Chapter
11: British Shorthair
CFA Standard
POINT SCORE
HEAD (25)
Muzzle and Chin .............. 5
Skull ........................ 5
Ears ......................... 5
Neck ......................... 5
Eye shape .................... 5
BODY (35)
Torso ........................ 20
Legs and Paws ................ 10
Tail ......................... 5
COAT (20)
Texture, length, and density . 20
COLOR (20)
Eye color .................... 5
Coat color ................... 15
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 is slow to mature.
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, resilient 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.
PENALIZE: definite nose stop. Overlong or light undercoat. Soft coat. Rangy body. Weak chin.*
DISQUALIFY: incorrect eye color, green rims in adults. Tail defects. Long or fluffy coat. Incorrect
number of toes. Locket or button. Improper color or pigment in nose leather and/or paw pads in part or
total. Any evidence of illness or poor health. Any evidence of wryness of jaw, poor dentition (arrangement
of teeth), or malocclusion.*
*The above listed penalties and disqualifications apply to all British Shorthair cats. Additional penalties and
disqualifications are listed under colors.
BRITISH SHORTHAIR COLORS
WHITE: pure white, untipped with yellow. Eye color: deep sapphire blue, gold, or copper. Odd-eyed
whites shall have one deep sapphire blue and one gold eye with equal color depth. Nose leather and paw
pads: pink.
BLACK: jet black to roots, no rusty tinge, no white hair anywhere. Nose leather: black. Paw pads:
black or brown. Eye color: gold or copper with no trace of green.
BLUE: light to medium blue, lighter shade preferred, very level in color. Sound medium shade more
acceptable than an unsound lighter shade. No tabby markings or white anywhere. Nose leather and paw
pads: Blue. Eye color: gold or copper.
RED: deep, brilliant red, level in color, sound to the roots. No white anywhere. Nose leather and
paw pads: brick red. Eye color: gold or copper. Disqualify: heavy tabby markings.
CREAM: rich cream, lighter shades preferred, level in color, sound to the roots. No white anywhere.
Nose leather and paw pads: pink. Eye color: gold or copper. Disqualify: Heavy tabby markings.
SMOKE: a genetically silver, non-agouti tabby variety of British Shorthair. The top coat may be of any
recognized solid color, tortoiseshell or blue-cream colors. The undercoat to be white or pale silver,
showing maximum contrast. Nose leather and paw pads: to correspond with the coat color. Eye color:
gold or copper.
SHADED: a genetically silver variety of British Shorthair in which the color is restricted to the ends of the
hairs in the form of tipping and the undercoat is so pale as to appear white. The coat on the back, flanks,
head, ears and tail should be tipped with color. The tipping should be evenly distributed and it is the even
distribution rather than the degree of tipping which is of paramount importance. Heavily tipped cats should
not be penalized as long as the tipping is even and free from tabby markings; in fact, they are preferable to
cats with so little tipping that they are almost white. The legs should show tipping which will decrease
towards the paws, but which should be as even as possible. The chin, stomach, chest and under tail should
be as pale as possible. The tipping may be of any recognized solid, tortoiseshell or blue-cream colors.
Nose leather and paw pads: to correspond with the coat color. Mingled pink and/or brick red in torties
and blue-creams. Eye color: gold or copper with the exception of shaded silver which is to have green
eyes only.
SHADED GOLDEN: the non-silver version of the shaded/tipped British Shorthair in which the undercoat
is a rich warm cream color, with a mantle of black/dark brown tipping. The coat on the back, flanks, head,
ears and tail should be tipped with color. The tipping should be evenly distributed and it is the even
distribution rather than the degree of tipping which is of paramount importance. The legs should show
tipping which will decrease towards the paws, but which should be as even as possible. The chin, stomach,
chest and under tail is a pale apricot color. Nose leather: brick red may be outlined in black/brown. Paw
pads: black/dark brown. Eye color: green
CLASSIC TABBY PATTERN: markings dense, clearly defined, and broad. Legs evenly barred with
bracelets coming up to meet the body markings. Tail evenly ringed. Several unbroken necklaces on neck
and upper chest, the more the better. Frown marks on forehead form an intricate letter "M" Unbroken line
runs back from outer corner of eye. Swirls on cheeks. Vertical lines over back of head extend to shoulder
markings which are in the shape of a butterfly with both upper and lower wings distinctly outlined and
marked with dots inside outline. Back markings consist of a vertical line down the spine from butterfly to tail
with a vertical stripe paralleling it on each side, the three stripes well separated by stripes of the ground
color. Large solid blotch on each side to be encircled by one or more unbroken rings. Side markings
should be the same on both sides. Double vertical rows of buttons on chest and stomach. Penalize:
brindling. Disqualify: white anywhere.
