“The phrase ‘domestic cat’ is an oxymoron.

George Will

A domestic shorthaired cat (DSH) is a cat fancy term used to describe a shorthaired cat that does not have a pedigree or belong to a recognized cat breed. The domestic shorthair should not be confused with the American Shorthair, which is a Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA) recognized breed^[1].

Domestic shorthaired cats are characterised by a wide range of colouring and typically ‘revert to type’ after a few generations, which means they express their coats as a tabby. This can be any color or combination of colors. They also exhibit a wide range of physical characteristics and, as a result, domestic shorthaired cats in different countries tend to look different in body shape and size, as they are working from differing gene pools. DSH cats in Asia tend to have a build similar to a purebred Siamese cat or Tonkinese cat, while European and American varieties have a thicker, heavier build.

Disease susceptibility

Corneal sequestrum

Diabetes mellitus

Gingivitis-periodontitis feline juvenile-onset

Hageman (coagulation factor XII) deficiency

Mucolipidosis type II

Pyruvate kinase deficiency

Staphyloma

Ventricular septal defect

References

1. ↑ Wikipedia.org