The pedigree twin of the everyday house cat: just as sturdy and down to earth, but with papers and natural colours only.
The European Shorthair looks just like the cat you see in gardens all over Europe. Yet it is a true breed. Breeders in Sweden and Finland wanted to keep the ordinary shorthaired cat just as it was. A pedigree European has papers, no other breed mixed in, and natural colours only. By nature it is balanced, playful and a keen hunter.
Attached to its people and friendly, without being clingy.
Enjoys a cuddle, but is too independent to be a real lap cat.
Stays playful all its life and is happy to play on its own with a toy.
Medium active: playful and keen to hunt, but not a whirlwind.
Little is known about its voice: it is not known as a chatterbox, nor as especially quiet.
Clever and curious, but would rather chase insects in the garden than learn tricks.
Friendly with people it knows; some are a little shy with strangers.
Copes well with the bustle of a family with children.
Can live with a dog, as long as the dog respects it.
Usually gets along well with other cats.
Copes with some time alone; an indoor cat is happier with a second pet.
Can live indoors with enough play, but loves a safe garden or a netted balcony.
Every ordinary house cat is a European Shorthair.
In Dutch many people call any shorthaired cat without a breed that, which is easy to understand. But the breed has papers from a cat registry. A house cat without papers is not a European Shorthair, however much it looks like one. It is every bit as lovely, of course.
The European and British Shorthair are the same cat.
Until 1982 they were judged by one standard. But the British had Persians crossed in, so it is rounder and stockier. The European must not be stocky and should look like the ordinary house cat.
It descends from the European wildcat.
Like all house cats it descends from the wildcat of Africa and the Near East. Whether its sturdy build holds a trace of the European wildcat, nobody knows for sure.
The European Shorthair's ancestors came from the Near East and Egypt thousands of years ago and spread all over Europe. In the early twentieth century longhaired breeds were in fashion. Fans in Sweden and Finland wanted to keep their own shorthaired cats just as they were. For a long time they were judged together with the British Shorthair, until they got their own standard in 1982. In America and Britain the breed is almost unknown: CFA and GCCF do not recognise it.
Cat books already describe the European as a breed.
Sweden's first cat club is founded and accepts the breed from the start.
The European federation FIFe recognises the European, at first with the same standard as the British Shorthair.
FIFe decides to judge the European and British Shorthair separately from now on.
The European gets its own standard. Blue cats registered as British Blue stay British.
The breed is recognised in France too.
France's registry LOOF renames the breed 'European Shorthair'.
On 22 July the Finnish cat federation names the European Finland's national cat.
On 19 March the European becomes a Swedish national breed.
It should look like the ordinary house cat at its best: sturdy, muscular and supple, with nothing overdone. Not as round as a British Shorthair, not as slender as a Siamese.
Cat registries write colours as an EMS code. The letter is the colour (n black, a blue, d red, f tortie), s means silver or smoke, y golden, and the numbers tell you about white (01–09), shading (11, 12), the tabby pattern (22–25) or colourpoint (33).
Black(n)
Black classic tabby(n 22)
Black mackerel tabby(n 23)
Red classic tabby(d 22)
Silver mackerel tabby(ns 23)
Black and white(n 03)FIFe allows white only on solid and tortie cats. In WCF, where the breed is called Celtic Shorthair, any colour may have white, tabby and smoke too.
Chocolate, lilac, cinnamon, fawn and colourpoint come from other breeds; no registry allows them. A house cat can have such a colour, a European Shorthair cannot. FIFe also leaves out ticked, shaded, golden and tabby with white; WCF is more relaxed there.
Since 22 July 2017 the European has been Finland's national cat.
In 2022 Sweden made it a Swedish national breed.
It comes in about 70 colours and patterns, all of them colours that ordinary European house cats have by nature too.
France's registry LOOF calls it a 'gentleman farmer', and warns that it is a formidable hunter.
In the WCF registry the same breed is called the Celtic Shorthair.
Breed guides say about 15 to 20 years, but nobody has measured it for this breed. In English vet records ordinary house cats usually lived to about 14.
Small stones in the bladder, so a cat pees often and with effort. They are rare, but in a large American study this breed had the highest chance of them of any breed. A cat that cannot pee needs a vet straight away.
How it is found: There is no DNA test. If there are signs, the vet finds them with a urine test, an x-ray or an ultrasound scan.
Not typical of this breed, but common in all cats: in England about 1 in 9 cats at the vet was obese. A European that lives only indoors especially can get heavy. Too much weight makes diabetes and stiff joints more likely.
How it is found: There is no test. Have the vet weigh the cat and check its shape at every visit.
This too is common in cats in general: up to 85 in 100 cats aged 3 and over have it. Tartar builds up on the teeth and the gums get sore. Sometimes the vet needs to clean the teeth.
How it is found: There is no test. The vet checks the mouth at every visit; brushing at home helps.
Combing or brushing once a week is enough, a little more often while it moults. Check its claws and teeth too.
It is a real hunter. Play together every day and give it puzzle toys, a scratching post and something to climb.
No special needs; food rich in meat suits it well. Keep an eye on an indoor cat's weight.
A European Shorthair is not hypoallergenic. All cats make the main cat allergen.
It loves being outdoors. A fenced garden or a netted balcony is ideal; without one, a second cat or dog as company helps.
Checked on 21 October 2026
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