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 and well-developed.
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: 10 points for color and 10 points for markings. Shadow tabby markings in solid color, smoke, or bi-color 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.
COLORS: White,
black, blue, cream, black smoke, blue smoke, tabby patterns--classic, mackerel and
spotted, silver tabby, red tabby, brown tabby, blue tabby, cream tabby, tortoiseshell,
calico, dilute calico, blue-cream and bi-color.