American Shorthair vs British Shorthair — Side by Side

	American Shorthair	British Shorthair
Lifespan	15-20 years	12-20 years
Size	Medium	Medium
Weight	8-15 lb	7-17 lb
Energy	Moderate	Low
Grooming	Low	Moderate
Shedding	Low	Moderate
With kids	Good with kids	Good with kids

What actually separates them

Less hair on the sofa with the American Shorthair. More with the British Shorthair.
Less brushing with the American Shorthair. More with the British Shorthair.
Calmer of the two is the British Shorthair. The one that needs more exercise is the American Shorthair.

The honest downside of each

American Shorthair

The 'all-American working cat' story implies a hardy, mixed-heritage constitution, but this is a closed pedigree bred like any other purebred, and Cornell's feline health center lists American Shorthair among the breeds with an elevated rate of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy — the same silent heart disease people specifically worry about in Maine Coons.

British Shorthair

The round 'teddy bear' face and dense plush coat of the show standard sit on a breed that Cornell's feline health center lists among those with an elevated rate of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a silent heart disease that can kill without warning, so a breeder who can't show recent cardiac screening on both parents is a real red flag, not a formality.

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American Shorthair · British Shorthair
Health problems, origin and what living with each is actually like.