Lifespan	12 - 18 years
Height (at the withers)	Males and Females: 20cm – 25cm
Weight	Males: 5kg – 6.8kg, Females: 3.6kg – 5.4kg
Coat	Semi-long to long fur, which must be groomed frequently to prevent matting
Colour	Various colours and patterns
Eye colour	A variety of eye colours
Common health issues	Generally, very healthy. However, they can be prone to; diabetes, hyperthyroidism, kidney disease, chronic renal failure
Other Names	Long-haired Moggie

As Domestic Longhairs are of mixed ancestry, their personalities can be hard to predict! While some cats are quiet and subdued, others are more active and vocal. Some are affectionate and love the attention of their humans, while others are more independent. No matter how these cats may mature in their own unique way, most are playful when they're young and often enjoy the company of children and other pets.

These cats can be easy to train, are generally energetic and tend to be affectionate towards their owners - they're particularly chatty with their favourite humans!

Unlike the British and American Longhairs – which are recognised by major cat registries – the Domestic Longhair is not a breed in its own right. Therefore, the history of these cats is rather hard to document and possibly inaccurate or, inaccu-cat!

Thought to have originated in Western Asia, Domestic Longhairs have been kept as pets around the world for several centuries and were believed to have been imported to Europe in the 16th century. By the mid-17th century, while the plague devastated the population of London, these cats made their first great strides away from centuries of persecution and were encouraged as rat-catchers and protectors.

Yet, how were they developed in the first place? This is still up for speculation! Their long coat may be a result of a recessive mutant gene. When a cat with a short coat is mated with a long-haired cat, only a short-haired kitten will be produced. However, as the gene carrying the long hair trait is recessive, this means that if their offspring were to mate, a handful of long-haired kittens might be born. Successive litters of European long-haired cats produced more long-coated offspring – and the more they bred, the more likely they were to survive the colder European climates.

By 1521 (around the time they were first documented in Italy), these long-haired cats had become fixed after only a few generations. Domestic Longhair cats would later arrive to the shores of America onboard ships. Some DLHs may have differentiated to become the much-loved Main Coon breed, while others continued to add to the mix of their wide gene pool, creating the amazing variety of Domestic Longhairs we see today.