Who is he - a funny plush kitten
The breed is called British Shorthair. There are several standard colors. The kitten from the Whiskas advertisement is a black, silver tabby. Characterized by the presence of dark patterns on a light background. Eyes green or yellow. There is a mark on the forehead in the form of the letter M. Tabby has several variations.
- Mackerel or tiger. There are thin tiger stripes on a light silver background.
- Spotted. Characterized by the presence of intermittent stripes and spots of different shapes and sizes.
- Marble. With spiral wide stripes.
Those who watch Whiskas advertising carefully have probably noticed that all the kittens are of different colors. But the one that stands out the most is the handsome mackerel. The kittens grew up in a British nursery. They have been appearing in commercials since 2003. Interestingly, cats of different breeds took part in the shooting: Burmese, Bengal. But for some reason the British kitten won the hearts of the audience.
Buy a kitten from a Whiskas advertisement
British shorthairs have always been respected and in demand, and with the video there are even more fans. Now a cat with a silver tabby color is called nothing more than a cat with a whiskey color. Proud owners say: “And we have a Whiskas-colored cat!”
If you want to have such an easy-to-care cat at home, you should understand that rare colors are more expensive. A purebred kitten can only be purchased through official British Shorthair nurseries. The average price for a small cat from a Whiskas advertisement is 20,000 rubles. The nursery will not hide the fact that the final coloring takes place only at the age of one year.
I want the same kitten as in the Whiskas advertisement! Many adults and children react this way when they see an advertising video with a cute kitten on TV. But few people realize that behind the coloring of the “mongrel” there is a British Shorthair breed. This is, in principle, the marketing ploy for cat food - the recognition of the color of a British cat with yard kittens.
Buying a pet of this breed is quite simple; it is one of the most common types. The price for purebred kittens with documents starts from 15,000 rubles, the cost depends on the pedigree. Without documents, a kitten will cost much less, or even for nothing, but you shouldn’t count on its purebred (if this is important to you).
What kind of animal is this - a British shorthair cat?
Of course, like all representatives of the cat world, this breed has its own character traits.
British cats are almost impossible to train. They do not like to sit in the arms of even their owners. When a cat wants attention, he will come to his owner. And if he is not in the mood, he will simply run away. The Briton does not respond to “kitty-kitty”, he is above it and prefers to be addressed only by name.
Representatives of the British Shorthair breed are very wary of strangers. They do very well alone. They can be without their owners for as long as they want, which is why they received the nickname “businessman’s cats.” A British person can easily sleep 20 hours a day and this is absolutely normal.
The British quickly get used to their place of residence and their owner. They love their owners very much and get along well with all family members, small children and even dogs. But still, you shouldn’t get yourself a British dog as a soft toy. They are very touchy and do not tolerate rude treatment. If he is scolded, he can go out of sight for a long time, and you should not expect him to be the first to make peace.
The British do not require special education, care or living conditions. These cats have a lot of advantages. They are very calm, flexible and smart. Create comfortable living conditions for your pet and he will reciprocate with affection and devotion.
Now almost everyone knows what a British Shorthair looks like. And it’s hard to understand how such a cute baby can be the cub of such a serious and plush cat. Some people think that British cats are gray (more precisely, lilac) or white, black, or, less commonly, saffron milk caps. But few people have seen tabby shorthair cats of the British breed. But it was this cat that starred in the commercial.
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British cat character
These are real aristocrats. They walk slowly, do not make noise, can lie in one place for a very long time, they are unhurried and very clean, unpretentious in care.
It is almost impossible to find an adult British cat running around the house at the speed of light or riding on the curtains. All these cat pranks take place in their childhood. Their English upbringing does not allow them to jump on cabinets, peel off wallpaper and sharpen their claws on their owner’s favorite sofa. Due to their short fur, they practically do not shed.
They don't need to be educated. Even as a kitten, learning from their mother cat, the British will go to the toilet and sharpen their claws only in the place designated for this. If the cat wants to eat, he will come to his plate and sit there quietly until he is fed, without making unnecessary sounds. In general, they meow very rarely, only in cases of extreme necessity, for example, when they have to wait too long for their favorite treat.
