INTRODUCTION
Michael & Susan Hogge cordially welcome you to our website for Remick British Shorthairs Cattery. Please note that, as we are currently retired from actively breeding and showing, this page serves as an informational and historical reference resource about the British Shorthair breed in general and our cattery in particular. Our cattery was established in 1997 and was located in the Greater Seattle/Puget Sound area of the northwest USA. Although there are many coat colors and patterns of the British Shorthair, we had chosen to specialize and concentrate our efforts solely with the popular "self" or solid, blue coat color variant of this ancient yet very beautiful and distinguished breed of cat. Pictured directly above at the top of this page is our female blue British Shorthair cat whose name is GP, RW Castlkatz Puddin In The Mix of Remick (aka "Micki"). You can see additional photos featuring our cats and examples of our kittens by clicking on the "Remick British Shorthairs Cattery Photos" link at the bottom of this page.
Originating from England as a very common domestic working or "garden" cat and having been an established breed since the late 19th century, the British Shorthair ostensibly dates back 2,000 years ago when the Romans invaded the island now known as Great Britain and brought their cats with them. The breed is reputed to have been a highly effective mouser in medieval times as a loyal and steadfast guardian of the English monarchy's granaries and was supposedly protected as such by British canon law.
The British Shorthair was a star of the very first organized cat show which was held in 1871 at the Crystal Palace in London, England. Best in Show was awarded at the time to a 14 year-old blue tabby female British Shorthair owned by Harrison Weir, one of the show's chief organizers and who is considered by many to be the "father" of the cat fancy.
You may be interested to know that the famous Cheshire Cat character of the children's literary classic, "Alice in Wonderland", is based on the British Shorthair breed, whose elongated smile line in its facial pattern is a signature trademark of the breed. Today, various examples of the blue British Shorthair in particular, can be found throughout various media, having starred in several Hollywood films over the past couple of decades such as "Cats & Dogs", "Stuart Little (the original version)", "Pet Sematary", "Girl Interrupted", "Beaches", "Strays", and a number of past and current television commercials.
BREED DESCRIPTION
Overall, the "Brit", as it's colloquially referred to, is quite large and is described as having a "cobby" build. One of the most apt descriptive statements about the British Shorthair is that it has a "softball head on a shoebox body". Their unique coat is plush and very dense with more hairs per square inch than on any other cat breed; is very similar to a child's teddy bear in texture, and is also very easy to groom and maintain.
Blue British Shorthair cats are also known for their distinctive gold or copper eyes which can be quite brilliant. This feature, combined with the solid blue coat color which we've previously noted that we specialize in, results in a distinctive and strikingly beautiful cat.
Solid blue British Shorthair kittens initially have "ghost" tabby markings that eventually fade with adolescence. They are born with cobalt blue eyes that gradually change to gray and then change again over their first few months of life to their signature gold or copper color.
The breed's underlying personality is typically British; in that they are quiet and reserved in manner and measured in their actions and movement. It's an even-tempered and highly intelligent feline that's not easily excited, thus earning its generally "unflappable" reputation. They are very easy-going in nature, small and infrequent of voice (if Brits talk, you'd better listen!), definitely affectionate (many head and leg rubs!), sturdy, steadfast and tenacious in loyalty, and known for very good health in general. Genetic defects and health issues for British Shorthairs, though rare, can include cardiomyopathy, luxated patellas, and gingivitis.
British Shorthairs don't require constant attention, are highly self-confident, very social and gregarious; generally are not ones to hide under furniture or other objects when strangers are present; are great companion animals and are not "needy" in personality traits as can often be the case with some other cat breeds. These wonderful creatures enjoy just being around "their" people; love all who love them, will give equal attention to every member of the family, and are excellent around children including infants and humans both young and old and dogs and other cats. One British Shorthair by itself can be an excellent companion and two or more tend to form deep, lasting bonds with each other as well as their people.
Their growth, development, and total maturation cycle is lengthy, lasting for a four to five year period. The breed is quite large with mature adult males weighing an average of 12 to 16 pounds and mature adult females weighing generally anywhere between 8 to 12 pounds on average. Typical lifespans for both genders can amount to 12 or more years.
ACHIEVEMENTS & MILESTONES
We've earnestly striven to breed, show, raise, and promote cats that are excellent representatives of this magnificent breed. With regard to show competition --- through 15 Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) show seasons from 1995 to 2009 which included more than 13 years of breeding resulting in 35 litters during that timeframe; we showed and our cattery directly produced (in cat fancier-talk - "with our cattery name at the front") --- 2 Grand Champions and 7 Grand Premiers.
2 of those Grand Premier cats became Regional Winners in CFA show competition, including one through our direct breeding and show efforts.....namely, an excellent and proven example of the British Shorthair breed in the form of our beloved and the late CH, GP, RW Remick Amelia Earhart, whose show accomplishments were substantial. Amelia showed initially in CFA kitten show competition (for kittens between 4 and 8 months of age), subsequently in Championship show competition (for unaltered cats 8 months of age and older) - achieving a Champion title designation, and after having been altered, earned CFA's 3rd Best Cat in Premiership show competition (for altered cats 8 months of age and older) designation in Region 2 (Northwest Region), and thus achieving a Regional Winner title during the 2000-2001 CFA show season. She won her second Regional Award as 13th Best Cat in Premiership in Region 2 during the 2002-2003 CFA show season. Amelia also finished the latter season as the highest scoring British Shorthair in CFA Premiership show competition in the world. Amelia's was and remains our most experienced show cat to date, having competed in at least 70 CFA shows over 6 years across the USA in Kitten, Championship, and Premiership show competition. Amelia's mother - GP, RW Castlkatz Puddin In The Mix of Remick (a.k.a. "Micki"),photo-featured at the top of this page and who is still with us, has had her own great results in show competition and her accomplishments are outlined below.
