The Brazilian Shorthair is a breed of cat. It is the first cat breed from Brazil to receive international recognization.

Brazilian Shorthair Cat Origin

Its earliest origins can be traced back to the streets of Brazil. The Brazilian Shorthair is thought to be a descendant of domestic cats brought to Brazil by European colonists. Since going from a feral cat to a purbred, this breed has changed dramatically. The Brazilian Shorthair started out as an experiment and has been developed thanks to Paulo Rusch.

The experimental project involved breeders searching the streets in the cities of Ceara, Rio de Janeiro, and Porto Alegre. Their joint opinion and objective was that Brazil also had a cat with specific characteristics that deserved to be recognized as a unique breed. They recorded their findings, and surprisingly collected similar descriptions of the cats' body shape, coat, head, eyes, nose, muzzle, paws, and tail, which is amazing considering the broad distances between the cities. Based on these similarities, the Brazilian Shorthair breed standard was created. Today Mr. Paulo Ruschi is continuing the program in New York, United States.

Very few people are involved in breeding the Brazilian Shorthair. The breeding of random street cats has been met with much opposition among animal rights activists and professional cat breeders. However, the Brazilian Shorthair is now considered to be a pure breed of cat. The United States currently has the largest population of Brazilian Shorthair cats and breeders.

Brazilian Shorthair Cat Appearence

The Brazilian Shorthair is a medium sized cat of great agility with a round chest, head that is longer than it is wide, medium sized ears, and almond-shaped eyes.

The can be distinguished from the American Shorthair by their sleek and elegant appearance. Yet, they are not as thin as the Siamese. The space between the eyes should be equal to that of one eye. Brazilian Shorthairs have dramatically expressive eyes. They are a medium sized cat; longer than they are tall. Males have bigger heads than females.

Brazilian Shorthair Cat Colors and Coats

The coat is short and lies close to the body. It comes in a wide variety of colors and patterns.

Brazilian Shorthair Temperament

Brazilian Shorthairs are intelligent and thus fast learners. They are active and playful cats and known for their hunting capabilities. Unlike some breeds, which are typically one-man cats, the Brazilian Shorthair is also open to bonding with, and enjoying the companionship, of everyone in the household. If its demands for affection are not met, this frisky, light-hearted cat's temperament can become suspicious and irritable. It may even seek a friendlier owner.