Oriental Shorthair Cat

The Oriental Shorthair is, in genetic terms, a Siamese in any color, the same breed, the same body, the same voice, the same personality, simply freed from the colorpoint restriction that limits the Siamese to dark points on a pale body. Where the Siamese standard permits only four point colors, the Oriental Shorthair is recognized by the CFA in over 150 colors and patterns, and over 600 color, pattern and coat length combinations across both coat lengths, making it among the most extraordinary breeds in the cat fancy for color variety.

The Cat Fanciers' Association granted the Oriental Shorthair full championship status in 1977 after years of development by breeders who wanted to preserve the Siamese type while exploring the entire range of feline coat colors. The result is a breed that combines the Siamese's extraordinary personality, intense, vocal, demanding, deeply bonded to humans, with a visual diversity that no other breed approaches.

Understanding the Oriental Shorthair requires understanding the Siamese, because they are functionally the same cat. Everything that makes the Siamese one of the most distinctive and sometimes challenging breeds to own applies equally to the Oriental Shorthair. The color is different. The cat is not.

Origin and Development

The development of the Oriental Shorthair as a distinct breed from the Siamese was a deliberate project by British and later American breeders who recognized that the Siamese's distinctive body type and personality were worth preserving in a wider range of colors and patterns than the colorpoint standard allowed.

Development began in Europe in the 1950s, and chestnut, lavender and white solids were the first colors recognized by England's GCCF. Other colors appeared in the 1960s and 1970s as breeders in the United States took up the work. Non-pointed cats of Siamese type were sometimes called "Foreign Shorthair" or "Foreign White." The breed was formally developed in the United States by a group of New York area breeders.

The CFA accepted Oriental Shorthairs for registration in 1974 and granted full championship status in 1977. TICA recognizes both the Oriental Shorthair and the Oriental Longhair (a parallel development with a semi-long coat). The GCCF recognized the breed in 1997 and publishes separate registration policies for several coat variants.

The breed was built on Siamese-type cats in non-pointed colors, and CFA registration rules allow only Siamese or Colorpoint outcrosses for the shorthair division. All modern Oriental Shorthairs carry the Siamese genetic backbone, including the narrow wedge head, large ears, long body and the genes associated with Siamese-related conditions.

Physical Characteristics

The Oriental Shorthair and the Siamese are identical in conformation. The breed standard for the Oriental Shorthair in CFA is essentially the same as the Siamese standard except for the color section, which is dramatically expanded to encompass hundreds of possibilities.

Characteristic	Details
Build	Long, lean, tubular, "foreign type"
Head	Long wedge, flat skull
Ears	Very large, wide at the base, pointed
Eyes	Almond-shaped; green (blue in pointed varieties; blue, green or odd-eyed in white and bicolor)
Nose	Long, straight
Coat	Short, fine, glossy, close-lying
Colors	Over 150 colors and patterns (CFA)
CFA recognition	1977

The head is a long, pointed wedge with a flat skull and no break in the profile from the top of the skull to the tip of the nose. The very large ears, wide at the base, follow the lines of the wedge head, flaring outward and emphasizing the angular appearance.

The body is long, lean and tubular with fine bone structure and a tight, flat coat.

Eye color in the Oriental Shorthair is green in most color varieties, though some colors produce other eye colors. The brilliant green eyes against a solid-colored coat, particularly the ebony (solid black) variety, is one of the most striking visual effects in the pedigree cat world.

How does an Oriental Shorthair differ from a Cornish Rex?

The coat is the clearest difference. The CFA standard calls for an Oriental Shorthair coat that is short, fine, glossy or satin-like and lies close to the body. The Cornish Rex coat is completely free of guard hairs and set in a tight, uniform marcel wave from the top of the head to the tip of the tail, and the coat alone carries 40 of the 100 points in its breed standard.

The heads differ too: a long wedge with a flat profile for the Oriental, an egg-shaped head with a Roman nose for the Rex.

