American Shorthair Cat and Kitten Information

The American Shorthair cat has a protective dense and thick short coat. They shed in the spring. Coat colors can range from brown, white, smoke, silver to calico. In fact, over eighty different colors are recognized. The most famous is the silver tabby, silver with dark black markings.

This is a healthy, hearty, solid built cat with agility and endurance. They have thick hind legs and a wide, deep chest. The head is oblong and the face is fairly wide. Their eyes are round and they come in various colors, the stand out being the silver tabby.

Health

Cats who reside in the house should generally visit the veterinarian yearly, unless health problems are evident. Cats who enjoy the outdoors may need to see the vet as many as four times a year. When you take your cat to the vet, be sure to bring along a fresh stool sample so the vet can do a fecal exam to check for internal parasites such as tapeworm, round worm, whip worms and hook worms.

The vet can also check for fleas, and you can decide on what to do about Heartworm. The vet should check for ear mites, and oral health. Decisions about vaccinations can be made at this time. Cats who are eight years plus are considered geriatric and additional blood and urine tests may be necessary to catch any health problems. At about six months of age, the kitten should also be examined for sexual maturity and decisions about birth control should be made.

History

The ancestor of all domestic cats is the African Wildcat, the genus Felis Lybica. This genus is comprised of smaller cats. Cats are thought to have been domesticated with the advent of farming and the storage of grain. The grain attracted rats and other vermin which naturally attracted wild cats. As time evolved, certain of these cats were domesticated for the mutual benefit of both cat and man. The African Wildcat has certain features which is obvious in the housecat of today.

The American Shorthairs are believed to have arrived in America about 400 years ago on ships from England. They are though to have been British Shorthairs. They were onboard the ships to control rats and help save the food supplies of the travelers. Over time bloodlines became diluted but were brought back by intense selective breeding.

Special Considerations

This is the most popular breed of cat
Known to be lon women's coats g lived and have good health
Medium to large sized
Good with children
Take well to training
Can get along well with behaved dogs
Can take long to mature, as long as 3 to 4 years
Good hunters
Males run larger than females
Watch how much food is allowed, weight can be a problem

Some terms used to describe the American Short Hair cat include beauty, hardy, strong, well balanced, mild temperament, hardy, gentle and affectionate.

American Shorthair Registries

National American Shorthair Club
American Shorthair Club Japan
Cat Fanciers Association CFA
International Cat Association TICA
The Traditional Cat Association, Inc TCA
Canadian Cat Association CCA
The Australian Cat Federation Inc
The American Association of Cat Enthusiasts AACE
American Cat Fanciers Association ACFA
Cat Fanciers Association CFA
United Feline Organization UFO
Cats United International

American Shorthair Kittens

Unlike puppies, kittens should not be separated from their mother until twelve to sixteen weeks of age. Very important emotional, mental, medical and developmental stages that the kitten needs to experience happen during this time period and should not be curtailed. Kittens separated from their mother at too young an age often fail to gain weight fast enough, have immunity problems because they have not had enough mothers milk, have eating and eliminating problems, and can have socialization problems.

Every cat and kitten is an individual so not everything in this information may be correct for your cat or kitten. This information is meant as a good faith guideline only.