MACKEREL TABBY PATTERN: markings dense, clearly defined, and all narrow pencillings. Legs
evenly barred with narrow bracelets coming up to meet the body markings. Tail barred. Necklaces on neck
and chest distinct, like so many chains. Head barred with an "M" on the forehead. Unbroken lines running
back from the eyes. Lines running down the head to meet the shoulders. Spine lines run together to form a
narrow saddle. Narrow pencillings run around body. Penalize: brindling. Disqualify: white anywhere.
SPOTTED TABBY PATTERN: good, clear spotting is essential. The spots can be round, oblong, or
rosette-shaped. Any of these are of equal merit but the spots, however shaped or placed, shall be distinct.
Head: as classic tabby. Body and Legs: good, clear spotting essential. Tail: spots or broken rings
desirable. Color: silver with black spots, brown with black spots, red with deep rich red spots. Any other
recognized ground color acceptable with appropriate spotting. Eye color: as for classic tabby. Penalize:
solid spine color line, brindling, markings not distinct and separate. Disqualify: white anywhere.
SILVER TABBY: ground color, including lips and chin, pale clear silver. Markings dense black. Nose
leather: brick red. Paw pads: black. Eye color: green or hazel.
SILVER PATCHED TABBY (classic, mackerel, spotted): ground color pale, clear silver. Markings
dense black, with patches of red or softly intermingled areas of red on both body and extremities. Nose
leather: brick red. Paw pads: black and/or brick red. Eye color: brilliant gold, green or hazel.
SILVER PATCHED TABBY AND WHITE (classic, mackerel, spotted): same as for silver patched
tabby with the addition of white. Blaze desirable.
RED TABBY: ground color red, including lips and chin. Markings deep, rich red. Nose leather and paw
pads: brick red. Eye color: gold or copper.
BROWN TABBY: ground color brilliant coppery brown. Markings dense black. Lips and chin of same
shade as the rings around the eyes. Back of leg black from paw to heel. Nose leather: brick red. Paw
pads: black or brown. Eye color: gold or copper.
BROWN PATCHED TABBY (classic, mackerel, spotted): ground color brilliant coppery brown.
Markings of dense black. Patches of red or softly intermingled areas of red on both body and extremities.
Nose leather: brick red. Paw pads: black and/or brick red. Eye color: gold or copper
BROWN PATCHED TABBY AND WHITE (classic, mackerel, spotted): same as for brown patched
tabby with the addition of white. Blaze desirable.
BLUE TABBY: ground color, including lips and chin, pale bluish ivory. Markings a very deep blue
affording a good contrast with ground color. Warm fawn overtones or patina over the whole. Nose
leather: old rose. Paw pads: rose. Eye color: gold or copper.
BLUE PATCHED TABBY (classic, mackerel, spotted): ground color pale bluish ivory. Markings of very
deep blue affording good contrast with ground color. Patches or softly intermingled areas of cream on both
body and extremities. Warm fawn overtones or patina over the whole. Nose leather: old rose or pink.
Paw pads: rose and/or pink. Eye color: gold or copper.
BLUE PATCHED TABBY AND WHITE (classic, mackerel, spotted): same as for blue patched tabby
with the addition of white. Blaze desirable.
CREAM TABBY: ground color, including lips and chin, very pale cream. Markings of buff or cream
sufficiently darker than the ground color to afford good contrast, but remaining within the dilute color range.
Nose leather and paw pads: pink. Eye color: gold or copper.
TABBY AND WHITE (classic, mackerel, spotted): red tabby, cream tabby, blue tabby, silver tabby,
brown tabby with white. As a preferred minimum, there should be some white on the feet, legs, undersides,
chest and muzzle. Less white then this should be penalized proportionately. Symmetry of those markings,
no matter the amount of color vs. white, is desired. White blaze desirable. Nose leather, paw pads, eye
color: to conform to the already established tabby requirements.
