At what age can a British Shorthair cat be bred?

It is generally recommended to wait until a British Shorthair is fully grown before breeding. They reach sexual maturity around 6 to 7 months and start going into heat, but their bodies are not yet physically mature then, so breeding can affect the development of the cat and its kittens and easily leads to difficult labor, weak or stillborn kittens.

Kittens born under those conditions may be underdeveloped, small and have a low survival rate. British Shorthairs usually reach physical maturity around 12 months, by which time their bodies are fully developed and the risk of breeding is relatively low.