Brazilian Shorthair
Brazil's first recognised breed, built up from the street cats the Portuguese brought over. Lean, athletic and hardy, without the fragility of a made breed.
Overview
The Brazilian Shorthair is Brazil's first internationally recognised breed, standardised from the street cats of Brazilian cities rather than built from existing pedigrees. It was recognised by the World Cat Federation in 1998.
Like other landrace breeds it is a cat that was already there, selected for consistency rather than assembled from parts, and it carries the wide gene pool that goes with that.
Temperament
Adaptable, sociable and even tempered, which is what several hundred years of urban street life selects for.
They are affectionate without being clingy, get on well with children and with other animals, and they are alert and active. They keep a serious hunting instinct and are happiest with something to chase.
Care and grooming
A weekly brush for the short close coat. Nothing unusual.
The broad foundation means no documented breed specific disorder, and Brazilian Shorthairs are among the longer lived cats on this shelf, with fourteen to twenty years a reasonable expectation. Ordinary preventive care is the whole programme.
Living and exercise
They adapt to flats and to houses, and they enjoy outdoor access where it is safe.
Active enough to want daily play and settled enough not to demand it constantly. A good, unfussy family cat that is still uncommon outside Brazil.
Something here wrong or out of date?