The fur is very useful for a lot of things. It can protect a cat from the cold, and carries a cat's scent. Cats have two layers of fur. One layer is nice and woolly. The second gives the cat its color. Cat's fur has been used for fur coats. A lot of people think it's cruel to skin a cat for a fur coat. We don't think it's very nice to skin a cat and use it for a fur coat.

Lots of cats had short hair until about 100 years ago. Then more people started experimenting with different breeds of cats. If all cats had short hair they could defend themselves more easily. Short hair cats don't get tangled in bushes or branches. Also, cats can get skin diseases if there hair gets tangled up and can't be cleaned.

The shorthair categories are: British shorthair, American shorthair, and the foreign or Oriental shorthair. A British shorthair is very strong and big with shorter legs. American shorthairs are a little bigger than British shorthairs. The most popular shorthair cat today is the Oriental shorthair. Two of the most popular Oriental shorthairs are the Siamese and Abyssinian. Shorthair cats come in all shapes and sizes. They can be as beautiful as longhairs.