Excalibur
British Shorthair presents
Excalibur
British Shorthair presents
| A combination of historic folklore and romantic legend, the beginning of the breed known as the British Shorthair or British Blue is not documented in official historic record. Since cats were not controlled and bred by most Eurocentric cultures until the 19th Century, the powerful forces of History and Mother Nature were influential in the alleys, barns, and docks of Britain to create the British cat. | 
Pam Barrett & Excalibur Warlord Best International British Shorthair T.I.C.A. 1990 | ||
 Excalibur INXS 3rd International Kitten of the Year Best International British Shorthair Kitten T.I.C.A. 1990 | A key to the British Shorthair beginnings as a breed of cat lies in the isolated nature of the British Isles and the rise and fall of the Roman Empire.
After the Roman invasion, agriculture was brought to Britain. Since grain had to be protected from rodents, cats were brought to the island by the Roman legions. Grain warehouses and mills each maintained a colony of cats. Since cats were considered instrumental in agricultural production, they were considered property assets and were purchased accordingly when agricultural deals were negotiated. | ||
| Roman culture spread throughout the British countryside. While Rome may have held cats in high esteem, they did not care and love them as family pets as cats remained the roman symbol for liberty.
The cats of roman Britain lived in the warehouses, alleys, and fields free from human control. Living and breeding through natural selection, the British cats grew strong and their offspring thrived.
After Rome was sacked, Britain declared independence from Roman rule. In retaliation, Rome stopped all trade with Britain. The British Isles became an isolated land beyond the mists. |  Excalibur Arthur 19th International Cat of the Year Best International British Shorthair T.I.C.A. 1985 | ||
With a political barrier
hampering sea travel, Britain's domestic cat population lost its
influx of ocean traveling felines when foreign ships stopped trading
at English ports. As a result, the cats of Britain were cut off
from the world of feline variety.
Isolated from the world
of domestic cats and trapped on an island, British cats could
only mate with other British cats. Over many centuries a limited
gene pool was formed so that litter after litter, kittens born
in Britain looked and acted much the same.
The British cat had developed
uniform physical characteristics and a dominate surviving personality
enabling them to thrive and develop into a unique breed of cat.
The British cat had a
massive body, round head, velvet plush coat, calming presence,
tenacious nature, and extreme intelligence. The British Cat had
evolved into an imposing creation of feline power and brains.
By the late 1800's cat fancier's in England recognized that their
native cats were uniquely attractive and personable.
The British cat was portrayed
as the King of Cool Cats, complete with dry wit and extraordinary
charm. Imposing in size, cunning, and wisdom, they presented a
bold and dashing feline figure, capturing the imagination and
respect of 19th Century artists and writers.
From the adventures of
the outlandish Puss n' Boots, to the wry-grinning Cheshire Cat
in Alice in Wonderland, the British Shorthair was the model for
these famous feline characters.
In 1871, the first cat
show in the world was held in London's Crystal Palace. British
Shorthair cats won high honors at this show. The show's organizer,
Harrison Ware, documented the presence of an enormous English
Tabby, weighing 21 lb., as one of the contestants and a litter
of "mouse colored" (blue) English kittens were mentioned
as one of the Best Litters in Show.
By 1889, the British Shorthair
was recognized as a unique and special type of cat, when it was
granted recognition as a purebred.
By the turn of the Century,
tastes and times had changed in feline fashion. The Victorian
cat fancier preferred the Persian and Siamese to the British Shorthair
alley-cat. The large, lumbering British cat was not elegant or
exotic so their popularity waned.
With little interest shown
in preserving the breed, the vast variety of colors and patterns
originally associated with the British Shorthair faded away as
British cat fanciers only bred the mouse colored, gray Blue
cats.
Years later, when American
cat fanciers imported British cats to the United States the breed
was named the British Blue, since blue was the only color
of British available.
During World War II, British
Blue cats experienced heavy casualties just like the British people
themselves. British Breeders could not protect and feed their
cats during the war and important breeding cats and their bloodlines
were lost.
The British blue cats
survived but their gene pool had been drastically reduced, so
British breeders desperate on preserving their native cat introduced
Persians into the British breeding program. By outcrossing to
Persians the British Shorthair was successfully saved from near
extinction.
As a result of the Persian outcrossing, the variety and patterns of possible color combinations for the British Shorthair was increased. Today the British Blue is known as the British Shorthair since they can be almost any color or pattern, including Bi-color and tabby.