Mary Allen
The British Longhair is a stocky, medium to a large pedigree cat with medium to long fur. It is also called Highlander, Lowlander, or Britannica. It is the long-haired variant of the well-known and very popular British Shorthair.
Origin and Breed History
When breeding the British Shorthair, Persian cats were crossed again and again in order to preserve the cute, compact shape of the body, but especially the round head with a stubby nose and large eyes. Unfortunately, such crossings have rarely been documented. Nature cannot be “fooled” here, however, and so puppies with long hair always fall in British Shorthair litters. This legacy of the Persian cat has long been seen as a flaw and such kittens have been given away.
Since – otherwise cute, healthy – kittens with longer fur are always born again, they finally thought of a different approach and made a virtue out of necessity. The British Longhair was born. Some breeders go even further. You are now trying to create your own pedigree cat from this. However, one should bear in mind that it would result in an enormous reduction in the size of the gene pool to separate long-haired and short-haired people and only breed them separately with long-haired people. In addition, short-haired puppies could then fall again with the British longhair, which would then be undesirable here because of their otherwise desirable short-hairedness.
Almost all of the major cat breeding associations have so far refused to recognize the British Longhair. The Fédération Internationale Féline has granted her provisional status. The British Longhair is a great house cat that has its full justification. Because her sister, the British Shorthair, is one of the most popular pedigree cats in the world for a reason. Long hair or short hair and no matter what color: the cat is the same in essence. And this being recommended them as a fascinating cat and ideal pet.
Description
The British Longhair is a medium to a large domestic cat with plushy rather medium to occasionally long hair. With her large, round head and her rather squat shape, she is a bit reminiscent of a fluffy teddy bear. And so it is of its nature, which we will discuss below. British longhair cats have distinctive coats. It is medium or long but at the same time a bit plush. It has fine, dense hair with a good undercoat.
Her strong body stands on short, round, and stocky legs with strong paws. The tail is also strong and hairy. The round head sits on a short, very strongly developed neck. Your chest is wide. The small ears are set wide apart. The nose should be broad and rather short. Practically all fur colors are allowed. Depending on the color of the coat, the eyes can be orange, blue, yellow, green, or copper-colored.
Temperament and Essence
The British Longhair, like its short-haired sister, is the cool guy among the house cats. Hustle and bustle or nervousness are alien to her. It is somewhat reminiscent of a teddy bear and behaves as you would expect from a teddy bear. The animal is just lovely and seeks closeness to people. She can develop a close bond here and is a perfect cat for a family. British longhair cats like to move around in nature like any domestic cat, but their urge to do so is not particularly well developed.
She even catches a mouse when the opportunity is right. But she is just as happy with suitable cat toys. She is very cuddly and you especially like to stroke and cuddle her just because of her fluffy fur. British longhair cats are not afraid of water by feline standards. They are very easy to get along with and get along with other animal members of the household without any problems. The British Longhair has a very high-stress tolerance for cats.
Attitude
The British Longhair is an ideal house cat for the apartment. It is undemanding and frugal with regard to its keeping conditions but needs an intimate relationship with its two-legged friends. The cat loves to share experiences with people or animal partners in their family. You don’t have to be outdoors to feel good all around. She still enjoys a garden for observing nature from a protected hide, for occasional excursions, and hunting games.
Upbringing
The British Longhair is very easy to train. If it comes from a reputable breeder who has looked after and socialized parent animals and kittens well, then it will fit into the rules and habits of its family by itself. With a little guidance, she can be house-trained quickly and easily. British longhair cats take a long time, sometimes up to two years, to grow up.
Care and Health
The coat of the British Longhair needs regular brushing. With a little feeling and skill, brushing fur can be turned into a ritual of social bonding that is emotionally good for cats and people alike.
Diseases Typical of the Breed
Some British longhair breeds suffer from severe inbreeding. This can lead to immunodeficiency, sickness, and shortened life expectancy in some cats. In British Longhair cats, like their sister British Shorthair, a genetic defect is common that can lead to a kind of sudden cardiac death even at a young age, as can hereditary kidney disease (PKD).
Nutrition / Feed
The British longhair is usually a problem-free feeder for cats.
Life Expectancy
A British longhair-bred healthily can live to be 12 to 15 years old. Inbreeding can drastically reduce the life expectancy of this breed.
Buy British Longhair
If you want to get a British Longhair, you should make sure that the breeder’s parents and kittens grow up in good circumstances, in particular with a close social connection to the human family. You should look at the family tree. No ancestor should appear twice here in order to rule out excessive inbreeding. Both parents should absolutely test negative for the hereditary diseases described above. Reputable breeders indicate this on their own in their advertisements. Of course, the kittens should be vaccinated, dewormed, and chipped several times. Seriously bred British longhair kittens should cost around 600 euros.