Shorthairs, in general

As noted earlier, the domestic cat is genetically shorthaired; long hair occurs as a mutation. So, obviously, there are a lot more shorthairs around than longhairs, and no doubt there always will be. Without the deliberate breeding of longhair with longhair (thanks to human intervention), the percentage of shorthairs would be even higher than it is.

There is an immense variety of colors and patterns in shorthairs, but generally speaking they all have the “generic cat” shape underneath—not heavy-bodied, not thin and lanky. The exceptions are the Oriental breeds.