8 Short Haired Cat Breeds UK is Proud to Call British

It is raining outside and it is cold, you don’t have any business outside and maybe you are feeling a little blue. You sit by the window to watch the rain with an urge to enjoy the silence and your little feline friend jumps on your lap completing the ambiance. You feel the warmth coming from your kitty and you smile without even noticing the smile itself. Short haired cat breeds UK gave this world as a present can put you in this scenery.

1 – British Shorthair

British Shorthair is the oldest cat breed in UK. It is believed to have arrived in UK during Roman Times. A breed with such a history naturally got itself a place in many books and movies. Most notably the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland was indeed a British Shorthair. These kitties are affectionate and easy-going so it is no surprise that they are loved by everybody.

2 – Scottish Fold & Scottish Straight

Actually these kitties are recognized as two breeds by cat organizations such as CFA and TICA due to competition rules but they are born from the same mothers and fathers. A litter of Scottish kittens can have both Scottish Folds and Scottish Straights at the same time. Therefore instead of having 9 cats, I reduced the number to 8. Scottish Folds and Scottish Straights can have longhair versions as well as shorthair. These are good natured kitties with lots of love to give. They generally have special bonds to their humans.

3 – Cornish Rex

The Greyhound of the cat world, Cornish Rex is an energetic and playful feline that interestingly has only a soft undercoat (down hair) and no outer fur (guard hairs) or the middle layer (awn hair). These little friends have curly hair hence the name “Rex”. The first Cornish Rex was born in 1950s on a farm in Cornwall and due to a natural genetic mutation that was not seen in his other 4 siblings his hair was curly. All Cornish Rex cats that are alive now descended from that kitty which was named Kallibunker.

4 – Devon Rex

In 1959 when everybody thought that the Cornish Rex was the only short-haired British cat breed that had curly hairs, Beryl Cox from Buckfastleigh, Devon took in an old stray cat that was living in a nearby deserted tin mine. When Ms. Cox saw a picture of a Cornish Rex in a newspaper that was announcing an upcoming competition and announcing the Cornish Rex as the only curly haired breed in Britain, she called the breeder and told her about her curly haired cat. The breeder mated Devon Rex and Cornish Rex and saw that the offspring had straight hair which only meant one thing: this was a separate breed of cat with a completely different natural mutation.

Devon Rex is often referred to as “a monkey in a cat suit” due to its mischievous, active, playful and very people-oriented nature.

5 – Burmilla

The first Burmilla ever was born after an unintended mating between a Burmese female that escaped from home and a Chinchilla male in 1981. Burmilla comes in shorthair and semi-longhair coat lengths. They carry their kitten-like personalities well into adulthood and they have some extraordinary character traits. They are playful and fun-loving but gentle and quite cats. They are sociable and affectionate but also independent. Maybe one of the most important traits of a Burmilla is its intelligence.

6 – Oriental Shorthair

Also referred to as Foreign Shorthair, Oriental Shorthair was first bred in 1950s. The original idea of the breeders was to create a Siamese cat without the traditional Siamese color markings but the result was unexpected however pleasant. Oriental Shorthair is an intelligent and affectionate breed. They love to be around people and other pets and are curios in nature. But be warned, these kitties will command you. Your bed is not only yours anymore and they don’t just sleep on a corner of the bed, they generally sleep under the sheets just like you do.

7 – Havana Brown

This cat may have Havana in its name but it is 100% of British origin. Havana Brown was first bred in 1950s using a Siamese male and a shorthair female. One of the kittens had a stunningly unique brown color which gave birth to the foundations of Havana Brown cats. These are intelligent and social cats that are known to communicate with their humans and greet even the strangers at the door. It is also not unheard of for a Havana Brown to put its pawn on someone’s thigh and meow to introduce itself. Havana Brown is considered a rare cat breed as it is not easy to find one.

8 – Manx

The Manx is a natural breed that come into existence due to a naturally occurring mutation in the island’s domestic cat population. The first documentation of the Manx was made in the early 19th century. They are social, tame and active felines with amazing hunting skills which gave them their fame as farm or ship’s cat breeds. They are very attached to their humans but can be shy towards strangers at first. They also get on well with children.

Although there are 4 main types of Manx cats (Cymric or Manx Longhair, Isle of Man Shorthair, Isle of Man Longhair and Tasman Manx) only the Cymric is a tailless feline and the other Manx cats are essentially a fully tailed.