The Briton is an ideal pet with virtually no flaws.
- calm friendly character
- cozy softness of fur,
- cutest appearance,
- many varieties of colors,
- ease of care.
Which breed became the face of Whiskas food?
The ideal choice of breed was the key to the fact that food from the economy class category became firmly entrenched in the memory of millions of people. This is how marketers ruined the lives of more than a dozen cats. They provided crazy popularity for mediocre food.
Yes, the cat from the Whiskas advertisement is a prominent representative of one of the oldest breeds. The feline aristocrats from England are second only to those with “blue” blood in humans in terms of the length of their pedigrees.
The very first Briton who was involved in the filming bore the proud name Simba. He became the star of a Whiskas advertisement back in 2003. He passed on to his sons not only the breed, but also the prerogative to appear on the screen. Even cats have “star” dynasties. Jessie and Chobi got into the television business through serious family connections.
After them there were many more British. Whiskas has not changed this breed to this day. A distinctive feature by which cats are selected for advertising is color. Recognizable black markings on a silver background are the business card of Whiskas.
You can recognize a British Shorthair cat by several signs:
- Large cats with massive bones. Adult cats reach a weight of 10 kg. The body is long and graceful.
- The head is large, massive, with round ears and thick cheeks. Such a cutie.
- Huge round eyes of rich amber and orange color.
- The British have short hair with a dense undercoat.
It gives the impression of a living plush toy. If you add many different colors here, you get “screen stars”.
The British kitten is active, inquisitive, and playful. He doesn't like to be picked up and tries in every possible way to get out. At the same time, it does not scratch, does not bite, and turns out neatly. Adult cats with aristocratic manners. Restrained, self-sufficient, self-confident. Rarely raises his voice and does not become annoying with his presence. The cat will not beg for food, pride does not allow it. She will calmly wait until she is treated.
The Briton is not afraid of loneliness. He remains alone for a long time, but always meets his owner at the door upon his return. Loves affection and increased attention to his person. Sometimes the British cat itself jumps onto your lap to be petted. But she likes to sit next to each other more. Watches TV with the owner, works at the computer, listens to music.
The British cat is graceful and silent. He gives his voice on rare occasions. It doesn't spoil things or scratch furniture. It is enough to show 1 time where to go to the toilet, you won’t have to remind them again. A scratching post is a must have in the house. She also needs to make her own house with an observation deck. The Briton loves to watch everything that happens.
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Owner reviews
You can leave your reviews about the British Shorthair cat breed, other users will be interested in: Sofia:
“We got a brindle cat spontaneously. My husband and I went to an exhibition, there were funny kittens there. My husband began to persuade me to buy one of them, he really liked it. I don't like annoying cats, their constant screams. I was immediately assured that this cat would remain silent. And so it happened. Quiet, neat, smart. It didn't take long to train him to use the tray. He was already trained, all that remained was to show him where to go in our house. I got used to it quickly. The very next day I felt confident. Curious to the point of horror. I fell three times from the second floor balcony and had to go look for it. At first I was annoyed by the rustling of packages in the middle of the night. I don’t understand where he found them. During the day he pulls it off, hides it, takes it out at night, and begins to rustle. I get up to scold him or throw a slipper at him, but he quickly drops everything and hides. With age this all stopped. Now he’s an important, respectable cat!”
Victoria:
“In our family, the cat is a full-fledged member. They gave us a kitten when we were little. Grew up with my daughter. She was 2 years old at that time. We got used to each other, live in perfect harmony. The cat is always with her daughter - plays, sleeps at her feet, climbs onto her lap. She never scratched or bit her. Already as an adult, I don’t mind having fun sometimes. Quiet, graceful, smart. Greets guests with caution. Doesn't go into anyone's arms. He doesn't even allow himself to be petted. When he sees strangers, he quickly hides. He always accompanies his daughter to school and greets her first. A very smart creature, the best domestic cat!”
