Green Tortie Smoke
• Olive Cream Smoke
• Khaki Cream Smoke
• Golden Smoke Tortoiseshell
• Blue Cream Golden Smoke
• Caramel Cream Golden Smoke
• Chocolate Cream Golden Smoke
• Lilac Cream Golden Smoke
• Taupe Cream Golden Smoke
• Cinnamon Cream Golden Smoke
• Fawn Cream Golden Smoke
• Coffee Cream Golden Smoke
• Green Tortie Golden Smoke
• Olive Cream Golden Smoke
• Khaki Cream Golden Smoke
• Shell Cameo
• Shaded Cameo
• Cameo Smoke
• Dilute Shell Cameo
• Dilute Shaded Cameo
• Dilute Cameo Smoke
• Caramelized Shell Cameo
• Caramelized Shaded Cameo
• Caramelized Cameo Smoke
• Copper Chinchilla
• Shaded Copper
• Copper Smoke
• Lemon Chinchilla
• Shaded Lemon
• Lemon Smoke
• Mango Chinchilla
• Shaded Mango
• Mango Smoke
• and pointed, sepia and mink categories of all these colors and patterns with or without white

See also

• British Shorthair