This American Shorthair cat is ranked 8th most popular on this site’s long standing poll (public vote on favorite cat breed) and 8th on the basis of numbers registered by the Cat Fanciers Association (at Feb 2010) 4. That, I think, gives quite a nice idea as to what this cat feels like. The American Shorthair cat should be heavier (and therefore more muscular and compact) than first impressions suggest judging by the old cat associations’ standard which said that it should feel like a “sack of oats” 1 (or was it oatmeal? – things get mashed up a bit). They are all in clear violation of Helmi’s copyright. The picture above is one the most stolen by other website builders. Any differences evident now are due to natural evolution while in America and later selective breeding by cat breeders. This is not surprising as this breed has identical origins to the British Shorthair as its ancestors are the British Shorthair 1. This cat breed reminds me of the British Shorthair, a solid reliable and thoroughly well balanced cat of rude health. It was during the 20th century that this cat was transformed from a common domestic cat to become a registered cat breed through the efforts of cat breeders and cat fanciers, in order to preserve the original cat. They are not as they do not have the pedigree. Today, there are many cats in the USA that could lay claim to be an American Shorthair.

They were probably semi-domestic or at least a good number were. It was what we now call a moggie in the UK or a domestic shorthair. Of course in 1620 this short haired cat was not known as a distinct cat breed as there were no definitive cat breeds at that time. There were other opportunities for the American Shorthair cat to settle in north America: the French settlements from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland and the Dutch colony where New York now exists 1. In which case the cats on the Mayflower were amongst the first domestic cats in North America. They certainly kept dogs as they were useful in hunting. This begs the question whether Native Americans, of which there were about 10 million when the Europeans arrived, kept cats. A pretty harsh life bearing in mind the conditions and cold winters. This cat has, therefore, lived a life, in North America, in parallel with her human companion and the Maine Coon cat.

This is Maine, USA, the place where the Maine Coon also started its life in the USA – see Maine Coon cat history. There are records, apparently, which tell us that this cat came over with some of the first Americans (the pilgrims from Plymouth, England) on the Mayflower, which landed at Cape Cod in 1620. The American Shorthair has a history much like Americans themselves.

Essay on Cat Behavior Toggle Child Menu.

Wild Cats of Asia (for kids) Toggle Child Menu.

Short haired tabby cat face