DOMESTIC SHORTHAIR

British Shorthair, blue, cream, and white dilute calico. Domestic shorthair cat also called British Shorthair breed of domestic cat often referred to as a common, or alley, cat; a good show animal, however, is purebred and pedigreed and has been carefully bred to conform to a set standard of appearance. The domestic shorthair is required by show standards to be a sturdily built cat with strong-boned legs and a round head with round eyes and ears that are rounded at the tips. The coat must be short and may be any of the colours recognized for the longhair (q.v.), or Persian. Some colours, such as blue cream, are infrequently found in shorthairs; others, such as the tabby colours (silver, brown, blue, and red), are commoner. In Britain, the shorthair is called the British shorthair to distinguish it from other breeds classified as foreign shorthairs. Although the alley, or common, cat may resemble a pedigreed shorthair, it is not a purebred animal; rather, it is a combination of breeds and may differ considerably in build and coat from the purebred shorthair. See the Table of Selected Shorthair Breeds of Cats for further information.