The Oriental Shorthair was derived from the Siamese and has the same conformation and character but does not show the Siamese pattern instead being a single pattern and / or colour all over.

It is a beautifully balanced animal with head and ears carried on a slender neck and with a long svelte body supported on fine legs and feet and with a whipped tail.

The head is long and well proportioned with a wide top, which narrows in a perfectly straight wedge to a fine muzzle. It should not, however, be exaggerated in length. The ears should extend the lines of the wedge.

The eyes are oriental in shape, slanting towards the nose, and in all but one variety they are green in colour. The exception is the Foreign White, which is the all white variety, which has blue eye colour.

The coat is very short and fine in texture; it is glossy and lies close to the body.

The earliest colour to be developed was the Chestnut Brown, an all chocolate-coloured cat which was subsequently named the Havana, the name which it retains to the present day.

All the other varieties are prefixed with the name Oriental (except White) to indicate their family relationship. The Oriental

Lilac, the dilute version of the Havana, was the next to be bred since which time the colours have been expanded to include also Black, Blue, Red, Cream, Apricot, Cinnamon, Fawn and Caramel.

All these colours also come in a range of patterns which include the Tortoiseshell, where the base colour is mixed with red or cream, the tabbies in which the pattern may be Spotted, Classic, Mackerel or Ticked and these can also have the silver gene in which there is a silvery white undercoat as does the Smoke and the Shaded (a tipped cat) also has a paler undercoat, silvered or not, depending whether it has a silver gene or not.

Like the Siamese the Oriental is an intelligent, curious cat that makes its presence known. They love to talk to their human companions and expect a reply. They want to be part of the family and enjoy playing games like fetch with a ball of scrunched up paper. Orientals need to be kept amused with toys and do not like to be left alone so if you are out at work all day another Oriental is probably a good idea. As they are such curious creatures it is not ideal to allow them to roam outside as their curiosity can get them into trouble but they are often happy to be indoor cats as long as they have plenty of company.

ORIENTAL LONGHAIRS (ANGORA)

The complete range of colours is also present in the ANGORA cat, which is the Semi-longhair version of the Oriental. It has the same type as the shorthaired cat but the coat is medium long, glossy, fine and silky in texture with no undercoat. It lies flat along the back of the body whilst on the chin, neck and underside there is a tendency to frill. The longer parts of the coat may be waived. The tail is plume-like.
In all other respects the Angora mirrors the Oriental Shorthair, with the addition of the Green & Odd-eyed White.

An Oriental Bicolour cat has recently been introduced which has white patches superimposed on the Oriental and Siamese patterns

ORIENTAL SECTION
including Oriental Shorthair, Oriental Bicolour and Oriental Longhair

GCCF Standard of Points for the ORIENTAL SHORTHAIR

FOREIGN WHITE (35)

The Foreign White should be a beautifully balanced animal with head, ears and neck carried on a long svelte body, supported on fine legs and feet, with a tail in proportion.  The head and profile should be wedge-shaped, neither round nor pointed.  The eyes a clear brilliant blue.  Expression alert and intelligent.

Head - Long and well proportioned, carried upon an elegant neck, with width between the ears, narrowing in straight lines to a fine muzzle, with straight profile, strong chin and level bite.

Ears - Large and pricked, set so as to follow the lines of the wedge.

Eyes - Oriental in shape and slanting; clear brilliant blue, the deeper the better. 

Body - Long and slender, the rump carried higher than the shoulders.  Well muscled and elegant.

Legs and Paws - Legs long and proportionately slender, paws neat and oval.

Tail - Long and tapering, whip-like, without kink.

Coat - Pure white, short and close-lying.

Nose Leather, Eye Rims and Paw Pads - Pink.

Note:  ‘Freckles’ may appear on nose, pads, lips and eye rims.  Slight freckling in a mature cat should not be penalised.

 

Thank you

To Jan Hirst & the Oriental Cat Association for their help and information.