European Shorthair | Cat Breed Information & Facts – Pictures

Also known as the Roman cat, the European Shorthair cat is, as its name suggests, one of the most common breeds found in Europe. In addition to being a regular companion animal in homes of all kinds, it is also frequent to find it in the wild in colonies in cities. It is a very heterogeneous breed and with a multitude of variables both in its physical characteristics and its temperament. One of the reasons why it is so numerous.

Faithful, playful and unpretentious European shorthair cats are excellent companions that do not require much effort to maintain.

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The main thing in assessing the quality of a European Shorthair is the presence of its natural phenotype, that is, the absence of impurities from other breeds. True “European Shorthair Cats” should be of medium height, with a proportionate muscular body, straight, slender muscular limbs, slightly tapering into strong, round legs.

Its weight varies from 3 to 8 kg.

• The head is of medium size. It is wide and rounded.
• The nose is straight, even, but the profile with a noticeable transition;
• Ears of medium size, brushes are possible on the tips. The ears are set wide and erect. The width of the ear is equal to its height;
• Eyes set apart, slightly slanted. The color of the iris matches the color of the coat. Red color tone – honey, amber eyes, black tone – green eyes, gray – eyes are also gray or blue.
• The limbs of the European Shorthair cat are strong and not shortened. The paws are dense, round.
• The tail is broad at the base, tapering towards the tip. The tail length is medium.
• The coat of the European short-haired cat, as its name suggests, is short and European, that is, shiny, thick and very beautiful.
• As for coat color, it is easier to say which colors are NOT recognized than to list which ones the breed standard allows. Chocolate, lilac, cinnamon, fawn and acromelanic colors are not allowed in any variation.

It’s amazing how from small kittens at the age of several months a sufficiently large and muscular animal grows, with grace, strength, flexibility and natural agility. The well-developed musculature gives the impression of impressiveness, although in fact the cats are rather medium-sized than large.

According to the tradition of natural data, females are inferior to males in size: their length, weight and height are always somewhat less than that of males. The European Shorthair cat weighs about 2.5-5 kg, and an adult cat weighs 3-8 kg.

Age	Female	Male
Newborn	65-140 g	70-150 g
1 month	260-620 g	540-750 g
2 months	450-915 g	900-1500 g
3 months	1-1.4 kg	1.4-2.5 kg
4 months	1.3-2.5 kg	1.5-3.6 kg
5 months	2.0-2.8 kg	2-4.1 kg
6 months	2.1-3.3 kg	2.3-4.8 kg
8 months	2.2-3.9 kg	2.4-5.2 kg
10 months	2.3-4.1 kg	2.5-5.7 kg
1 year	2.4-4.7 kg	3.1- 6.6 kg
2 years	2.5-5.0 kg	3.3-8.0 kg

The coat of the representatives of the European Shorthair cats is dense, thick and short. A slightly pronounced undercoat determines its adherence to the body, elasticity and noble shine.

The standard includes more than 50 types of natural colors. The range is from white to black. Some European breeders favor one rare color and make it their trademark.

The most valuable are white European Shorthair cats and tabby animals: silver, golden, marble.

European Shorthair – self-contained cats, even slightly aloof, they spend time alone with themselves, without requiring constant attention and affection. Moreover, they love the owners, as a rule, especially highlighting one of the family members, they will never show aggression, they will be faithful and devoted companions, without overloading the owners with their own needs. For those who spend the whole day at work – the perfect pet.

For centuries, conquering their own territory, European shorthair cats used to be masters of it. Therefore, they are reluctant to share the apartment with other feline or dogs. But with children, they are surprisingly patient, even if the kids inflict pain or inconvenience on them.

“If you prefer cats that are constantly sitting on their hands, running after the owners’ tail,” then the European shorthair cat will not suit you, ”explains Natalya Babicheva, head of the Hamilton cat cattery. – These cats are independent and calm creatures, with dignity and their own territory, in general, they are very far from the type of “Velcro cats”.

The natural development of the breed has made the European Shorthair cat one of the strongest and most resistant in the entire feline kingdom. In addition, he adapts with maximum ease to any way of life, so he hardly suffers from diseases and no known genetic disease affects him in a particular way due to the type of breed.

The European Shorthair cat has no hereditary diseases. Its loving owners can boast about it.

Keeping European Shorthair cats requires minimal effort from owners. The soft, thick hair of this cat does not require constant care – owners can comb it no more than once every two weeks, however, during moulting it should be done more often to help the animal get rid of falling hair.

Claws need to be trimmed, and be sure to install a claw tip at home so that the furniture does not suffer. The European Shorthair cat should only be bathed if necessary if the cat is coated.

You can often walk your European Shorthair cat on a leash. And at the same time there should be a collar on the neck against parasites and ticks.

• In the UK, the European Shorthair cat has to fight for its legal rights, as this country refuses to recognize it as a full-fledged breed.
• European shorthair Kittens are sold at a cost of $ 35 – 500. It all depends on the pedigree, whether the seller has documents for a particular individual.
• In the CIS countries, it is almost impossible to find a cattery of the European shorthair cat. We have to order animals from abroad or buy from lucky owners from their hands. But there is a high risk of deception, so it is worthwhile to familiarize yourself with the breed standards in more detail.
• Representatives of this breed usually live from 15 to 17 years in good conditions.
• The body temperature of the animal is elevated, and can reach 39 degrees, which is recognized as the norm.
• European shorthair cats can catch mice. Therefore, the ideal residence for them is in a private house.

It is believed that the place of origin of the European short-haired (it is also called the Celtic) – farms, far from other dwellings, peasant farms. Since the animals existed relatively solitary, then their offspring had a fairly clean color. In the process of breeding work, the goal was to breed cats of this breed with more perfect body shapes and improved color. There are different color options for the European Shorthair: white, blue, cream, red, tortie.

In many respects, the breed is similar to European domestic ones, since they developed without human participation. A distinctive feature of the Celtic cat is that purebred individuals have exceptional hunting skills.

Breeding of the breed began in England and France, but breeders from Scotland, Norway, Denmark were the first who thoroughly engaged in the improvement of Celtic cats. The European Shorthair was officially declared a separate breed in 1982. This is how it was delimited from the British Shorthair. Since the beginning of the XX century. serious breeding work was carried out in European countries. It was necessary for the European breed to collect all the natural traits characteristic of cats living next to people in northern European cities or villages. It turns out that the breed, although with a long history, is at the same time young.