British Shorthair Cats, The Complete Owners Guide to British Shorthair Cats and Kittens Including British Blue, Buying, Daily Care, Personality, Temperament, Health, Diet and Breeders

By Colette Anderson

All you want to know about British Shorthair Cats and Kittens and more. This superb resource gives answers to all your questions and is a must have for anybody passionate about British Shorthair Cats. This guide covers all aspects of caring for your pet, including what to consider before buying, daily care, personality, health, temperament, diet, breeders, the equipment you need, along with your responsibilities as an owner. Colette Anderson has many years of experience with owning and breeding cats, including the British Shorthair breed, and passes on her knowledge in an informative and easy to read style. This eBook with wonderful color photographs has sound advice and answers to your questions - including some you didn't know you had!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Evolution Knowledge Limited
• Release date: Apr 28, 2014
• ISBN: 9781909820401

Book preview

British Shorthair Cats

The Complete Owners Guide to

British Shorthair Cats and Kittens

Including British Blue, Buying, Daily Care, Personality, Temperament, Health, Diet and Breeders

Colette Anderson

Smashwords Edition

Published By EKL Publishing (UK)

Copyright 2014 By Colette Anderson

ISBN 978-1-909820-40-1

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this eBook with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this eBook and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite eBook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. This eBook contains detailed research material, combined with the author's own subjective opinions, which are open to debate. Any offence caused to persons either living or dead is purely unintentional. Factual references may include or present the author's own interpretation, based on research and study.

This eBook contains material protected under International & Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author/publisher.

This eBook is available in print at most online retailers.

Disclaimer and Legal Notice

While every attempt has been made to verify the information shared in this publication, neither shall the author nor publisher assume any responsibility for errors, omissions, nor contrary interpretation of the subject matter herein. Any perceived slight to any specific person(s) or organization(s) are purely unintentional. You need to do your own due diligence to determine if the content of this product is correct for you.

This eBook is presented solely for educational and entertainment purposes. The author and publisher are not offering it as legal, accounting, or other professional services advice. While best efforts have been used in preparing this eBook, the author, affiliates and publisher make no representations or warranties of any kind and assume no liabilities of any kind with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness of use for a particular purpose. Neither shall the author nor the publisher be held liable or responsible to any person or entity with respect to any loss or incidental or consequential damages caused, or alleged to have been caused, directly or indirectly, by the information or programs contained herein. The author shall not be liable for any loss incurred as a consequence of the use and application, direct or indirectly, of any information presented in this work. This publication is designed to provide information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is the reader’s responsibility to find advice before putting anything written in the eBook into practice.

References are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute endorsement of any websites or other sources. Readers should be aware that the websites listed in this book may change. We have no control over the nature, content, and availability of the websites listed in this eBook. The inclusion of any website links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them. EKL Publishing takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporally unavailable or being removed from the internet. The information in this eBook is not intended to serve as legal advice.

Foreword

There are so many good things I can say about the British Shorthair, I almost don’t know where to start. The first one I met was, indeed, in England in the summer of 1993.

After a completely exhausting holiday with my elderly parents, we stayed the night at a bed and breakfast a few miles from Heathrow Airport. This meant I did not have to get them up and on a train. The host would drive us to catch our plane.

When we arrived at the B&B, the inn keeper seemed to understand we all needed some time apart. My parents were ushered to their room for tea, and I was offered brandy, a newspaper and a cat.

A cat? I asked, brightening.

My host disappeared into the kitchen and came back with Michael following along behind him. He doesn’t like to be picked up, the man warned, just pat the cushion.

I patted and Michael jumped up and settled down beside me. He was a massive fellow, blue-gray, with thick, dense fur, a round face with generous whisker pads, and a full-throated purr. I was entranced.

What kind of cat is he? I asked.

The inn keeper blinked a couple of times as if confused and said, He’s just a cat.

Well. No. Michael wasn’t just a cat. He was a British Shorthair, and, in the true fashion of his breed, sedately sat with me while I worked my way through both the brandy and The Times. I’ve been in love with Brits ever since.

At heart, I am a true ailurophile — a lover of cats. In the more than 40 years I’ve had these wonderful creatures in my life, I’ve met only one with which I could not get along. She was a mildly deranged Himalayan and didn’t like anyone.

The British Shorthair is, in my mind, in a highly desirable group of cats that also contains the Maine Coon and the Norwegian Forest Cat. I like big cats. All of these animals can reach or exceed 20 lbs. / 9.72 kg.

The Brit also has a long lifespan, which is another significant draw for me. Losing a companion animal is devastating, and I tend to lean toward robust, hardy breeds like the British Shorthair and even mixed breeds like the American Shorthair for their proven longevity.

In the following pages, I’ll introduce you to the Brit and discuss the basics of feline husbandry. While many of these practices hold true for all cats, where applicable, I’ll point out the things that are different about a Brit. For instance, they do not like to be held or be held down, so you will need to approach chores like claw clipping with a light hand.

If, by the end of the book, you decide the British Shorthair is the right cat for you, you will not be disappointed. These cats make a positive and lasting impression.

Twenty-one years after meeting Michael, I still have a very special place in my heart for him, and I hope he would approve of the things I have to say about him and his kind.

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank and dedicate this book to my husband Nick for his support and encouragement in this venture, and for his patience through many hours of proof reading and discussion.

When we met he knew of my passion for cats and over the years he has learnt to be tolerant and understanding of my enthusiasm for various breeds but thankfully he now shares my love and devotion to this most wonderful of animals.  He is my greatest critic and well remembers the struggles he had when first getting used to being a proud owner of our feline family members. His observations and comments were invaluable when putting this book together.

Just a note to say that I have written this book using American spelling as that is what I’m used to. I have given measurements in both feet and inches/pounds and ounces and also in metric. I have also given costs in US$ and GBP. Both the measurements and costs are approximate guides. I have done my best to ensure the accuracy of the information in this book as at the time of publication.

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

SIMILAR BREEDS

THE PERSONALITY OF THE BRIT

MORE THAN

Reviews for British Shorthair Cats, The Complete Owners Guide to British Shorthair Cats and Kittens Including British Blue, Buying, Daily Care, Personality, Temperament, Health, Diet and Breeders

[Raihana · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very informative for a new cat mom or someone who’s thinking to start a cattery