British Shorthair basic information

GENERAL: the British Shorthair is compact, well-balanced and powerful, showing good depth of body, a full broad chest, short to medium strong legs, rounded paws, tail thick at base with a rounded tip. The head is round with good width between the ears, round cheeks, firm chin, medium ears, large round and well-opened eyes, and a medium broad nose. The coat is short and very dense. Females are less massive in all respects with males having larger jowls. This breed takes a full 3-5 years to reach full maturity and development. Individuals should convey an overall impression of balance and proportion in which no feature is exaggerated to foster weakness or extremes.

HEAD: round and massive. Round face with round underlying bone structure well set on a short thick neck. The forehead should be rounded with a slight flat plane on the top of the head. The forehead should not slope.

NOSE: medium, broad. In profile there is a gentle dip.

CHIN: firm, well-developed in line with the nose and upper lip.

MUZZLE: distinctive, well-developed, with a definite stop beyond large, round whisker pads.

EARS: ear set is important. Medium in size, broad at the base, rounded at the tips. Set far apart, fitting into (without distorting) the rounded contour of the head.

EYES: large, round, well opened. Set wide apart and level.

BODY: medium to large, well knit and powerful. Level back and a deep broad chest.

LEGS: short to medium, well-boned and strong. In proportion to the body. Forelegs are straight.

PAWS: round and firm. Toes: five in front and four behind.

TAIL: medium length in proportion to the body, thicker at base, tapering slightly to a rounded tip.

COAT: short, very dense, well bodied, and firm to the touch. Not double coated or woolly.

COLOR: for cats with special markings: 5 points for coat color and 10 points for markings. Shadow tabby markings in solid color, smoke, shaded, shaded golden, bi-color, or calico kittens are not a fault.