The British Shorthair is not precisely like the cats of ancient Egypt but more heavily built cobby is the usual term used to describe its conformation of a low-lying body on short legs. Its appearance is closer to that of the wildcats found in Scotland than to the Mediterranean type. It was developed from the heavily-built non-pedigree working cat of northern Europe, which had become the typical British cat. This was the type of cat most frequently seen in the first British shows before the rise in popularity of Persian cats.