American Shorthair

The American Shorthair earned its place the hard way. Its ancestors came over on ships with the first European settlers, brought along to protect food stores from rats and mice. For generations they were simply the sturdy working cats of farms, barns, and homes across the country.

Fanciers eventually recognized that this hardy native cat deserved a standard of its own, and developed it into a breed while keeping its rugged good health. The result is a solid, muscular, medium-to-large cat with a broad face and a dense coat, the classic silver tabby being the best known.

The temperament is the breed’s calling card. American Shorthairs are easygoing, adaptable, and friendly, equally happy to play or to settle in beside you. They get along with children, dogs, and other cats, and they tolerate change with unusual grace.

They are also famously healthy and long-lived, a legacy of generations of natural selection as working cats. CFA recognized the breed in 1906, originally as the Domestic Shorthair, and it remains one of America’s favorite cats.

The American Shorthair earns its keep as the low-maintenance family cat. It is adaptable and undemanding, equally at home with children, dogs, and quiet retirees, and it takes the comings and goings of a busy household in stride. A weekly brush is about all the coat asks.

Its working-cat heritage shows in robust health and a long life, often into the high teens. The main risks are a tendency to put on weight without enough play and, as in many breeds, a chance of the heart condition HCM, so measured meals, active games, and regular checkups keep it thriving.