Cat Arrived on Mayflower

This American Shorthair Cat Arrived on Mayflower

Tetsu Yamazaki, Animal Photography

Like so many other immigrants to the United States, the ancestors of the American Shorthair arrived by ship. They had one job to do once they disembarked: Rid homes, farms, and businesses of mice and other small vermin. There’s no doubt that they came over on the Mayflower, and it’s likely that earlier settlers, such as those at Jamestown, also brought cats with them to the New World.

During the 19th century, cat shows became popular and domestic shorthairs — as they were originally called — were exhibited alongside pedigreed cats. Breeders eventually began to select for the specific traits that now define the American Shorthair: a large head, a face with full cheeks and a sweet expression, a wide muzzle, a powerful jaw, and that coat of many colors. In 1966, the cats were given the name American Shorthair to differentiate them from random-bred felines. They are now the eighth most popular breed registered by the Cat Fanciers Association.

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All the best,

Grier

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