According to one legend, the ancestors of the British appeared in England in the 1st century, when the Romans began to conquer British lands. The main advantage of the British, who lived in those early years, was a dense short coat, which protected them from all kinds of insects and dampness. The breed was officially recognized only in the 19th century in the UK.
Appearance
The appearance standards of the Briton were defined in 1982. A stocky animal with a wide chest, a muscular body, strong, rounded paws and a short, plush-like coat is considered a specimen. A feature of the breed is the presence of a skin fold, rather large, near the head. The nose is small, straight, wide.
Developed chin. The cheeks are chubby and massive. The ears are small neat, in width and height of one size. The medium-sized thick tail is rounded at the tip. The eyes are round, their color depends on the type of color of the breed. The average weight of a cat is from 3 to 5 kg, and that of a cat is from 5 to 7 kg.
Breed colors
There are several shades of the breed of these cats, which are divided into:
- smoky;
- shaded;
- tortoiseshell;
- marble;
- two-tone;
- monochromatic.
A real white Briton has a cold, pure white tone of hair without interspersed yellowness.
The skin is delicate, light pink. Eyes can be blue, orange or different colors.
Character
Cats are wary of strangers and will not allow themselves to be stroked by any person. By liking, the British are like aristocrats and behave with dignity. By nature, restrained, balanced, calm, self-sufficient. They do not require much attention, do not like plentiful caresses. The Briton is white, like all representatives of this breed, very clean. Sometimes they are called "cats of business people", as they easily and calmly endure a long absence of owners and always gladly meet them. They are very fond of all members of the family and are attached to them.
We can say that these are smart animals, they do not spoil furniture, do not hang on curtains, do not climb tables, do not get underfoot, but unobtrusively the British will always be with you. Absolutely do not show any aggression. Obedient and easy to educate. They will never cheat in the wrong place, they will sit and wait until they open the road to the tray. If you suddenly forgot to remove meat or other products, then do not worry, the Briton will not touch them, but will sit at his bowl and wait.
The British cat is white in character - cold-blooded, like an Englishman, and cats are very shy. In unforeseen situations, they behave completely calmly.
Health
All Britons have excellent physical and mental health. Despite the fact that cats have good immunity, they should be protected from any drafts so that they do not catch a cold. Of the diseases, conjunctivitis is most often found. For treatment, veterinarians prescribe drops or ointments. Prevention of the disease is a constant wet cleaning of the room.
British Care
From childhood, kittens need to be accustomed to hygiene procedures (grooming). Regularly inspect teeth, ears, eyes and care for the hair of the animal.
In the morning, a dark coating may appear in the corners of the eyes. It can be easily removed with a cloth dampened with water.
The hair enters the stomach of the cat and settles inside in the form of lumps. In order to avoid clogging of the intestinal passages, from 7 months the Briton should be accustomed to a special paste, which helps dissolve the coat.
Hair care is simple:
- wash your pet no more than 2–4 times a year with special shampoo, blow dry the hair;
- once a week, very carefully comb, without injuring the undercoat, remove dead hairs, it is best to use rubber massage brushes;
- during molting, instead of combing, it should be carried out with a wet hand along the coat;
- The cat loves stroking against hair growth.
Ears should be kept clean. If discharge appears, they are removed with a wet swab. Britons grow hairs at the tips of the ears, they are removed with scissors. Claws are examined and sheared once every two to three weeks. Every six months, worms should be prevented with special drugs.
Knitting
Full puberty occurs in a female at the age of one year. Sometimes a cat begins to be knitted at 10 months, but in this case complications are possible and there is a risk of miscarriage, which lasts from 60 to 70 days. From 1 to 8 kittens are born, depending on the genotype of the cat, childbirth is easy.
Kittens description
White British kittens sometimes have a colored spot that disappears after the first year. This is not a flaw and is permissible for this breed. Cats are caring mothers and spend all their time with kittens. After a week, the eyes open. Starting from the third week, kittens can be fed with liquid food. Little Britons quickly become plump. Growing up slowly. Females reach their peak by the age of five. They live up to 20 years.
