American Shorthair
The American Shorthair, formerly known as the Domestic Shorthair
is widely believed to have come over on the Mayflower where they were employed in the service of rodent control – a job they kept while living with the colonists and for which they were very much valued. They bred and spread and during the goldrush it is said, you could buy one for $50 – a hefty sum in the middle of the 19th century.
Fairly intelligent, they are easy to train and they adapt well to a variety of circumstances and even to changes within their environment. The cat shown here was taught in one try to leap from pillar to pillar on request and he seemed to enjoy doing it.
Though calm and easy-going they spook readily at sudden movements near them but quickly return to a calm, unruffled state – as if nothing every happened.
They have quiet yet expressive voices but are as apt to show you what they want with silent behavior sans commentary, and they’re good at that.
An American Shorthair in serious distress however can wrench your heart with his plaintive cries. If you hear that, seek a vet. The breed is generally healthy, fairly low maintenance with a tendency to obesity if overfeed but will stay quite lean given an active environment.
Though calm and easy-going they spook readily at sudden movements near them but quickly return to a calm, unruffled state – as if nothing every happened.
American Shorthair
Information in this article was obtained from Natoli’s Cats of the World, Barrons Encyclopedia of Cat Breeds, Desmond Morris’s Cat World and from personal experience.
TICA'S List of American Shorthair Breeders
The American Shorthair was valued for his hunting skills, which he has retained, though most don’t have the opportunity to develop and use them. If you have a situation calling for a mouser, however, you’ll not go wrong with this breed.
The breed is strong, muscular yet very agile. They come in a wide range of colors, many displaying tabby markings. With proper care this cat will remain healthy and live to between 15 and 20 years old. Though at ThirstyCats we recommend adopting, we must still say, hats off to the American Shorthair, an excellent cat for just about any caring home.
Cat Fountain For The American Shorthair
Like most other breeds the America Shorthair responds very well to a cat water fountain and because of the short fur, a simple bubble-up is ideal, unless somehow your shorthair has developed a taste for the faucet (which happens).Our shorthair, Bijou has enjoyed his bubble-up cat fountain for many years. He quietly sits and drinks for several and up to five minutes slaking his thirst.
A favorite of many cats is the bubble-up with a Serenity Flow Cat Tap, as shown below. right.
The great thing about our Cat Taps is that they permit a Bubble-up fountain to be turned into a stream fountain. If your cat doesn’t take to the stream you can return the Tap for a full refund.
Here is a link that will take you to our Bubble-up fountains as available today. That changes twice weekly.
And this link will take you to all our currently available fountains.
