General Description

Although it is not an extremely athletic cat, the American Shorthair has a large, powerfully-built body. According to the breed standard of the Cat Fanciers' Association, the American Shorthair is a true breed of working cat. They have round faces and short ears.

According to the CFA, American Shorthairs are low-maintenance cats that are generally healthy, easy-going, affectionate with owners and social with strangers. Males are significantly larger than females, weighing eleven to fifteen pounds when fully grown. Mature females weigh six to twelve pounds when they achieve full growth at three to four years of age. With a quality diet and plenty of attention, love, and care, they can live 15 years or longer, requiring annual vaccinations and veterinary checkups. These cats have solidly built, powerful, and muscular bodies with well-developed shoulders, chests, and hindquarters.

The American Shorthair is recognized in more than eighty different colors and patterns ranging from the brown-patched tabby to the blue-eyed white, the shaded silvers, smokes and cameos to the calico van, and many colors in between. Some even come in deep tones of black, brown, or other blends and combinations. Generally, only cats showing evidence of crossbreeding resulting in the colors chocolate, sable, lavender, lilac, or the point-restricted pattern of the Siamese family are disqualified from being shown.