# A few questions (British Shorthair)



## petlion (Feb 19, 2014)

I recently got a british shorthair kitten from a breeder and have a few questions about the appearance of the kitten, hope someone can give me some answers! He is 11 weeks old and is male.

1. Do his cheeks become fuller as he grows to give a rounder appearance? Why is it that the parents have very round cheeks (the feature I look for) but my kitten has more of a 'sharper' face?

2. His fur is very fuzzy like and not smooth and plush... when does his fur start to smooth out?

3. Do most kittens turn out looking like their parents?

4. How do you tell if a british shorthair kitten is show-quality?

Thanks!


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## gskinner123 (Mar 10, 2010)

It's quite difficult to answer your questions without sounding vague but the truth is that even very experienced breeder/exhibitors often can't be really sure how a kitten will develop, how s/he might look as an adult or if s/he might fulfill their hopes when it comes to being show quality.

But to try and answer your questions best I can - British Shorthair kittens at that sort of age often haven't yet filled out in their face to give the more rounded, typical appearance of a British Shorthair. Some lines are very slow to develop in that way; others aren't... and some may never look particularly broad in the muzzle/round faced even as mature adults. At 11 weeks he still has a 'baby' coat; it will change, gradually over the next few months.

Some kittens may end up resembling a parent; some don't AT all.

It really is impossible to say, without writing reams and reams, what you'd look for in terms of show potential. Are you hoping to show him? I see you already have him at home at 11 weeks old - has the breeder registered him and provided you with a registration certificate and pedigree?


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## pipje (Jun 29, 2011)

listen to gskinner, she knows what she's talking about. 
bsh kittens can take a while to fill out. mine only started maturing after one year old
I would also be worried with the 11-week thing


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## petlion (Feb 19, 2014)

Hi, thanks so much for the info, it's been very helpful. No, I am not looking to show him, however the breeder had promised me a show-quality kitten at a higher cost, therefore I want to find out if I have received what I asked for. I wanted a kitten with a round face with bigger cheeks, and was surprised to find that my kitten did not seem to have the quality of the parents (the father was a supreme grand champion). 

Is it a big concern that I have him home at 11 weeks old? The breeder assured this was no problem. However, she did not provide me with any registration certificates or pedigree, I wonder if I need to ask for this.

Thanks for your help!


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## moggie14 (Sep 11, 2013)

Oh dear, is the breeder definitely registered? With a prefix?
GCCF recommends kittens are not rehomed prior to 13 weeks old and after full vaccinations.
They also state you should have your paperwork when you take the kitten.

Could you have been conned?


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

petlion said:


> <snip>
> 
> Is it a big concern that I have him home at 11 weeks old? The breeder assured this was no problem. However, she did not provide me with any registration certificates or pedigree, I wonder if I need to ask for this.
> 
> Thanks for your help!


From http://www.gccfcats.org/pdf/ethics.pdf:



> *Transfer of Registration - Section 1 Rule 10*
> 10a When a cat or kitten is advertised or sold as a pedigree cat or kitten, the breeder shall, at the time of sale, provide the purchaser with a properly completed pedigree signed by the breeder, carrying 3 generations at least showing all the breed numbers and registration numbers and also the breeder's name and address. If the vendor is not the breeder, the pedigree must additionally be signed by the vendor. _If the cat/kitten is not registered, a copy of the mating certificate (Rule 3d) shall be supplied by the vendor to the new owner._
> 
> 10b. If, at time of sale, the cat or kitten is registered the seller shall provide the purchaser with a transfer form, duly completed and signed by the seller,unless it is jointly agreed in writing by both parties at the time of sale not to do so.


The bit in italics lets you register the kitten yourself. If you are going to show the cat or kitten has to be registered in your name, so either it was registered when you brought it and you have transfered the registration to your name, or it was supplied with the information required to register it.

The main registry in the UK is the GCCF. It has lists of all prefixes, plus those which are under some form of suspension. Links on this page: http://www.gccfcats.org/prefixes.html


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## petlion (Feb 19, 2014)

Hi, thanks for the concern, I'm pretty sure she is a registered breeder because I met her at a cat show. I'm actually from the U.S. and we don't have a GCCF here, but I've seen many of her cats have appeared on TICA rankings. I'm not trying to show the cat, so I'm not sure if I should ask if my cat has been registered.


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

petlion said:


> Hi, thanks for the concern, I'm pretty sure she is a registered breeder because I met her at a cat show. I'm actually from the U.S. and we don't have a GCCF here, but I've seen many of her cats have appeared on TICA rankings. I'm not trying to show the cat, so I'm not sure if I should ask if my cat has been registered.


Ah - so all our GCCF-centric answers are no use to you. It's quite possible to ring TICA - I have done that - and their website might be helpful about registration and so on.

It might be worth amending your profile so your posts show you are in the US.


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## Cookieandme (Dec 29, 2011)

From the TICA website http://www.tica.org/members/publications/brochures/kitten.pdf

Still says 12 weeks or older.


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