Emma Jones
The British Longhair is the long-haired variant of the British Shorthair. The character of the two breeds does not differ. They are extremely engaging, people-oriented comrades, who are very well suited for families with children after an appropriate period of acclimatization. Due to their calm, relaxed nature, they get along with anyone who approaches them in a friendly manner. The island beauty loves her people, with whom she forms a strong bond.
British Longhair: Character
The British Longhair has a friendly and balanced personality. She loves her people warmly and dearly and also likes to emphatically demand cuddles from them. At the same time, she is very intelligent, playful, and curious, but only has a moderate urge to move, which she can live out well with play and climbing opportunities if she is kept indoors. She prefers to stay with her family and wants to be kept busy. Due to a high-stress tolerance, which is untypical for cats, the British Longhair gets along well with conspecifics, children, and, with appropriate socialization, dogs.
Attitude and care
Anyone who thinks that the British Longhair needs special care because of their half-long coat is wrong. However, regular brushing sessions are still mandatory for the Brit and also strengthen the bond between humans and cats. Otherwise, the friendly velvet paw needs the undivided attention of its people and wants to be occupied with playing and cuddling units. Even if the British Longhair cat can be kept purely as an apartment cat, it is happy about a secure balcony and also likes to take advantage of the opportunity to go outside. However, she usually does not stray too far from home, because after all she loves her family and values her home according to the motto “My home is my castle”.
Colors of the British Longhair
The British Longhair comes in more than 300 colors. The variety of colors is just as great as with the British Shorthair and ranges from black, white, and brown to the thinning fawn and lilac to black and white or tricolor cats. The most important color variants are Colorpoint, chinchilla, torby, tabby, tortie, and two-tone, i.e. white in combination with any other color. The Brit’s coat is half-length with a lot of undercoats, which gives it its plush appearance.
British Longhair: History
The British Longhair has not been around as a breed for that long, although kittens with half-length hair were regularly born among the British Shorthair. This is due to the fact that when the British Shorthair was bred, Persian cats that carry the gene for a longer coat were crossed again and again. However, this genetic predisposition may only show up in litters of many later generations, as in the case of the long-haired British Shorthair. In the past, the long-haired kittens were not popular with breeders and they were given away to lovers. Even today, many umbrella organizations refuse to recognize the expressive British Longhair as a separate breed.
British Longhair: Peculiarities
In addition to her high-stress tolerance, the beauty, also known as the “Highlander”, has another characteristic that is not typical for cats: she likes to play with water.