American Shorthair

1 American Shorthair Breed Overview

Among cat breeds, the American Shorthair is hugely popular with cat lovers. Its honest, good-natured looks are enough to make us want to bring one home. Below we discuss the American Shorthair breed, along with its price and how to buy one.

2 American Shorthair Physical Characteristics

The American Shorthair is beautiful in appearance, with a strong and healthy body and a calm personality. Generally, its lifespan can reach 15 to 20 years. A kitten takes 3 to 4 years to fully grow into an adult cat; males are noticeably larger than females, with males weighing 5.5 to 7.5 kg and females 4 to 6 kg.

The American Shorthair comes in more than 80 colors and patterns, from brown tabby to pure white with blue eyes, and from agate to tortoiseshell, among which silver tabby is the most familiar American Shorthair color. An ideal American Shorthair should have a strong, well-proportioned build, medium to large in size; although females are less stocky than males, the overall balance should match that of males.

The body is slightly longer than it is tall. Seen from the side, the body is divided into three equal parts, and the tail length equals the distance from the shoulder to the base of the tail. The head is large with full cheeks, medium-sized ears with slightly rounded tips, and the distance between the ears is twice the distance between the eyes. The forehead is smooth with a moderate bump at the top; viewed from the front, there is no obvious raised area between the ears. The eyes are large and round; the upper eyelid is like an almond split in the middle, while the lower eyelid is round, with the outer corner set higher than the inner corner, and the eyes are bright, clear, and alert. The nose is of medium length; seen from the side, the slightly inward-curved bridge runs from the forehead to the nose tip. The cheekbones are strong, and the chin is firm and well-developed, level with the upper lip. The neck is of medium length, strong and muscular. The legs are sturdy, the paws round with thick pads. The coat is short, thick, and even, with a fairly hard texture.

The American Shorthair’s coat is short and thick, relatively hard, and dense, protecting against moisture, cold, and skin damage. There are over a hundred coat colors, and the CFA recognizes 62 of them, including white, black, blue, red, brown tabby, silver tabby, red tabby, blue tabby, patched tabby, bicolor, and tortoiseshell.

American Shorthair cats shed every day, just as people lose about 30 hairs a day. If your cat is long-haired, you must brush it every day. For a short-haired cat, having cat hair flying around is a bit strange, but cats differ in constitution, so you can try brushing daily and see how it goes; if a great deal of hair still falls out, you should reconsider the nutrition you are giving your American Shorthair. In fact, among the top 10 cat foods, not every one suits every American Shorthair.

The above covers the physical characteristics of the American Shorthair and how to care for its coat. If you want to keep an American Shorthair, bring one home soon, because this lovely cat will surely add endless joy to your life.

3 American Shorthair Personality Traits

The American Shorthair has an honest, adorable appearance and a similarly sweet personality, being people-oriented and affectionate. As long as you treat it gently and lovingly in daily care, it will become very close to the whole family. If you have children, there is no need to worry, as the American Shorthair is also very friendly toward kids.

The American Shorthair’s personality

A mischievous little athlete

Perhaps inheriting the rat-catching skills of its ancestors on cargo ships, the American Shorthair’s athletic talent shows from birth. Even before opening their eyes, these little ones use their mother’s belly as a playground, and you will find them changing positions even while nursing. Therefore, you rarely see a young American Shorthair sitting still. This athleticism calms somewhat with age, but you can never ask an American Shorthair to sit motionless all day, so playing with them often is the best way to build a bond. Of course, they are also very sensible and will never shout loudly demanding you drop what you are doing; when they want something, these clever little ones simply sit quietly by their favorite toy, looking at you with wide eyes.

A custom-made all-around cat

To a cat lover, the American Shorthair is simply all-around, possessing every fine quality of a cat. It can be coy, playful, calm and independent, or tender by turns. These extremely smart little ones always know what you mean and exactly what they should do. Beyond that, their strong adaptability lets them accept any environment calmly. They get along with other cat breeds and even dogs, and playing with children is their favorite. Their neat short coat, elegant figure, athletic build, and independent yet gentle nature make them easy and pleasant to keep, so if you long for such a life, the American Shorthair will help you achieve it rather than become a burden.

The most economical cat

The American Shorthair is not only beautiful but also very robust, rarely falling ill. Normally, its average lifespan reaches 15 to 20 years. For such a healthy fellow, a single annual visit to the vet for a routine check-up is enough, saving the owner a great deal in medical bills. Because of this, this healthy cat also earns a place among the longer-lived breeds.

