At the end of the 1970’s there was discovered occurrences of 
blood disease. Thanks to serious breeders and good veterinarians 
this was eliminated in time by testing of blood samples etc.

In addition the Breed has 3 bloodtypes. A, B & AB. AB has 
been discovered recently, not to be confused with earlier 
belief that AB was A masking B.
This situation is still there. A being the dominant and B the 
recessive type, which means one can get B kittens from A parents 
if they are carrying B.With a very careful planned breeding 
program this should not cause any problem. In addition there 
is a test to establish which bloodtype your cats have.

The British, like most other Shorthair breeds, is an active cat, 
which requires attention from it’s owner, and which in return 
will attach itself strongly to.

It is a calm and careful cat, but you should not think that 
it is a stupid cat, a lazy cat. Far from it, it is just as 
intelligent as all the other breeds, but it has a great advantage 
that it prefers to live life at it’s own calm tempo, 
taking it’s time with decisions before acting them out in reality.

A lot of the time it wont do nothing, but when it decides 
to go into action, it will be with a calm overview of the situation, 
that would make many, also human beings, envious. 
However, if the decision is that it is playtime, it can come up in 
a tempo that you wouldn’t credit for such a heavy cat.

With our modern, hectic lifestyle, the British is an ideal cat, 
with its calm and careful temperament. They love to be together
with the family, without requiring 100% of the attention all the time. They get on well with other animals in the family and they love children. Children are also very happy with the British, 
with it’s constant smiling face.

They are an exceptionally good apartment cat, playful without 
being hyperactive and destructive. The only problem can be 
the people who live underneath who could wonder in there was 
a herd of elephants in your lounge.

There is very little work associated with grooming a British; 
it takes care of itself. In moulting periods, typically spring and autumn, it is a good idea to brush the cat well, partly to remove 
dead hair but also to prevent the cat from swallowing them such 
that they have hairballs that they must get rid of. When the 
brush has done its job, smooth down the coat with a damp hand. 
Most male cats will have a stud tail to contend with but with 
the correct shampoo and care this should be no big problem.

Among the shorthair cats, the British is the largest and most 
well built cat. The coat is short, dense with a good undercoat 
(double coat) crispy. It is a muscular cat with a broad chest; 
the shoulders and back should be broad. The neck is short and strong.
A large head with full round cheeks, and a strong chin. 
A short, broad nose and small rounded ears sitting well apart. 
The eyes are large, round, open and are placed wide apart.

The BRITISH BLUE as it was originally called, was also 
the original colour. Blue (grey) coat, eyes copper to dark orange.

Today the British is recognised in a number of colours and colour combinations such as: Solid (black, blue, chocolate, lilac, red, 
cream and white) with or without white, with stripes, 
spots and rings, with mask etc. Eye colour follows 
the respective colour variety, so if you are in doubt, 
ask the breeder what the standard says for the respective colour

Kittens!
British kittens are large and very active right from birth. 
They are not very dominant, but regards Mothers Milkbar 
as private property. If they are handled before their eyes open, 
they will hiss and spit and as a kind of reflex, but they are 
also very quick to begin purring. Mothers generally give birth 
easily. Mothers are caring and watchful, but will always find 
time to be with their people, despite the large job it is to 
raise a large litter of naughty kittens.

When the eyes open, as a rule within the first week, 
British kittens assume the world to be their own private oyster. 
A great explorer and when they are about 3 weeks old, begin 
to show interest in solid food, you will discover at they are 
greedy for food and play. Nothing can hold back the British kitten 
that thinks that it is a Juggernaut. The coin has the other 
positive side when the kitten is relaxed and in balance with 
itself and the outside world.

Kittens are very attached to their mother and they will seek 
her love and attention for as long as she allows. When they no 
longer can get her undivided attention, they throw themselves 
upon us, the humans, who they love just as much, and 
expect in exchange service all day long, at the slightest wink 
with a whisker. As the kitten grows, will it’s playful nature, 
more or less disappear, but the small kitten will remain inside 
somewhere or other and it is quite impressive to see a 
muscle bound 10kg cat springing after a broom

A British grows in steps and starts and there can be periods 
where it doesn’t look like much. Our exhibition system does 
not really favour a slow developing cat. A perfect example 
of this is our first show/breeding cat EC Valhalla’s Røskva DM, 
the foundation of our blue lines. She won most of her BIV and BIS 
after she could not progress farther in the judging system.

Many feel that there cannot be found a nicer, sweeter cat than 
a British male, whether he is neutered or not. They love to be 
talked to and at home they are the most wonderful giving creatures 
to be found. But one should not underrate the females. 
They can take longer to show their giving side, 
but it comes out, it is there for the rest of their life. 
The British can be a lap cat, but most prefer to sit beside you 
rather than on you. They have an enormous interest in what you 
are doing and absolutely need to be involved in everything, 
reading, writing, cooking, even washing clothes is interesting. 

Many feel that the British is the aristocrat amongst
pedigree cats, and this is not completely incorrect, 
as it is very regal in its behaviour