American Shorthair cat Breeds
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Ideal weight: Males 4.99 – 6.80 kg, Females 2.72 – 5.44 kg
The American Shorthair is finer boned and lighter than their British Shorthair cousins. They are nicely balanced, medium sized cats that boast having muscular, well put together bodies. They have lovely, large, round shaped eyes that are set well apart on their heads. Their heads being a little longer than they are wide. American Shorthairs always have a sweet, kind expression in their eyes which makes them all the more endearing. Muzzles are moderately short with cats having strong, full chins which adds to the square appearance of their faces. Their ears are medium in size having slightly rounded tips and being set well apart on a cat’s head. When seen in profile, cats have a moderate stop.
Their necks are nicely in proportion to the rest of their bodies, being moderately long. They have medium length bodies that are rather rectangular in shape and with nice round contours. Cats boast having broad chests which is especially true of male Shorthairs. Females tend to be lighter and smaller than their male counterparts. Legs are moderately long and feet are well rounded. They have medium length tails being thicker at the base before tapering to the rounded tip.
When it comes to their coat, the American Shorthair boasts having an even, close-lying, lustrous coat that’s quite harsh to the touch and which is extremely weather resistant. They have very distinct patterns and colours in their coats which are always clearly and well-defined. Their coats can be well in excess of eighty colours and patterns, all of which are acceptable under the breed’s recognised standards with the various international cat associations.
Typical coat colours for the American Shorthair include the following:
- White
- Blue
- Black
- Cream
- Red
- Silver
- Golden
- Brown
- Cameo
- Blue/cream
- Tortoiseshell
- Bicolour
- Tricolour/calico
- Tabby
- Chinchilla
Faults
Faults in the breed as set out by TICA include the following:
- A cat’s eye colour is not totally green in silvers
- A cat’s eye colour is not gold in browns
- Ears that are long and pointed and/or set too close
- Neck too short and too thick or too long and too slender
- Tails must not be too thin, whip-like or too short or thick
- Tails carried over the back
- Bodies must not be stocky, long or sleek
- Coats must not be thin, fine or long nor should the texture be fluffy