Color of cats starring in Whiskas commercials
This striped color is called tabby. And it can be very diverse. It would seem that these are simple stripes, what is special about them, but this is not so. In the advertisement it is the silver brindle and marbled tabby. But what other tabbies are there?
- Brindle. From the name it is clear how the stripes are located on the fur. Another name for this color is mackerel.
- Spotted. The spots throughout the skin are of the same diameter and evenly distributed.
- Marble. Incomparable color. It's not just stripes. This is an interweaving of lines that actually resemble a pattern on marble, and on the back the lines even connect to form butterfly wings.
We have already figured out that this is a short-haired British cat of tabby color (marble and brindle, there have been a lot of advertisements over so many years). But you can give a more detailed answer to this question.
Care
The British Shorthair's short coat with a thick undercoat requires special care. It is necessary to comb three times a week. During the molting period, even more often. A cat can do this on its own. But villi that get into the stomach cause problems in the gastrointestinal tract. The way out is to give a special paste that dissolves the hairs and removes them naturally.
The British Shorthair cat needs to be brushed regularly, without using a comb brush.
Grooming is more difficult. The plush fur of the Briton needs to be combed two to three times a week (and during periods of intense shedding every day) with a medium-frequency metal comb with rounded teeth, first in the direction of hair growth, and then against it.
After this, dead guard hairs are removed using a natural bristle brush or a mitten with a pimply rubber coating, massaging the cat against the grain.
Puffers are not used to groom British cats, since they remove the undercoat and make the coat less voluminous, depriving cats of their main decoration.
Approximately once every two or three weeks, it is recommended to use dry shampoo while combing, and then grooming powder to clean the coat of dust, give it volume and strengthen the hair structure.
But even if you brush your cat regularly, when licking it, it will still swallow hair. Inside the stomach, the hairs roll into dense lumps, which at best come out with vomit, and at worst cause intestinal blockage. For other cats, eating fresh grass is usually enough to remove these lumps (bezoars), but the British cats have denser lumps due to the thickness of their undercoat.
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Therefore, once every two months (and even more often during molting), cats need to be given a special paste to dissolve ingested hair.
But there are no particular difficulties in feeding British cats. Just like any other cat, they are recommended to be given high-quality dry or canned food (for example, Royal Canin, Hills, Jams, Acana, but not Whiskas and similar economy-class food!) or balanced natural food, including meat, offal, cereals, vegetables, dairy products.
To the question: “which is better?” difficult to answer; Breeders and veterinarians have been arguing about this for years. In my opinion, a complete natural diet is healthier than dry food, but not every cat can be forced to eat cereals and vegetables, and not every owner has the time and desire to prepare “first, second and compote” for their pet.
This is how they are, Whiskas cats - beautiful, smart and full of character. And thanks to the successes of Russian breeders, now in almost every large (and not so large) city you can buy kittens of this breed of different colors for a very reasonable amount, and the “whiskey” one is one of the most favorite among them. But still, before you buy a baby, weigh all the pros and cons and get serious. Fashion will pass, but a living creature should live happily next to you throughout its long life.
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Nutrition
Despite the fact that the commercial was filmed very cutely and beautifully, you should not feed cats this food. Whiskas belongs to economy class feeds, they contain no more than 4 meat content! percent, but there are a lot of flavor enhancers and preservatives. Do not skimp on the health of your pets, because a nutritious diet is a guarantee of animal health. The British are partial to dairy products, sweets and meat. Since they can eat a lot of food, it is necessary to control the diet and amount of food.
Diseases
The main problem of the breed is the presence of blood type A, B. When mating with a cat and the blood type is incompatible, weak kittens are born. The cat produces antibodies to a different blood group. They are transmitted through breast milk on the first day. If kittens have a different blood type, they die within 3 days.
British people in America are given a DNA test and the right pair is selected. In our country, such an analysis has not yet been done. Quite often, British people experience heart problems and develop hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. This is a genetically determined disease. To prevent pathology, you should visit a veterinarian and maintain the correct diet. If by the age of 8 the disease has not manifested itself in a cat, then it is in good health.