mayflower.
Flickr/*yasuhiro Despite its name, the American shorthair is older than America itself. Records show that American shorthairs were brought over by early settlers, and there is even proof that there were American shorthairs on the Mayflower. Given their variety of coats -- there are more than eighty -- and the similarity in name with the non-purebred domestic shorthair, this breed is confused for mutts. However, they are more purebred than many other breeds. With their origins in Europe, American shorthairs were selected for their strength, agility, and ability to hunt mice and rats which was a major concern for most Europeans after 75 million died from the bubonic plague. American ...