Are American Shorthair Cats Good with Children?
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American shorthair cats would be the perfect choice if you are thinking to add a new pet to your family as they are super friendly with children, adults, the elderly, and even with cat-friendly dogs.
So, are American Shorthair cats good with children? American Shorthair cats are best known for their quality of easily adjusting any family and around anyone. This breed doesn’t harm anybody, so it would be safe to leave your children alone with this cat for some time. Both of them would enjoy the quality and fun time together.
Here are some facts about American shorthair cats and detail on how they are good with children.
They are popular cats
The American Shorthair cats have gained so much popularity because of their amazing features that everyone loves. This cat breed lies in the top 10 best cats to have as a pet at home.
Well:
People are loving this cat because of its friendly nature with every single person and with other pets as well.
American Shorthair cats are also known as a great family pet as they adjust themselves with everyone they meet. Once you start spending time with this cat, you would love each and everything about it and wonder whether there is anything not to love about this cute little creature.
No one can keep an eye on their pet 24/7. There are times when you can’t stay with your pet and have to leave it alone in the house.
Fun fact: With American shorthair cats you won’t also have to worry about leaving them alone as they don’t go nuts or freak out when left alone.
These are calm and playful cats
American Shorthair cats are no less than a bundle of joy for you and your family. Even when they are alone, they will find different ways to keep busy rather than disturbing or bothering you. If they won’t have anything to do, they would just sit and enjoy the outdoor view from the window.
These cats are very calm and would love sitting in your lap and getting a gentle rub all-around their soft furry body. They love to be around children and other pets. In short, they love to have company. Because of their cordial behavior, they are considered as a child-friendly pet.
Fun fact: These cats might also pass their time by sitting idly around the family members or would practice their hunting skills by catching flies or other insects which inside your house which might help in keeping your house insect and pest free.
They are not a reason for stress for parents
Every parent is concerned about their child’s safety.
As we all know, children love small pets, especially cats. So, it is very natural for the parents to worry about some things like:
Would the cat harm their child or would it be safe to leave the child alone with the pet?
Well, one of the best qualities of American shorthair cats is that they do not harm anyone; be it human or any other animal. They are very loving creatures who enjoy playing around with family members.
Fun fact: You can leave your child with the pet for hours without any fear of getting a single scratch from the cat.
These cats are pedigreed
One more important thing that every buyer is concerned about is whether the pet is pedigreed or not. If this question is confusing you, then you don’t need to worry at all as this breed is pedigreed.
Fun fact: Domestic Shorthair cats are often confused with American Shorthair cats. Well, the former is basically any mix-breed cat with short hair. It isn’t really a breed in itself. The American Shorthairs, however, are pedigreed and have a pure lineage.
They easily adapt to your living style
This cat breed would not bother you at all no matter what stage of life you are at. American Shorthair cats would just fit in whatever your lifestyle is.
If you are a single person living alone in a house, this cute little furry pet can be your perfect companion. If you are married, it can become a great pet for both you and your partner, and if you are a parent then no other breed can be most suitable for you to bring into your home for your children.
Moreover, they can live happily in any type of house, be it an apartment or a double-story house.
Fun fact: American shorthair cats are very easygoing and accept people of every age and pets of every kind. They are very gentle and humble with everyone who they live with.
Available in a variety of colors and patterns
These little fluffy creatures come in a variety of different colors and patterns. However, this is a very common breed and can be found easily in any pet store.
Their color variety includes:
- White
- Red
- Blue
- Golden
- Silver
- Cream
- Cameo
- Black
- Chinchilla
- Brown
The most common patterns include:
- Smoke
- Tabby
- Shaded
- Solid color
- Tricolor
- Tortoiseshell
If you visit a pet store, you would get confused amidst the beautiful variety of this breed and it would become really hard for you to pick one out of all the eye-catching colors and patterns available in this breed.
However, the most popular and common is silver tabby.
Origin of the American Shorthair
This cat breed is believed to have originated from Europe.
Its first breeding was recorded to take place in 1904. According to the studies and researches, the British Shorthair cats are known to be the parents of American shorthair cats.
This cat breed was a working one and was used to maintain or control the rodent population.
Since they used to work outdoors and most of their time was spent outdoors, their outer coat of the body had been cultivated into a thicker one.
Fun fact: Due to the working nature of American shorthair cats, they are strong, healthy and muscular.
Hair Shedding
American Shorthair cats are likely to shed hair more but if you comb its hair regularly, then shedding may decrease. Combing hair on a daily basis would do following two good things for the cat:
- Remove dead fur from the cat’s body
- Would prevent the cat from having itchy and dry skin
This can be a good thing if you or someone in your house has cat allergies as cat hair can trigger those allergies. So, it is extremely essential to take good care of your cat’s hair to save your family from harmful allergic reactions.
I’ve been using this Furminator for my American Shorthair and it has reduced shedding to a great extent. Using a quality product like this one would really help reduce your daily cat-hair-cleaning rituals.
Health conditions of this breed
Generally, American Shorthair cats are healthy with no major health issues.
Although there are some cases where hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)has been observed in the cat which is usually hereditary. Furthermore, because of their flat face, these cats become vulnerable to some respiratory and ocular diseases.
American Shorthair cats are quite laid-back in nature which increases the chances of getting obese much easily. This is why It is also important for you to get a health certificate from the pet seller before you buy it from the pet store.
Fun fact: There are many reputable breeders who make sure that their cats are pure and free from all the diseases for which they run some tests on them.
Differences between American and Domestic Shorthair
American Shorthair Cats :
- They have large eyes and a broadhead
- Their size ranges between medium to large
- They weigh around 11 to 16 pounds
- They have a loving and affectionate personality
Domestic Shorthair Cats :
- They have almond-shaped eyes with an angular head
- Their size greatly
- They are much lighter than ASH ranging from 8 to 13 pounds
- Their personality varies
