American Shorthair Kittens: Adopt or Buy?

Should you adopt or buy an American Shorthair?

It depends on whether the papers matter. An American Shorthair is defined by its pedigree; to most people a good one looks like a solid, round-faced tabby. If you want a registered American Shorthair with known parents and DNA results, a council-registered breeder is the only route, and with this breed you should expect to make enquiries and wait. If what you want is the temperament the breed is known for, check the live Domestic Shorthair and tabby listings (numbers change daily); the rescue fee covers desexing, microchipping and vaccination.

The RSPCA Australia Knowledgebase encourages prospective owners to adopt from the RSPCA or another reputable animal welfare, rehoming or rescue organisation. If you buy from a breeder, it suggests at a minimum checking they are registered by the relevant authority in your state or territory, visiting the place where the animal was born, and meeting the parents, especially the mother.

Rescue fees read 12 November 2026 on the pages linked below. Reference only, not a quote: rescues set and change their own fees, so check with them.

Is the American Shorthair recognised in Australia?

Yes, by the two councils that publish standards online. Read on 12 November 2026:

Overseas, the Cat Fanciers' Association says short-haired cats arrived in North America with early settlers, that American Shorthairs were one of the first five breeds it recognised at its founding in 1906, and that they were originally shown as “Domestic Shorthairs” before receiving their current name in 1965. It says the breed comes in over 100 colour combinations, with silver and brown classic tabbies very popular.

What the Australian standard asks for

• Build: medium to large, slightly longer than tall, “solidly built, powerful, and muscular”. Females may be less massive than males.
• Head: large, with a full-cheeked face giving the impression of an oblong just slightly longer than wide, and a “sweet, open expression”.
• Coat: “short, thick, even and hard in texture”, dense enough to protect from moisture, cold and superficial skin injuries.
• Disqualifications: the CCCA disqualifies chocolate, sable, lavender, lilac or pointed colours as evidence of hybridisation, any sign of hybridisation such as long or fluffy fur or a deep nose break, and any feature so exaggerated as to foster weakness.

How is it different from a Domestic Shorthair?

This is the honest heart of the decision. A Domestic Shorthair is a cat of unknown or mixed ancestry, and it is the label rescues use for a shorthaired cat without papers. Some are silver or brown classic tabbies with round faces and solid bodies, which is exactly the look people picture when they search for an American Shorthair. The difference is the pedigree: a registered American Shorthair comes from generations bred to the standard above, with known parents you can DNA test.

What that buys you is predictability of looks and a health history; it does not buy you a better pet. If the temperament the CFA describes (easygoing, tolerant, playful) is what you want, meet adult cats in rescue whose personality is already known. Our guide to what a Domestic Shorthair is and the Sydney comparison of the American Shorthair and the Domestic Shorthair go further.

What does an American Shorthair kitten cost in Australia?

We could not find a published price. No Australian cat council or club publishes an American Shorthair price, and Cats Victoria (GCCFV) says kitten pricing is up to individual breeders and will vary depending on the breed. In November 2026 we looked for American Shorthair catteries on council breeder lists and through search. The Cats Victoria American Shorthair list had one breeder, whose listed website did not load. The NSW CFA directory listed two American Shorthair breeders with phone and email contacts but no websites, the GCCFSA American Shorthair page listed no breeder, and the Tasmanian Feline Association breeder list had none. We could not find working breeder directories for the Queensland and Western Australian councils. That is what we could check, not proof that no other breeder exists. We do not quote prices from listing sites or social media.

Reference figures only, not quotes. Rescues set and change their own fees, so check with them; RSPCA NSW says its animals are desexed, microchipped, vaccinated and health-checked before adoption. Fees in other states are in our guide to kittens for sale in Australia.

The CFA suggests considering a retired adult because there may be a long wait for kittens; ask registered breeders whether they rehome adults. When you ask about a kitten, Cats Victoria suggests asking whether it is desexed, how many vaccinations it has had, whether it is microchipped and whether there is a health guarantee.

Which health tests should an American Shorthair breeder show you?