VAN TABBY AND WHITE: white cat with colored portions confined to the extremities; head, tail,
and legs. The colored portions conform to the currently established classic, mackerel, spotted and patched
tabby color definitions. One or two small colored patches on body allowable. Nose leather, paw pads,
and eye color: to conform to the already established tabby requirements.
TORTOISESHELL: black and rich red to be softly mingled, with both colors clearly defined over the
whole animal but without any obvious patches of either color, with the exception of a short, narrow blaze
which is permissible. While a single shade of rich red is desirable, the presence of two shades of red should
not be heavily penalized. Nose leather and paw pads: pink and/or black. Eye color: gold or copper.
Penalize: tabby markings, unbroken color on paws. Unequal balance of color. Disqualify: white
anywhere.
CALICO: patches of black and rich red on white, equally balanced. Colors to be brilliant and
absolutely free from brindling. The tri-color patching should cover the top of the head, ears, cheeks, back,
tail, and part of the flanks. Patches to be clear and defined. White blaze desirable. Some evidence of slight
tabby markings are allowed in the red patches. Nose leather and paw pads: pink and/or black. Eye
color: gold or copper. Penalize: brindling, unbroken color on paws, unequal balance of color.
DILUTE CALICO: patches of blue and cream on white, equally balanced. Colors to be brilliant and
absolutely free from brindling . The tri-color patching should cover the top of the head, ears, cheeks, back,
tail, and part of the flanks. Patches to be clear and defined. White blaze desirable. Some evidence of slight
tabby markings are allowed in the cream patches. Nose leather and paw pads: blue and/or pink. Eye
color: gold or copper. Penalize: brindling, unbroken color on paws, unequal balance of color.
VAN CALICO: white cat with unbrindled patches of black and red confined to the extremities; head,
tail, and legs. One or two small colored patches on body allowable. Eye color: gold or copper.
VAN DILUTE CALICO: white cat with unbrindled patches of blue and cream confined to the
extremities; head, tail, and legs. One or two small colored patches on body allowable. Eye color: gold or
copper.
BLUE-CREAM: blue and cream to be softly mingled, not patched. Nose leather and paw pads: blue
and/or pink. Eye color: gold or copper. Penalize: tabby markings, unbroken color on paws. Solid
patches of color. Disqualify: white anywhere.
BI-COLOR: black and white, blue and white, red and white, or cream and white. As a preferred
minimum, the cat should have some white on the feet, legs, undersides, chest and muzzle. Less white then
this should be penalized proportionately. Symmetry of those markings, no matter the amount of color vs.
white, is desired. White blaze desirable. Eye color: gold or copper. Penalize: brindling or tabby markings.
VAN BI-COLOR: black and white, blue and white, red and white, and cream and white. White cat
with color confined to the extremities: head, tail, and legs. One or two small colored patches on body
allowable. Eye color: gold or copper.
OBSHC (Other British Shorthair Colors): any other color or pattern with the exception of those
showing evidence of hybridization resulting in the colors chocolate, lavender, the himalayan pattern, or these
combinations with white. Eye color: appropriate to the dominant color of the cat.
The following information is for reference purposes only, and not an official part of the CFA
Show Standard.
BRITISH SHORTHAIR COLOR CLASS NUMBERS
Solid Color Class............. 2500 2501
(Black, Blue, Cream, Red, Blue-Eyed White,
Gold-Eyed White, Odd-Eyed White)
Tabby Class................... 2536 2537
(Blue Tabby, Brown Tabby, Cream
Tabby, Red Tabby, Silver Tabby)
Parti-Color Class ............ 2546 2547
(Bi-Color & Van Bi-Color [Black & White, Blue &
White, Red & White, or Cream &
White], Blue-Cream, Tortoiseshell, Calico, Van Calico, Dilute
Calico, Van Dilute Calico)
OBSHC ........................ 2596 2597
(Other British Shorthair Colors-
Tabby and White, Patched Tabby, Patched
Tabby and White, Smoke, Shaded, Shaded
Golden and any other color or pattern with
the exception of those showing evidence of
hybridization resulting in the colors chocolate,
lavender, the himalayan pattern, or these
combinations with white. Eye color: appropriate
to the dominant color of the cat.)
AOV .......................... 2598 2599
* British Shorthair allowable outcross breeds: none. |
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