The two breeds also have different origins. The Cornish Rex began with a natural mutation in Cornwall, England, in 1950, when a curly-coated cream male kitten named Kallibunker appeared in a litter of farm cats, test breedings showed the curl was recessive. The Oriental was developed from the 1950s to keep the Siamese body in non-pointed colours. Both are lively, people-oriented cats, but the CFA describes the Cornish Rex as happy to converse without being given to loud or unnecessary vocalizing, while the Oriental is a vocal, insistent talker.

Over 150 Colors: The Full Spectrum

The Oriental Shorthair's color range encompasses virtually the entire genetic palette available in the domestic cat, solid colors, tabby patterns, tortoiseshell, bicolor, smoke, shaded, tipped and combinations thereof, all in a range of base colors from white through the full spectrum of browns, reds, creams, blues and greys.

Solid colors include ebony (black), blue, chestnut (chocolate), lavender (lilac), red, cream, cinnamon, fawn and white. Tabby patterns include classic, mackerel, spotted and ticked, each available in all base colors. Tortoiseshell patterns combine red and black-based colors in the random distribution characteristic of multiple patchy coat gene expression. Bi-color and parti-color patterns are also recognized.

The shaded and smoke series deserve particular mention. A smoke Oriental Shorthair has a white undercoat deeply tipped with color. At rest the cat appears solidly colored, but in motion the color of the undercoat becomes clearly apparent. The shaded series produces similar depth with a lighter expression.

This color diversity is the Oriental Shorthair's USP, but it is worth emphasizing that the temperament and personality are fully Siamese, whatever the coat. Buyers attracted by a beautiful Oriental color should make sure they understand what Siamese ownership entails before acquiring one.

Temperament: Siamese in All Colors

The Oriental Shorthair inherits the Siamese temperament completely. This means an extraordinarily social, vocal, intelligent and demanding cat that will not accept being ignored and will escalate its communication until acknowledged. Owners who find Siamese personality enchanting will find Oriental Shorthairs enchanting. Owners who want a quiet, independent cat should look elsewhere.

Oriental Shorthairs vocalize frequently and with purpose. They comment on their environment, demand attention, express displeasure, greet their owners and maintain running commentary on household events. The voice is not always loud, it is often a constant, varied, melodious series of sounds, but it is persistent. Owners who want silence should reconsider the breed.

The breed is highly intelligent and needs mental stimulation. Puzzle feeders, interactive play and opportunities to investigate their environment are genuinely necessary for behavioral health rather than optional enrichment. Bored Oriental Shorthairs become destructive, anxious, or both.

For more on cat communication see Cat Meowing: Communication .

Health Profile

The Oriental Shorthair shares the Siamese's health vulnerabilities. The CFA notes that most Orientals are healthy and highlights two conditions: progressive retinal atrophy, a recessive gene detectable by genetic testing, and amyloidosis, which can be both genetic and acquired and is still being researched.

Health Concern	Details	Management
Progressive retinal atrophy	Inherited as a recessive gene	Genetic testing
Dental disease	Common in adult individuals	Regular dental care
Amyloidosis	Protein deposits in organs	Ask breeders about family history

Living with an Oriental Shorthair

Oriental Shorthairs are best suited to owners who actively want a highly interactive, communicative, people-oriented cat and who have the time and lifestyle to support that. They should not be left alone for extended periods without companionship. Many Oriental owners keep pairs or keep the cat with another Oriental or Siamese for company.

The breed is athletic and agile. Tall cat trees, climbing structures and window perches are important. Oriental Shorthairs jump well, move quickly and will investigate every accessible surface in the home. Child-proof and breakage-resistant organization of high surfaces is advisable.

The fine coat sheds minimally and requires only occasional brushing. Grooming is the least demanding aspect of Oriental Shorthair ownership, the social and mental demands are where the investment lies.

For the longhaired version of this breed see Balinese Cat . For the parent breed see Siamese Cat Breed .

Illustration.