shorthair

Asian Shorthair

Origin: United Kingdom

A British breed with the build and devoted, chatty personality of the Burmese but in a far wider palette of colours and patterns — essentially a Burmese in every coat the standard allows, and the short-haired counterpart of the Tiffanie.

Origin: United Kingdom
Category: shorthair
Lifespan: 13–18 yrs
Size: Medium
Weight: 4–7 kg
Coat: Short, fine, close-lying single coat with a satin sheen
Colours: Self, smoke, shaded, tabby and tortie in a wide range of Asian-group colours

😺 Temperament

AffectionateTalkativePeople-orientedIntelligent

🏡 Best suited to

FamiliesCompanion seekersMulti-pet homesApartment living

📊 Personality ratings

Activity level 4/5

Grooming needs 1/5

Friendliness 5/5

Vocality 4/5

Intelligence 4/5

📜 History & origin

The Asian group was created in Britain in the early 1980s following the same accidental Chinchilla-Persian × Burmese mating that produced the Burmilla. Breeders set out to fix the Burmese 'foreign' type and temperament onto cats of many different colours and patterns, and the Asian Shorthair is the result — recognised by the GCCF as a group that includes selfs (the Bombay-like black self), smokes, shadeds (the Burmilla), and tabbies. It is sometimes simply called the Asian, and remains largely a British and European breed.

🧼 Care & grooming

The short, satiny coat is almost maintenance-free, needing little more than an occasional brush or a wipe with a chamois to keep its shine. What this breed really needs is company and stimulation: like its Burmese ancestors, the Asian Shorthair is highly social, intelligent and vocal, forms intense bonds with its people, and can become bored or lonely if left alone for long stretches. Plenty of interactive play, climbing space and ideally a second cat keep it happy.

🩺 Health notes

A generally robust breed, but its Burmese and Persian heritage means responsible breeders screen for polycystic kidney disease (PKD) and watch for inherited conditions associated with the Burmese line. With DNA-screened parents, good preventive veterinary care and attention to dental health, the Asian Shorthair typically enjoys a long and healthy life.

Fun fact: The all-black 'self' version of the Asian Shorthair is essentially the British equivalent of the Bombay — a sleek, panther-like cat bred to look like a miniature black leopard.