Did the British Shorthair inspire the Cheshire Cat?
1. John Tenniel's illustration of the Cheshire Cat (copyright free)
The Cheshire Cat in Lewis Caroll's Alice in Wonderland has fascinated readers since the book was first published.
There are about a dozen theories speculating the origin of the Cheshire Cat - itself not a named or known 'breed'.
The theories range from everything from curiously shaped 'Cheese Moulds' (used to pack Cheshire Cheese)... to the dockyards cats of the town of Chester (who would wait for mice and rats leaving the ships in the port and were apparently the happiest cats in all of England!) to distinctive stone carvings of cats found in several churches in Cheshire.
What is certain is that the term "grinning like a Cheshire cat" was in use at least 100 years before Lewis Carroll ever invented Wonderland... being mentioned by satirist "Peter Pindar" (aka John Wolcot) in 1785.
Here's where the British Shorthair comes in!
First of all when John Tenniel drew his famous illustrations to the first edition of Alice in Wonderland (top of this article)... he depicted a cat that was distinctly like the early British shorthair (see below), albeit a tabby variety. Stocky body, domed head and a wide grin (although Tenniel made the grin of his cat slightly more sinister and human-like).
2. Image of a 'British Shorthair' from late 1800s (copyright free)
This raises the intriguing idea that the British Shorthair is actually the Cheshire cat!
An interesting essay by a David Haden seriously puts forward the argument - and it makes for a fascinating read about the whole history of domestic cats in mainland Britain!
The mystery of the grinning cat continues to beguile and intrigue as does the cheeky personality of the British Shorthair!
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