Those who at least once saw a British cat turn into true fans of these graceful animals, endowed with aristocratic habits. Representatives of this breed are distinguished by excellent health and outwardly resemble teddy bears. After reading today's article, you will learn how British cats look and how old they live.
A bit of history
To date, there are several versions of the appearance of this breed. Professional felinologists still argue which one is more reliable. Those who want to understand how long a British cat lives will be interested in the most mysterious story. According to some reports, these are the same animals that once lived in Rome and Egypt. They were brought into the British Isles by legionnaires.
Despite the fact that the British for a long time considered them ordinary yard animals, these aristocratic beauties managed to climb to the very top of the cat's class system. On July 13, 1871, the first cat show was held in London, winning the approval of the English Queen herself, who owned two blue Persians. One of the participants in this event was an English shorthair mouse shade. It is from this moment that we can talk about the appearance of the British breed.
Exterior Features
Those who want to know how long British cats live at home will not hurt to get acquainted with the breed standard. These are medium or large wide-boned, squat animals with well-developed muscles. A distinctive feature of these individuals is a beautiful plush wool. On a large round head are wide-set, slightly rounded ears. Eye color depends on the shade of the fur.
The standard provides several possible tones of the coat. Representatives of this breed can have tortie, bright red, purple, black, white, chocolate, cream and gray-blue fur. A characteristic feature of the British is a muscular body with a broad back, turning into a thick tail, tapering to the end.
Character
Those who want to understand how long a British cat lives will be interested in how these animals behave. Just note that luxurious handsome men have a rather friendly disposition. But, despite their flexible character, they have their own opinion.
During the first meeting, this aristocrat may give the impression of an extremely inhospitable creature. But as soon as she understands with whom she has to deal, she will become more sociable. In addition, representatives of this breed are very freedom-loving and will not suffer inconvenience. They will never lie next to the owner against their will. The British are very mobile and playful. Even at a venerable age, they will not refuse to run after the ball.
Factors Affecting Their Life Span
Those who want to understand how long a British cat lives should remember that this period averages about ten to fifteen years. Representatives of this breed are naturally endowed with excellent health. But still, there are several factors that can extend the life of your pet. It is important to provide your pet with constant care and regular, properly balanced nutrition. It is strictly forbidden to overfeed the animal. Since this can lead to obesity, which entails a host of other health problems.
Castration also affects the life span of an animal . It is proved that cats who undergo such an operation die much later than their relatives. This is due to a reduced risk of cancer. There are cases when castrated cats survived to the age of twenty.
Nutrition and Care
Having figured out how many cats of the British breed live , you need to pay attention to their diet. An adult animal is enough to feed twice a day. In addition, you need to provide him with round-the-clock access to a bowl of clean drinking water. Typically, these cats are picky about food. But this does not mean that they can be given food from the human table. It is important that the animal receives a full, balanced diet and mineral-vitamin nutrition.
Those who decide to give their pet food of industrial production, you need to opt for super-premium feed. Because they contain all the necessary vitamins and minerals.
Those who already understand how long a British cat lives will probably be interested in what kind of care this animal requires. We must say right away that representatives of this breed are quite unpretentious and do not cause any particular problems. It is enough to comb out your pet a couple of times a week, and also monitor the cleanliness of his eyes and ears. In addition, they need to cut their nails periodically.
Bathing the British is recommended as they become soiled. However, you should not do this too often, because water procedures do not give pleasure to your pet.