Oriental Shorthair Cat

Summer Fey Foovay

The Oriental Shorthair is a solid colored Siamese. From the beginning, breeders of pure Siamese saw the occasional solid colored kitten, frequently a deep seal brown. In the beginning, no one was very interested in them. A few of them were imported to the U.S., and became the foundation of the beautiful Havana Brown - a separate breed.

Later, solid colored cats with strong Oriental characteristics also came from breedings between Siamese and domestic shorthair cats. In the 1960s the public finally became interested in these beautiful creatures, and they became recognized as a breed of their own. In the U.S. they are referred to as Oriental Shorthairs. In Great Britain and other countries they are sometimes called Foreign Shorthairs or Oriental Shorthairs, depending on their color variety.

Oriental shorthairs come in every color of the rainbow including tabbies, smokes, tortoiseshell and ticked. (Some cat fancy organizations do not recognize the ticked colors, however). In Great Britain, a few breeders with the approval of the Cat Association of Britain have created a separate breed, The Seychellois, which is slightly longer haired and has a white coat with colored splotches, but is otherwise identical to the Oriental Shorthair.

Oriental shorthairs of all colors should have green eyes. The exception is the white oriental shorthair, which have the bright blue eyes of their Siamese relatives.

In physical appearance Orientals are slender, medium sized cats, with a short, fine, glossy and close lying coat. Their head should be wedge shaped with straight lines and a long nose. Their eyes are almond shaped and slanted and the ears are large and pointed. The body should be long and muscular, elegant and svelte. The legs are long and fine, in proportion to the body. Often the hind legs are longer than the front. The tail should be long and thin, tapering to a fine point. The overall picture is of a slender, elegant athlete.

Orientals are exceptionally intelligent. They are also known for their loud and expressive voice and will happily "chat" with their owners using a variety of vocal expressions. Playful and affectionate, they hate to be left alone for long periods. Orientals are known for having a "big" personality. They can be quite opinionated and will tell you all about it, too!

One of the few breeds that will accept learning to walk on a collar and leash, and even enjoying traveling with their humans, Orientals seem to be willing to accept anything that will allow them to be with their family as much as possible.

Although they have a reputation for being delicate, Orientals often live to be 20 years old or more. They enjoy good health when given proper preventative care and plenty of attention.

If you are considering acquiring a cat of any of the Oriental breeds (including Oriental Shorthairs, Siamese, Burmese, Tonkinese, etc.) the most important thing you must ask yourself, is if you are willing and able to return their absolute devotion.
About the Author

Artist, writer, and webdesigner, Summer Fey Foovay has the honor of being owned by Pearl, a Shorthaired Oriental, who has her own website at Pearlie the Psychic Kitty