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 Shorthair's come in a very wide variety of colors. The Amеrican Shorthair is recognized in more than eighty 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 silver tabby, with dense black markings set on a sterling silver background.

The Silver Tabby

Patterns

• Blue Eyed White
• Copper Eyed White
• Odd Eyed White
• Blue
• Black
• Cream
• Red
• Blue Tabby
• Cream Tabby
• Red Tabby
• Brown Tabby
• Silver Tabby
• Blue Silver Tabby
• Golden Tabby
• Cameo Tabby
• Blue Patched Tabby
• Brown Patched Tabby
• Silver Patched Tabby
• Blue Silver Patched Tabby
• Golden Patched Tabby
• Blue Cream
• Tortoiseshell
• Chinchilla
• Golden Chinchilla
• Shaded Silver
• Golden Shaded
• Chocolate Shaded
• Blue Cream Shaded
• Shaded Silver Tortoiseshell
• Blue Smoke
• Black Smoke
• Blue Cream Smoke
• Black Smoke Tortoiseshell
• Shell Cameo
• Shaded Cameo
• Smoke Cameo

See also

• British Shorthair