The ancestors of the American Shorthair are the cats that came to North America with the early pioneers from Europe. These first cats were brought along to hunt rats that ate the ship's food supplies and spread diseases to humans.

They eventually established themselves as the native North American shorthaired cat. Over the years, these cat were developed by breeders to become the breed we know today. They are healthy cats, easy going and affectionate. Males weight eleven to fifteen pounds and the mature females weight eight to twelve pounds.

Photo courtesy of www.corbis.com

Go to the American Shorthair Links Page for links to books, information and Associations

Click on the links below to get to a breeder in your area. The number in the "#" section represent the number of breeders for a region.

British Columbia
Quebec