Overall physical description of the British Shorthair

The British Shorthair is a compact and powerful built-balanced cat with a sturdy and muscular body, a broad chest, strong short and straight legs with round paws.
The tail is thick at the base and is round at the end.
The head is round with a good small space between the ears. Round cheeks, firm chin, large round and open eyes and a short broad nose. The coat is short and dense.

Head: Round face with full cheeks and a broad skull with round bone structure. The neck is short and thick.

Nose: The nose itself should be short, broad and straight. A profile with a rounded forehead, merging into a short straight nose with a transition (starting nose) which shouldn’t be too pronounced, (no stop) but a slight curve.

Chin: A fully solid and broad chin. A deviation from this results in a fault. The teeth must be balanced. The line from the nose point to the tip of the chin should be straight.

Ears: Small, wide at the base, rounded at the top, wide apart so that they do not interfere the contours of the head. The exterior of the ear should be well coated, the inside not too much.

Eyes: Large, round and well opened. Wide apart and horizontally, no tendency to Oriental forms.

Body: Compact body with a short straight back. Deep chest and low on the legs. The body should be as solid as the shoulders and the size should be medium to large.

Legs and feet: Short legs, straight and firm. Round feet.

Tail: Thick tail of medium length. On the base it should be broader than at the rounded end.

Coat: Short, firm touch, dense, resilient coat. A soft or too long and loose coat is incorrect.

Condition: Excellent physical condition and the cat should give an alert and vital impression.