All That You Need To Know About The British Longhair Cat!
A British longhair cat has such cuddly looks that you just can’t pass by it without petting on the head. The British longhair cats have traveled a long journey from being the bête noire lot to becoming one of the top favorite pets of people across the world. To make you closely aware of these amazing pet cats, here we are, with this article in which we will be shedding light on all of their aspects.
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The basic profile of the British longhair breed of cats
A British long hair cat can be called the genetic relative of the British shorthair cats with several features as the distinguishing factor. It’s mainly the fur that makes the British long hair unique in their style and temperament and also gets them the name of Highlander. However, they are considered a distinctive breed only needing to fetch the recognition from some more cat breeder associations.
Let’s see some of the physical characteristics of these cats:
- Big sized body
- Square skull
- Prominent forehead
- Dense, double, and super-soft coat
- Round and big eyes
- Different eye colors
- Strong legs
- Medium length tail
- A variety of coat colors
- Broad and muscled built
- Stocky skin
- The average life expectancy of 14-18 years
Unique fur of the British long hair explained
The most stunning thing about this cat is the plush fur which was a result of the genetic cross-breeding experiment, the results of which turned out to be extremely brilliant. Other than the usual color tones, these cats come with a rainbow of coat colors and patterns too. The wave and texture of their coat is something unparalleled.
There are both mono and multi-color coat varieties available in this breed. The most common colors found in the fur are:
- Blue
- Grey
- Cream
- Black
- Cinnamon
- Chocolate brown
- Fawn
- Lilac
- Red
You can even find the tricolor cats and some with a shaded fur with the distinctive color appearing only at the hair-ends. Let us give you some of the most famous color varieties of these British longhair cats:
- Bicolor- Any color combined with white in major proportion
- Tabby- Almost like the striped pattern with various colorations
- Tortie- Tricolor fur also called Tortoiseshell
- Torbie- A coloration mix of tabby and tortie
- Chinchilla- Silver-white fur with just a small proportion of regular black shades
- Colorpoint- fur on the body tips got a tinge of basic colors
Historical briefing of the British longhair breed of cats
The origin of these cats has a close link with the British shorthair cats that were immensely popular in Europe in the 1800s. Due to unfortunate reasons, these shorthair cats were getting wiped out and that was concerning the cat breeders. To restore their numbers, the breeders crossed the shorthair breed with the Persian cats after experimenting with some domestic pedigree cats too.
Now, what happened was that the long hair variation wasn’t liked by the breeders and these cats were discarded or even destroyed to keep the shorthair breed purity intact. Since then and till now, lot many breeding associations haven’t accepted these cats as belonging to a specific breed. Still, others have accepted their status of being a distinct breed and they are also amassing great popularity among the people due to their beautiful coat.
The Persian influence was later solidified by the breeders and despite some striking similarities between the longhair and shorthair breeds, the British longhair cat is much more than being just an offshoot of the shorthair breed. They have a unique temperament and physical existence too.
Personality traits of the British long hair cats
You can’t ignore these cats that are attention magnets with both charming looks as well as a poppy nature. Here are some behavioral traits that they exhibit:
Introducing the British longhair breed kittens
The British long hair cats look very different as kittens with a very thin coat and slender tails. It’s only after the first year of their life that they start attaining the usual physical appearance and the males do it even later after the first three years.
On the general note, the British longhair kittens are more MIA than the other kittens of different breeds. However, they display a pleasantly happy behavior around their mates. These kittens are sturdy and prefer following a daily routine that includes frequent visits to the litter box, chilling at favorite spots, and enjoying some tricks and games.
Caring for the British long hair cats
Here are some things you need to take care about.
Health issues
These cats remain healthy on the general note; however, you might see the occurrence of some chronic illnesses like neonatal isoerythrolysis, hypertrophic myocardiopathy, renal polycystosis, and polycystic kidney disease. These diseases are generally genetic and can be detected in the earlier stages only with DNA testing of the British longhair kittens. Common oral issues are also frequent in these cats.
Grooming and care
The long hair and dense coat of these cats must be brushed regularly and you can make a grooming schedule as per your cat’s hair. Get the right brushes with wide bristles and grooming tools to prevent knotting and matting. When they shed excessively, make sure to keep their surroundings clean as they might ingest a lot of hair.
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They must be subjected to a considerable amount of activity in any form because they tend to become over-weighted fast.
Nutrition
The dietary requirements of these cats are just like other breeds where high-quality cat food rich in animal protein works well for them with a lot of freshwater intakes. Dry food can be a better choice though as it removes the hairballs when given with catgrass.
Conclusion
We are sure that all this info must have convinced you into getting a British longhair cat for your home soon. This cat will make a great pet for you with fewer demands, a loyal attitude, and a lot of charm they will add to the household with their presence.
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