These cats are of large or medium size, muscular, strong, and tapering to the bottom body. A tail is of medium length, wide at the base and pointed at the end. Hair is thick, short, harsh and of various colors. It has large round snout, with wide-set ears, the height of which is approximately equal to their width. There may be tufts on the ears. The eyes are round, a bit obliquely. Eye color depends on hair color.
Hair care includes brushing twice a week, first against the hair, and then the growth of hair. Hair conditioner to shine is applied with a rubber mitten or wet hands to remove excess hair. If there is no such conditioner, spray solution of citric acid and polish with suede. In all other care, like all cats: clean the eyes and ears, cut claws.
The cat is not fussy in food, eats any food, according to the age and health condition. European shorthair are surprisingly resistant to disease, stand heat and cold without consequences.
There is one interesting feature in the nature of European shorthair. Choosing the owner from all members of the family, they adopt some traits of his character and behavior. If you stay up late watching television, and get up in the morning with difficulty, the cat would have no desire to wake up. In short, these cats are a mirror image of the owner, but with its own personality. You can never completely subdue it. It has real dignity and intelligence.
It can be said - calm nature, "Nordic", a little phlegmatic. The European shorthair are not very talkative, prefer demonstrate their love and gratitude through deeds. They are great hunters, they have no equal in catching rodents. If there are fancy rats, hamsters, guinea pigs in the house, it is very possible that the cat will chase them.
In the company of strangers tries to hide in a secluded corner, not because it is afraid but natural modesty does not allow to intrude. In stressful situations, a tip of the nose and ears may become red, paw pads become moistened.
These cats never leave the people who care for them and will not go for a walk on their own. Only, if the owner is not at home. They are friendly to small children, allowing squeezing, pulling them and even wiping floor with their help. As a warning, they may hiss, but never show its claws, bite or scratch.
The situation with the cultivation of high-quality European shorthair is particularly problematic. It is very difficult to attach kittens, even though rare color. No matter how rich is their pedigree, they look like ordinary cat. Cat owners are not patient and do not want to deal with this thankless task. As a result, interesting in terms of breeding cats, simply disappear. The same situation is with cat shows. Breed standards are fuzzy and it can be very difficult to appreciate the true animal. That is why there are less and less willing to get European shorthair, which is a pity.