Caring for the American Shorthair

For an American Shorthair with a beautiful coat, grooming is very simple. As long as you set aside a little time each day to hold it in your arms and gently stroke it with warm hands, that is the best care, because it helps distribute the oils the coat needs, making the fur shinier.

American Shorthairs accumulate many hairballs in their stomachs, so regularly feeding them hairball paste helps clear the hairballs and care for their digestion.

The American Shorthair has a gentle personality that does not change with environment or mood. They are always patient and amiable, never lose their temper, and dislike loud noise, making them very suitable for families with children.

The American Shorthair is extremely energetic, unlike other cats that are always lazy. So it is best to have cat trees or similar furniture at home for it to burn off energy.

Overall, the American Shorthair is especially easy to keep, with no need to worry about a difficult personality clashing with children or about grooming. If you have kids and little time to groom a cat daily, the American Shorthair is your best choice. Of course, since you have brought a cat home, treat it like family and spend time with it, or it will be sad.

4 American Shorthair Care Tips

When buying an American Shorthair, many cat lovers worry not only about whether they can keep it well and handle daily care, but also about the difference between the American Shorthair and the British Shorthair. Let us hear what the editor has to say.

5 American Shorthair Feeding Guidelines

As one of the ten most popular cats, although the American Shorthair is easy to keep, rarely ill, and adorably dim-witted, the nutrition you give it is still essential. So what should an American Shorthair eat normally? The editor explains below.

Feeding misconceptions about the American Shorthair

Cats love fish most

Nutrition experts point out that fish provides cats with good protein and other nutrients, but too much fish can harm a cat’s health. For example, tuna contains large amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids and requires considerable vitamin E to prevent the fats from going rancid. If a cat eats a diet with excess tuna long-term, it may develop yellow fat disease, caused by insufficient vitamin E in the food, forming a yellow substance deposited in body fat that produces a painful inflammatory reaction. The key to preventing this disease is to feed a complete and balanced diet while avoiding overfeeding tuna.

Cats need milk

Nutritionists tell us cats can get the water and some carbohydrate-derived calories they need from milk, but cats cannot survive on milk alone. Moreover, many adult cats are lactose intolerant, lacking lactase and unable to digest the lactose in milk, so a few hours after drinking it they may have soft stools or diarrhea. If diarrhea occurs, the intestines cannot fully absorb water and nutrients. So cats can drink a moderate or small amount of milk, but kittens absolutely do not rely on milk to grow and develop.

Cats can be vegetarian

Many vegetarians think their beloved cat can live on a vegetarian diet like them. Although cats occasionally nibble houseplants, that does not mean they like plants as their only food. Nutritionists say if a cat eats only grains or plants, it cannot get all the nutrients needed for health; therefore, a vegetarian diet cannot make a healthy, lively cat. The main reason is that cats themselves cannot synthesize the taurine and arachidonic acid needed for health, which only come from animal meat and fat, so cats cannot live on a vegetarian diet.

Cats can eat only one kind of cat food

Some dry cat foods on the market are made for different needs, such as hairball formula, sensitive-stomach formula, sensitive-skin formula, gum-health formula, urine-stone-prevention formula, and long-haired Persian formula. Owners can choose according to the American Shorthair’s different needs.

Caring for the American Shorthair

The American Shorthair has short nasal passages and tears throughout the day, easily leaving tear stains around the eyes, especially noticeable on light-colored cats. In fact, daily cleaning easily removes them: simply wipe the eyes with a warm towel each day. Or mix equal parts starch and boric acid powder and pat it onto the tear stains; the powder absorbs the stain and has a bleaching effect.

Another method: dissolve one large spoon of boric acid powder in a cup of boiling water and stir. Place a small container with makeup remover pads inside, pour the solution over the pads, then pour off the excess and cover the container. Each day take one pad to bleach and remove tears and prevent stain buildup. Remember to replace the pads weekly to prevent bacteria from growing over time and causing infection.

For stubborn stains already on the face, use the equal-parts starch and boric acid powder described above: mix with water into a paste, apply carefully to the stain and let dry naturally, then brush off and wipe clean. Be careful not to let the powder get into the eyes.

These powder particles getting into the eyes can cause corneal ulcers. Boric acid powder is easy to find at ordinary Western pharmacies.

Both cats and dogs can have tear stains. Beyond daily care for the American Shorthair, also pay attention to diet, and do not feed it human food, especially chili and salt, which are the main culprits of tear stains. Owners must keep this in mind for the sake of their little ones at home.