European Shorthair Cats

a pretty european shorthair giving a cat pout for the camera

A tabby european shorthair lying down with its paws crossed

A lovely european shorthair cat looking grumpy

A european shorthair with a tricolour coat

History

The European Shorthair cat breed was developed in Sweden by breeding attractive non-pedigreed housecats to achieve a strong shorthaired cat with a rounded face. This breed was developed with an old Roman breed in mind. This old Roman breed spread across Europe as the Roman Empire spread. These old cats were known for being good mousers, with many farms across Europe having had European Shorthair as they were good at protecting grain stores from mice.

Today this breed is popular in Europe, with Finland and Sweden having the most breeders.

Behaviour

Because the European Shorthair has been developed from unpedigreed house cats (which all have varying and different temperaments) it is difficult to summarise accurately the behaviour of this breed. Generally this is an active breed that needs lots of space. Some individuals will be happier living an outdoors life, catching mice. Some may prefer to be indoors with their owner receiving unlimited strokes and cuddles. They are generally quite adaptable, and get on well with other pets. These are independant cats, and they can sometimes be wary of strangers but will be loyal to their owners.