The Australian Cat Federation's minimum testing list (October 2025) names two DNA tests for the American Shorthair, and the UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory lists the PRA (rdAc) and AB blood group tests among those it offers for the breed.

Sources: ACF DNA tests by breed (October 2025) and the UC Davis VGL American Shorthair page, read 12 November 2026. A test being on a list means breeders should screen for it, not that every line carries it. This is a buying checklist, not veterinary advice; ask your vet about anything that worries you.

For more on American Shorthair health, see our American Shorthair health guide.

What is an American Shorthair like to live with?

The Cat Fanciers' Association describes American Shorthairs as “easygoing and relatively sedate”, affectionate, and independent enough to amuse themselves while owners are away at work. It says they love play, especially hunting games with wand toys, are very tolerant of other animals and small children, and can be taught to stay off counters and use scratching posts. It also warns they can work out how to open cupboards, especially where treats are kept.

• Good fit: a family home that wants a sturdy, low-drama cat and has time for daily play.
• Grooming: the CFA says the breed does not need much grooming, sheds its undercoat in spring, and recommends brushing with a slicker brush or grooming mitt.
• Not a reason to choose one: allergies. ASCIA says all cat breeds can cause allergies; our hypoallergenic cats guide covers how to test a cat first.

Not sure what kind of cat suits you? Try the what cat breed am I quiz, and see our cost of owning a cat guide for the ongoing costs.

How do you check an American Shorthair breeder?

Rescue is not right for everyone. A registered breeder makes sense if you want a kitten with known parents and DNA results, or plan to show. If you go that way:

1. Registration. Ask which council the breeder belongs to: ANCATS, a member body of the Australian Cat Federation, or a member council of the CCCA. Check with that council directly.
2. The pedigree. Both Australian standards allow no outcross, so the pedigree should show American Shorthairs only.
3. DNA results for both parents (PKD and the CEP290 retinal test), with names or microchip numbers that match.
4. The mother, in person or on a live video call, before any deposit.
5. Age and paperwork. At least 10 weeks old (ANCATS recommends 12), vaccinated, microchipped and desexed or with desexing agreed in writing. Our kittens for sale guide has each state's rules for kitten ads.

What do American Shorthair kitten scams look like?

Scamwatch says scammers set up fake websites, and fake social media and marketplace profiles, to get you to pay for popular breeds and pets that do not exist. Its advice: view the pet in person by visiting the breeder or seller, ask to see the pet on a video call with the breeder, verify the breeder is legitimate and accredited, and compare prices, because a very cheap pet is likely a scam. It also warns about being asked to pay by money order, pre-loaded card, or to several different PayIDs or accounts.

• A tabby kitten sold as an American Shorthair without papers. A tabby coat alone does not make a cat an American Shorthair; the breed is in the pedigree, not the pattern.
• “Registered” with no council named, or a membership you cannot confirm with that council.
• Colours the standard disqualifies, such as chocolate, lilac or pointed, offered as purebred American Shorthairs.
• Copied photos. Run a reverse image search on the kitten photos and search a sentence of the ad.

If you have already paid, contact your bank straight away and report it to Scamwatch.

Where to find an American Shorthair type cat to adopt

Watch the American Shorthair and tabby listings and set an alert. Without papers, a breed label on a rescue listing describes looks, not pedigree, and that is no reason to pass the cat over: the personality you want is in the individual cat, and a foster carer can tell you about it.

American Shorthair listings in the big cities

• American Shorthairs for adoption in Sydney
• American Shorthairs for adoption in Melbourne
• American Shorthairs for adoption in Brisbane
• American Shorthairs for adoption in Perth
• American Shorthairs for adoption in Adelaide
• Australia-wide: the American Shorthair page.

Tabby listings

Tabbies in Sydney, Tabbies in Melbourne, Tabbies in Brisbane, Tabbies in Perth, Tabbies in Adelaide. The tabby page and the Domestic Shorthair page show them Australia-wide, and the Sydney guide to adopting an American Shorthair covers the local rescues.

Before you apply, the adoption readiness check takes a few minutes, and our guide to adopting a cat in Australia walks through the process.