A British Longhair needs 20 minutes of combing three times a week, daily for about six weeks a year, and a weight check every month for life. The coat is the visible work and the weight is the real one: this is a 4-8 kg cat that gains on 10% too much food and then carries the extra load on joints that were not built for it. Four inherited conditions decide the screening calendar.
The year at a glance
Coat effort doubles in two windows. Everything else repeats on a monthly or annual beat.
| Period | Coat | Weight | Health task |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan-Feb | Comb 3 times a week, 20 minutes; check 4 mat zones | Monthly; winter gain of 200-400 g is common | Annual exam, dental check, murmur grade |
| Mar-May | Spring blow: daily for 4-6 weeks, then bath | Every 2 weeks; cut 10% if rising | Echocardiogram if due; kidney values from age 3 |
| Jun-Aug | Comb 3 times a week; sanitary trim monthly | Monthly; heat cuts intake 10-15% | Flea control; check ears and chin for acne |
| Sep-Oct | Autumn shed: daily for 3 weeks | Every 2 weeks; the gain season | Dental scaling if tartar covers a third of a tooth |
| Nov-Dec | 3 times a week; watch armpits under a warm coat | Monthly; 5 kg female, 7 kg male is the target | Bloodwork yearly from 7; blood pressure from 9 |
Coat: where the mats actually start
Four places produce nearly every mat on this breed: behind the ears, the armpits, the belly between the back legs, and the trousers on the rear legs. Comb those first, every session, before the back. A metal comb with rotating teeth works to the skin; a slicker alone skims the topcoat and leaves the undercoat to felt underneath, which is why cats groomed daily still arrive at the vet with a pelt.
Work in sections no wider than the comb, lifting the hair against the grain and combing down. If the comb stops, do not pull: separate the mat with your fingers, comb the edges, and give the cat a break. A mat the size of a thumbnail that survives two passes is a shaving job, done by a groomer or vet with clippers. Never cut a mat with scissors; the skin tents up inside it and cuts happen more often than owners expect.
Bathe only when the coat looks greasy at the base of the tail, roughly every 6-8 weeks at most, and dry thoroughly to the skin, because a damp undercoat felts within hours. During the spring blow, brush daily for 4-6 weeks and expect to fill a brush three times per session. Hair swallowed in that window comes back as a 3-6 cm tube; two or three in a month is normal, weekly vomiting is not.
Weight: the monthly number that decides everything
Females mature at 4-6 kg, males at 5-8 kg, and the breed will act starving on a correct portion. A 5 kg adult needs 220-250 kcal a day, measured on a kitchen scale for the first month, then kept to the same scoop. Two meals, no free-feeding, treats under 10% of calories.
Weigh monthly, and put your hands on the ribs at the same time, because a long coat hides 500 g easily. You should feel ribs under a thin layer without pressing, and see a waist from above even through the coat. A British Longhair at 6 out of 9 needs 15% fewer calories, not a light diet food that leaves it hungry; add 5 minutes of play instead. Because the frame is heavy, every extra 500 g is roughly 9% more load on the hips and knees.
Screening: four tests, four different clocks
Polycystic kidney disease (PKD1) has a DNA test, and reputable registries require tested-clear breeding cats, so ask for both parents' certificates before you take a kitten. A clear DNA result still leaves the yearly check: kidney ultrasound at 12 months, then every 12 months, plus creatinine and SDMA from age three. Thresholds for a call: drinking over 45 ml per kg per day, weight loss of 5% in three months, or creatinine above 1.6 mg/dL with a rising trend. Cysts found early are managed, not cured.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) has no DNA test, so echocardiography of breeding cats is the only control. For a pet, a baseline echo at 12-18 months then every 12-18 months. A murmur of grade 3 or louder, or a resting respiratory rate over 30 breaths a minute on three checks, means an echo within two weeks; open-mouth breathing or blue gums is an emergency.
Feline ALPS, an immune disorder newly emphasized in this breed, is screened by blood test. In a pet, the trigger is a cluster: fever above 39.5 C, lymph nodes over 2 cm, and weight loss together, which earns bloodwork within 48 hours. Haemophilia B is a factor IX defect carried in some lines; a DNA test exists, and the practical warning is a nail that bleeds past 5 minutes, blood in stool, or bruising after a vaccine. Avoid aspirin and NSAIDs in an untested cat.
Exercise: short sessions, real work
This is not a jumper. Two sessions of 5-10 minutes a day, one wand game and one food puzzle, do more than a 30-minute marathon it will refuse. Put the tallest tree by a window rather than in a corner, because it will sit on it rather than climb it, and a view doubles the time spent there.
Use a laser sparingly and end on a real toy it can catch, or it finishes with nothing and hunts ankles. In summer, move play to before 9 am and after 7 pm.
Six mistakes that cost this coat
- Grooming the back and skipping the armpits and trousers.
- Assuming a daily slicker replaces a comb that reaches the skin.
- Bathing without drying to the skin, which felts the undercoat in hours.
- Cutting mats out with scissors instead of clipping them.
- Free-feeding "because it only picks", which adds 300-500 g a year.
- Buying a kitten without PKD1 and haemophilia B DNA certificates for both parents.
What to book, and when
- Comb three times a week, 20 minutes, four zones first; daily for 6 weeks each spring.
- Monthly weight plus a hands-on rib check; 15% calorie cut at 6 out of 9.
- Kidney ultrasound at 12 months, then yearly; creatinine and SDMA from three.
- Echocardiogram at 12-18 months, then every 12-18 months.
- Dental check yearly, scaling when tartar covers a third of the tooth.
Frequently asked
How often should a British Longhair be combed?
Twenty minutes three times a week for most of the year, and daily for four to six weeks during the spring blow and three weeks in autumn. Comb behind the ears, the armpits, the belly and the rear trousers first, with a metal comb that reaches the skin, because a slicker brush only skims the topcoat.
What health tests does a British Longhair need?
Four: a PKD1 DNA test plus a kidney ultrasound at 12 months and yearly after, an echocardiogram at 12 to 18 months and every 12 to 18 months for HCM, an ALPS blood test if fever and enlarged lymph nodes appear together, and a haemophilia B DNA test, since a nail that bleeds past five minutes is the practical warning.
Why does my British Longhair keep gaining weight?
Because it reaches 4 to 8 kg and still acts hungry on a correct portion of 220 to 250 kcal for a 5 kg adult. Measure food on a scale, feed two meals, keep treats under 10 percent, and weigh monthly with your hands on the ribs, since a long coat hides 500 g and each extra 500 g adds about 9 percent load on the joints.