Published on 05/5/2008

This perfect family cat is known for its intelligence, quiet disposition, beauty, hardy build, and silent meow.

Adopting Kittens: American Shorthair Appearance and Personality

This perfect family cat is known for its intelligence, quiet disposition, beauty, hardy build, and silent meow.

Physical Description

• This is a cat built to move with power, endurance, and agility
• The general effect is that of a strongly built, well-balanced symmetrical cat
• The cat is surprisingly heavy, even the female, which is slightly smaller than the male
• Achieves full growth at approximately 3-4 years of age with the mature males weighing 11-15 pounds and the mature females weighing 8-12 pounds
• Has a large head with a full-cheeked face giving the impression of an oval just slightly longer than it is wide
• Its eyes have an upper lid shaped like half an almond (cut lengthwise) while the lower lid is a rounded curve
• The unique shape of the eyes help protect them from injury and produces a sweet, wide-open expression
• The medium-length nose curves gently from the bridge to the forehead
• Has a firm chin
• Wide muzzle
• Powerful jaw that enables it to kill its prey with ease
• Coat glistens and is short, thick and hard in texture
• Coat is dense enough to protect the cat from moisture, cold, and brambles if it were to run through the woods
• Everything about the American Shorthair suggests it could take care of itself in the wild
• Known as a cat of many colors, having more than 80 different colors and patterns ranging from handsome brown tabby to glistening blue-eyed white, shimmering shaded cameo to flashy calico, striking tabby and white to subtle dilute and many colors in between
• Most widely recognized American Shorthair color and pattern is the silver classic tabby with dense black markings on a sparkling silver background

Personality

• Very affectionate, but requires constant attention
• Can play happily for a long time with something not visible to the human eye, also have to be part of a communal game, chasing a toy on a string or attacking a waving feather
• They enjoy high places, like the top shelf of a climbing tree, they are easily trained not to jump onto a counter or bookcase
• They quickly learn to use a scratching post instead of furniture
• In general it is a sedate cat
• Once in a while a single cat can make itself sound like a herd of elephants running down the hall, usually when playing with invisible toys
• Most of the time these cats exhibit a quiet patience
• They are successful mouse catchers
• The breed is well known for the silent meow, they frequently walk up to their humans, open their mouth, but make no sound, their humans can easily learn their facial expressions to know what is being said
• They have a subtle humor

Source: The Cat Fanciers’ Association Complete Cat Book, By CFA and Its Associates

Written by: Connie Limon. Visit “Adopting Kittens” at http://smalldogs2.com/AdoptingKittens to find a complete online reference for choosing and caring for the perfect kitten, which matches you and your lifestyle. Learn about litter box training at http://smalldogs2.com/LitterBoxTraining

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