When European colonizers first came to America, they arrived in ships – and they brought cats with them! These hardy mousers were the predecessors to the breed we know and love today as the American Shorthair cat.
As time passed, other cat breeds made their way to America, and of the American Shorthair gained recognition as a distinct breed with different characteristics that set it apart from the rest.
The original bloodline was strengthened by an infusion of British Shorthair DNA. Still, American Shorthair cats have rounder, softer body shapes then their cousins from across the pond. You probably won’t be surprised to learn that American Shorthairs starred in the first cat show ever held in the United States, in 1895.
Cat fanciers recorded the first-ever breeding between two American Shorthair cats in 1904. Since then, this breed has remained one of the most popular in the United States.