Interesting Facts about the European Shorthair Cat

This cat breed basically originated in Sweden. Originally, these were bred by crossing the house cat, often with the Persian longhair cats, to get a unique appearance. Although these were bred in Northern Europe, Scandinavia, and Great Britain, the Scandinavian breeders insisted that their breed was not crossed with the Persian longhairs or any other breed. In fact, they used only domestic cats with certain characteristics to breed their shorthair cats.

It was soon quite evident in international cat shows that the cats bred by Scandinavian breeders were quite different from the shorthair cats of other European countries. To avoid confusion between these different breeds, the Scandinavian breeders registered their breed with FIFE and now only the Scandinavian breed is considered to be the European shorthair cat.

The European shorthair cat is muscular and medium in size. It has a broad, well-muscled chest with a rectangular body. The neck of this breed is medium and muscular and the legs are average in length with round paws. It has a fairly large head which appears to be round, however, it is longer than broader. Well-developed cheeks with a slightly rounded forehead and skull and a strong chin is one of the chief characteristics of this shorthair cat.

The eyes of the Celtic shorthair are medium in size, rounded, set slightly obliquely. The color of the eyes can vary from blue to green to yellow and they are clear and pure. It has ears that are medium in size and slightly rounded at the tips, which are set well apart.

These Scandinavian cats also have a tail that is thick at the base and tapers to a rounded point. The coat is short, dense, and soft and glossy. The cover hair is quite coarse which means that any wetness stays in the hair tips and can be easily shaken off.

These Celtic shorthair cats are found only in naturally occurring colors which include tabby patterns and tortoiseshell and solid colorations.

Intelligent, active, independent, curious, and playful is how you can describe the temperament of these shorthair cats. They are quite sociable and friendly and like to be with people. You will find these cats greeting you at the door when you get back home and sleeping with you.

You will probably need to raise them with a group of cats if you want them to get along well with other pets. However, they generally get on well with other cats and can stay on with dogs also.

Now that you know all these interesting facts about the European shorthair cat, it is time to get one for your own house. These Celtic shorthair cats are expert in keeping houses and will also keep the mice away!