Little kittens look a lot like teddy bears, energetic from birth. Unlike other breeds:
- the kitten has a strong body, a wide breast and strong legs;
- the head is round, chubby cheeks, rounded straight ears, round eyes of a swamp or bluish-gray color, the shade of the eyes changes by the age of one;
- the tail is plump, plump and rounded at the tip;
- thick coat of the same length of about 2 cm.
In order to determine the sex of the kitten, it must be put on the back and feel the place under the tail.
The color of the kittens is different, the most common monophonic colors: black, red, cream, blue, purple and white. In adult cats having such colors, eyes are amber or orange. And only a white Briton (photo below) can have a multi-colored eye color.
At the age of two to four months, the kittens are very mischievous and can bully.
Real british
Wanting to acquire a British kitten, future owners are always interested in the shape of his ears, whether they are hanging or standing straight.
The parents of a British kitten must be purebred, and their ears are straight. There is no breed called lop-eared Briton white or another color.
Kittens with saggy ears belong to a completely different breed of cat called the Scottish Scottish Straight and has two types: erect and fold.
The lop-eared Scottish cat line began in 1961, when one of them mutated, and ears spontaneously hung. The owner began to apply breeding methods and crossed it with ordinary cats. As a result, both lop-eared and erect kittens were born. After a long selection, Scottish cats got their current look.
Outwardly, they differ from the British in the size and shape of the body, the length of the tail and paws, the type of ears that fit snugly to the head, the tips of which are tilted forward and down. After mating a British female and a Scottish male with straight ears, the kitten is considered a Scottish breed.
Brit white
The first feature of cats of this breed is the perfect color of the skin. Coat uniform coloring throughout the body of the pet. Secondly, only white Britons have eyes of different colors:
- An orange-rusty hue.
- It is rare to see cats with blue eyes. This color of the eye is considered a defect. Owners of such eyes do not participate in breeding offspring to preserve the breed. However, a white Briton with blue eyes is very popular among breeders.
- Both eyes are of different colors. One is blue and the other is red. There is a belief that cats with such eyes bring good luck. They are also called "royal."
Caring for a white Briton is the same as for pets of a different color. It is periodically washed with the use of special shampoos and combed out.
But they are very whimsical in food. For lunch, they should be served diced and slightly scalded raw meat.
In some sources, there is an opinion that you can not happen to the British the same white color. The reason is that the risk of giving birth to deaf offspring is increasing. Other sources disprove these findings. Briton white is a rare coat color of this breed.
Scientific studies show that with blue eyes, a white Briton is often hard of hearing. And some argue that cats' vision depends on coat color. And its white color suggests that the cat is hard of hearing. In fact, this is far from the case. Even a cat with blue eyes is not always deaf. If pets have a different eye color and one of them is blue, then the likelihood that it will be deaf is high. Although there are exceptions, a white Brit with blue round eyes can hear.
How to choose a kitten?
When choosing a pet, you should familiarize yourself with the conditions in which the kitten was and grew. And also you need to pay attention to appearance.
A healthy cat has shiny hair, a wet nose, an open slightly playful and naive look. The kitten should smell like milk.
The cost of kittens
In specialized nurseries a fairly large selection of Britons. The cost of a kitten depends on its color and class:
- Show. Elite kittens of this class are an example of the British breed. Their cost starts from 40 thousand rubles.
- Brid. Kittens of this class have subtle flaws. Basically, they are bought as future producers of offspring, since with a correctly selected pair, kittens of the highest class may well turn out. The price starts from 22 thousand rubles.
- Pet. The British of this class have significant shortcomings and do not meet the requirements of the breed standard, although these are very beautiful kittens. They are bought as pets and as an affectionate friend. Cost - from 6 thousand rubles.
In the range from 3 to 5 thousand rubles, you can buy a pet without a pedigree.
All pets, especially the white Briton, love their owners and especially need reciprocal feelings.