We've also granded one cat in Championship and five cats in Premiership that have come from other excellent and highly reputable catteries and two of those Grand Premier cats also became Regional Winners in CFA show competition directly through our efforts. One of those cats is GP, RW Castlkatz Puddin In The Mix of Remick, (a.k.a. "Micki"). Micki was the CFA Northwest Region's Best Cat in Premiership competition as well as 26th Best Cat in world-wide Premiership competition during the 1999-2000 CFA show season. Micki came out of retirement for her final show season and at nearly thirteen years of age in CFA Veterans competion (for altered or unaltered CFA-registered cats seven years of age or older), she secured yet another top finish and her second Regional Award as the Northwest Region's Best Cat in Veterans competition for the 2007-2008 CFA show season.
Another cat that we've shown to a Regional Winner title was our very first blue British Shorthair cat who we acquired as a young kitten in 1995 --- our dearly beloved and the late GP, RW Castlkatz Phileas T. Fogg of Remick (a.k.a. "Phil"). Phil was our very first Regional Winner, securing the Northwest Region's 8th Best Cat title in CFA Premiership competition during the 1996-1997 show season.
The remaining cat that we've shown to a Regional Winner title is an absolutely wonderful cat from Rumietum British Shorthairs Cattery established by Lynn Gray of Bloomington, Illinois. He was the heart and soul of the second generation of our breeding program from 2006 - 2008 and his name is GC, RW Rumietum Prestwick of Remick (a.k.a. "Wicket"). We are so very grateful and appreciative to Lynn for having let us have this wonderful, dear boy who so deeply and warmly touched our hearts and souls with his consistently calm, gentle and loving nature which has been consistently and successfully reflected in his progeny. Wicket earned his Regional Winner title as the Northwest Region's 13th Best Cat in CFA Championship competition through just 10 shows during the 2006-2007 show season. At the same time, he also achieved a rank as the fourth Best British Shorthair in the world in CFA Championship, and was also Best of Breed and Best of Color of all Championship competition British Shorthairs in CFA's Northwest Region.
In summary, Remick British Shorthairs Cattery's total overall accomplishments in CFA show competition to date are 15 Grands including 3 Grand Champions, 12 Grand Premiers and 7 Regional Winners (as stated earlier, Amelia and her mother, Micki have each won 2 Regional Awards). We are also very grateful to Paul & Gonger Meeker of Castlkatz Cattery whose mentorship was invaluable and greatly appreciated during our breeding and showing years. A complete list of these Grands and Regional Winners appears below.
GOALS, PURPOSE & FOCUS
It should be noted that the breeding focus at Remick British Shorthairs, when we were actively breeding and showing, was foremost on quality, not quantity. Susan and I were collectively very deeply involved and worked very hard in this hobby of ours and we truly considered it to be a "labor of love". All of our cats were raised underfoot, at home, and were deeply loved, cared for and treated as if they were our (human) children of which we have none. Above all else, our constant goal and consistent key focus was to carefully develop and produce British Shorthair cats that were not only excellent "type" examples of the breed --- at the very least, they were also well-socialized and adjusted (important note: please be aware that our kittens didn't leave for their new homes until 16 weeks of age); happy, healthy, with delightful personalities and wonderful temperaments --- ready for a lifetime of enduring love, care, and affection as treasured members of their new families.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Again, at this time, we are retired from actively breeding and showing and so do not have any kittens or adult cats for sale. We are happy, however, to serve as a reference source regarding the breed and would be happy to answer any questions you may have about the breed. If you'd like more information, we cordially invite and encourage you to contact us by e-mailing us at michael.hogge@hotmail.com or by clicking on the link at the very bottom of this page. We also recommend that you visit the links below for more information about our cats (be sure to visit the "Remick British Shorthairs Cattery Photos" link) and the British Shorthair breed.
Finally, we invite you to sign our guestbook by clicking on the link below and we thank you very much for your visit!
Remick British Shorthairs Cattery List Of Grand Champions, Grand Premiers & Regional Winners:
Informational and Picture Links (click on any of the following):
Sign the Guestbook
Read the Guestbook
Remick British Shorthairs Cattery Photos
British Shorthair Breed Profile
British Shorthair Historical Breed Article
GP, RW Castlkatz Puddin In The Mix of Remick (Best Veteran - CFA Region 2 - 2007-2008)
GP, RW Castlkatz Puddin In The Mix of Remick (Best Cat in Premiership - CFA Region 2 - 1999-2000)
CH, GP, RW Remick Amelia Earhart (3rd Best Cat in Premiership - CFA Region 2 - 2000-2001)
