British Longhair

About the breed

The British Longhair is not a separate breed in the strict sense but the long-coated variety of the British Shorthair - the same compact, plush-bodied build and the same calm temperament, just with a longer, semi-long coat. The coat comes from crossbreeding British Shorthairs with Persians (and, according to some sources, Angoras) that breeders used in the first half of the 20th century to improve head shape and coat density. Because the long-hair gene is recessive, longhaired kittens can occasionally appear from two apparently shorthaired parents that both carry a hidden copy of the gene. Registries disagree on how to classify the result: some treat it as its own breed, others as a registration variety of the shorthaired original.

Where the long coat comes from

Long hair is not an original trait of the British breed but the result of deliberate crossbreeding with Persian cats (and, per Purina's breed guide, Turkish Angoras as well), which breeders used to refine head shape and coat density in the British Shorthair. For decades, longhaired kittens produced this way were simply folded into Persian breeding programs, and the British Longhair only emerged as a recognizable line in its own right in the second half of the 20th century. Genetically, the trait traces to a mutation in the FGF5 gene, which prolongs the hair's growth phase; because inheritance is recessive, a longhaired kitten can be born to two shorthaired parents who both carry a hidden copy - something the GCCF's own registration policy accounts for by specifically flagging such shorthaired gene carriers in the pedigree.

Registry recognition

Breed status varies by registry, so it's worth checking which one a given source is describing. TICA lists the longhaired variety as its own recognized breed, called the British Longhair. The GCCF runs a dedicated registration policy for the British Longhair (BLH) - administered by the same breed committee as the Shorthair and allowing interbreeding with it - making it a closely related but formally separate registration category, previously known as the 'British Shorthair Variant'. The CFA does not recognize the longhair coat at all: its official British Shorthair standard explicitly lists an 'overlong or fluffy coat' as a fault. Because of this inconsistency, the breed also appears under names such as Lowlander or Britannica in different sources.

Temperament and personality

Temperament doesn't change with coat length, since both varieties come from the same breeding population. The British Longhair is generally described as calm, even-tempered and independent - neither vocal nor demanding, though it enjoys being near its family on its own terms. It copes well with being left alone during the day, making it a reasonable fit for households that aren't home all the time. It's typically patient with children and other pets, though it does better with calmer children and a gradual introduction to other cats, while getting along with dogs and rabbits is usually straightforward according to breeders' experience.

Coat care and grooming

The main practical difference between the two varieties is coat maintenance. The British Shorthair needs only occasional brushing, while the Longhair's denser, semi-long coat mats more readily - especially around the neck, belly and behind the ears - so brushing several times a week is recommended, more often during the spring and autumn shedding seasons. Even so, this is far less demanding than a Persian, which needs daily brushing for life - the British Longhair is often described as a middle ground between longhaired looks and manageable upkeep.

Health and genetic risks

Because it comes from the same breeding population as the British Shorthair, the Longhair shares its documented hereditary risks. A Danish study (Granström et al., 2011) screened 329 British Shorthair cats and found hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in 20.4% of males and 2.1% of females, a finding that led the Danish body Felis Danica to require cardiac screening for breeding males; because the underlying genetics are shared, the risk is considered relevant to the Longhair too, even though the study itself was conducted on the shorthaired population. The GCCF's own registration policy for the British Longhair additionally sets out a specific testing scheme for polycystic kidney disease (PKD1) - a hereditary condition best known in Persians, and most likely introduced into the breed through the Persian crossbreeding itself. The breed's laid-back nature and tendency toward inactivity also make it prone to excess weight, which adds further strain on the heart and joints.

Body type and activity level

The British Longhair keeps the same compact, muscular body, round head and full cheeks as the Shorthair, with the longer coat simply making it look even plusher. Adults typically weigh from around 3 to 8 kg, with males noticeably larger than females, and the breed doesn't reach full physical maturity until three to five years of age. It's one of the calmer, less active breeds - more inclined to rest and observe than climb or chase - which is another reason weight management matters for its care.

Who this cat suits

Its calm, undemanding nature is often why breeders and pet-care guides recommend it to less experienced cat owners, but the Longhair variety adds a commitment to regular brushing and awareness of the hereditary health risks worth monitoring with a vet. It suits apartments and households without someone home all day, and it generally does well with calmer children and with dogs and rabbits, while a gradual introduction lets it settle in with other cats too.

Pros & cons