British blue shorthair cat

British Shorthair cat - blue coat - photo copyright Helmi Flick

Here is a fantastic British blue shorthair cat photographed by a fantastic cat photographer, Helmi Flick and the cat wrangled by Ken Flick. His name is Earl Grey, the name of a well known and refined English tea.

The blue coat is a dilute form of black (see a description of the term genetic dilution and more: cat coat color dilution). The actual color is a blue/gray. The color could be described more accurately as grey or gray. In the 19th century, when this cat breed started out in the cat fancy, the term "blue" sounded better. Perhaps it still does.

The British blue shorthair cat has been popular throughout the long history of the breed. When the British Shorthair cat is slate blue/gray she looks like the Chartreux, a French cat that also has a long history. The Chartreux is one of the grey cat breeds.

If you'd like to see more of Earl Grey and see more fantastic cats, plus a full description and history etc. please visit: British Shorthair cat. The American Shorthair cat is founded upon the first British Shorthairs imported to North America with the first settlers in 1620 and looks like the Brit SH too.

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