Editing British Shorthair (section)

== Description ==

=== Appearance ===
[[File:Britskorthaar-64091287828362D7bA.jpg|thumb|right|A fully mature British Blue male, showing the characteristic heavy jowls and unique "crisp" texture of the coat.]]
[[File:British Shorthair Smiling.jpg|alt=A cat smiling which being scratched behind the ear|thumb|A British Blue male, showing the classic "Cheshire Cat smile" for which the breed is renowned.]]

The British Shorthair is a relatively powerful-looking, large cat having a broad chest, strong thick-set legs with rounded paws, and a medium-length, blunt-tipped tail. The head is relatively large and rounded, with a short muzzle, broad cheeks (most noticeable in mature males, who tend to develop prominent jowls) and large round eyes that are deep copper orange in the British Blue and otherwise vary in colour depending on the coat. Their large ears are broad and widely set.<ref name="CFAstandard">{{cite web|url=https://cfa.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/british-shorthair-standard.pdf|title=British Shorthair Breed Standard|publisher=Cat Fanciers' Association|work=cfainc.org|access-date=4 July 2023|archive-date=20 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230620062350/https://cfa.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/british-shorthair-standard.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

They are slow to mature in comparison with most cat breeds, reaching full physical development at approximately three years of age. Unusually among domestic cats, they are a noticeably sexually dimorphic breed, with males averaging {{convert|9|–|17|lb|kg|abbr=on}} and females {{convert|7|–|12|lb|kg|abbr=on}}.<ref name="CFAintro">{{cite web |url=http://www.cfainc.org/Breeds/BreedsAB/BritishShorthair.aspx |title=CFA: Introduction to the British Shorthair |work=cfainc.org |access-date=27 July 2014 |archive-date=25 June 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140625053912/http://www.cfainc.org/Breeds/BreedsAB/BritishShorthair.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.tica.org/en/cat-breeds/item/190-british-shorthair-introduction| title = The International Cat Association – British Shorthair| date = 31 July 2018}}</ref>

=== Coat, colour, and patterns ===

The British Shorthair's coat is one of the breed's defining features. It is very dense, the texture being plush rather than woolly or fluffy, with a firm, "crisp" pile that breaks noticeably over the cat's body as it moves.<ref name="TICAstandard">{{cite web|url=http://www.tica.org/en/cat-breeds/item/190-british-shorthair-introduction|title=British Shorthair|work=The International Cat Association|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171031000536/http://www.tica.org/en/cat-breeds/item/190-british-shorthair-introduction|archive-date=31 October 2017|url-status=live|access-date=26 July 2014}}</ref><ref name="CFAstandard" />

Although the British Blue remains the most familiar variant, British Shorthairs have been developed in many other colours and patterns. Black, blue, white, red, cream, silver, golden and—most recently—cinnamon and fawn are accepted by all official standards, either solid or in [[Colorpoint Shorthair|colourpoint]], [[Tabby cat|tabby]], shaded and [[Bicolor cat|bicolour]] patterns; the GCCF, FIFe and TICA also accept chocolate and its dilute lilac, disallowed in the CFA standard.<ref name=GCCFSTANDARD>{{cite web |url=https://www.gccfcats.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/BSH.Breeding-Policy.pdf |title=Breeding Policy For The British Shorthair |publisher=British Shorthair Breed Advisory Committee |work=gccfcats.org |date=12 September 2012 |access-date=27 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230518090707/https://www.gccfcats.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/BSH.Breeding-Policy.pdf |archive-date=18 May 2023 |url-status=live }}</ref> All colours and patterns also have [[Tortoiseshell cat|tortoiseshell]] variants.<ref name="CFAstandard" />

The Tabby patterns include <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gccfcats.org/Portals/0/BritishSH.SOP.pdf|title=British Shorthair General Type Standard|date=2018|website=Gccfcats.org|access-date=2 August 2018|archive-date=16 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210516161317/https://www.gccfcats.org/Portals/0/BritishSH.SOP.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> Classic Tabby, Mackerel Tabby, Spotted & Ticked Tabby. The non-tabby patterns include: Tortoiseshell, Bi-Colour, Van patterns Bi-Colour & White, Smoke, Tipped & Colourpointed.

British Shorthair's nose colour: black, cherry red, brick red; a circle of black nasal line on the periphery.

<gallery widths="200" heights="200">
File:A blue and white hawksbill British shorthair cat.jpg|Two-month-old female blue and white hawksbill British shorthair kitten
File:Golden Rebel D'Oaxaca of Feliland 4 months.JPG|Four-month-old golden shaded male kitten
File:BKH-kitten-blue.jpg|Five-month-old lilac female kitten
File:Silver Classic Tabby British Shorthair Kitten.jpg|Six-month-old silver classic tabby male kitten
File:Elvira at 8 months old.jpg|Eight-month-old British shorthair in silver coat 
File:British shorthair cat in pure white.jpg|One-year-old male British shorthair kitten in pure white
File:Jack Flash blue bicolour.jpg|Blue bicolour adult male
</gallery>