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About the American Shorthair

Origin: United States
American Shorthair cat
Photo from The Cat API
View American Shorthair breedersSee American Shorthair kittens

No breeder is on record here yet. Portugal’s FIFe member club does not list this breed in its breeder directory at all, so an absence here says nothing about whether anyone breeds it in Portugal.

Typical life span
15-20 years
Size
Medium — from its typical weight
Weight
5-6.8 kg
Height
28-36 cm
Registry status
Recognised by TICA
Breed group
Short-haired
Origin
United States
Known hereditary risks
3 documented conditions, with the test for each

About

What is a American Shorthair?

Medium to large muscular cat with a round face, short dense coat, and powerful build. Known for its easy-going temperament and exceptional hunting abilities.

American Shorthair history and origins

Descended from cats brought to North America by European settlers to protect cargo from rats. One of the first five breeds recognized by the CFA. Originally called the Domestic Shorthair, renamed in 1966 to distinguish from random-bred cats.

American Shorthair appearance and size

Typically 5-6.8 kg and 28-36 cm at the shoulder — published as one range rather than separately for males and females.

American Shorthair temperament and personality

Generally described as active, curious, easy going, playful, calm and adaptable.

That is the breed in general, not a promise about one animal. Ask the breeder what their own line is like, and meet the parents before you decide.

Background

The American Wirehair arose as a natural genetic mutation within an American Shorthair litter in 1966, so the two breeds share almost identical body structures, temperaments, and overall health profiles. The fundamental difference lies almost entirely in their fur texture and grooming requirements.

Breed reference from The Cat API.

Pros & cons

Pros & cons for the American Shorthair

What you get with the American Shorthair

  • Commonly described as: “Active, Curious, Easy Going, Playful”

What you are taking on

  • One serious inherited condition is documented, in heart & circulation. The health guide tab has the test to ask a breeder for.

Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. The Cat API; Cornell Feline Health Center — Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.

Characteristics

Temperament

ActiveCuriousEasy GoingPlayfulCalmAdaptable

Breed-level information from The Cat API. It describes the American Shorthair in general; any individual animal can differ.

Health guide

Health & screening guide for the American Shorthair

Known hereditary risks for the American Shorthair breed, and the specific documentation to request from any breeder before paying a deposit. A responsible breeder will have these readily available; deflection is a red flag.

3 conditions documented

Health checklist (PDF)

Heart & circulation

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)

Serious

A thickening of the heart muscle that can lead to heart failure or sudden death. It has long been reported as inherited in a family of American Shorthairs, and the breed is regularly named alongside Maine Coon and Ragdoll as predisposed. Unlike those two breeds, no breed-validated DNA marker exists for American Shorthair, so genetic testing cannot rule it out.

What to ask for

No breed-validated DNA test exists — ask for a recent echocardiogram, read by a cardiologist, on both parents

2 sources

Bones & joints

Protruding sternum

Monitor

An outward or inward bend in the lower chest bone. CFA notes it is seen mostly in oriental-type breeds but has also been observed, less often, in American Shorthairs. An outward protrusion is typically harmless; an inward one can press on the chest cavity and needs veterinary assessment.

What to ask for

No DNA test exists — ask for a veterinary chest exam noting sternum conformation, on both parents

1 source

Eyes

Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA rdAc, CEP290) — minor, secondary finding

Monitor

A 2009 genetic survey found the CEP290 mutation responsible for inherited blindness in Abyssinian and Somali cats also present, at low frequency, in American Shorthairs. This is a minor secondary finding rather than an established clinical problem in the breed, but the same DNA test used in the higher-risk breeds can be run if a line's ancestry is of particular concern.

What to ask for

UC Davis VGL PRA rdAc (CEP290) DNA test result, on both parents (optional; lower priority than in Abyssinian-group breeds)

2 sources

Gallery

No photographs yet

This is where American Shorthair owners’ own photographs will go, from the pet profiles they keep here. Nobody has added one to a public page yet.

A photograph in a pet profile stays private to its owner. We will not put one here unless they ask us to.

Kittens

No kittens listed right now

No American Shorthair breeder has a record on this platform yet, so there is nothing to list. That is a gap in our coverage, not a fact about the breed.

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