Oriental shorthair
The Oriental shorthair is a Siamese in every colour except the pointed pattern.
British breeders in the 1950s crossed Siamese with other shorthairs to widen the palette, and the result was recognised as its own breed — one that now comes in several hundred colour and pattern combinations.
The build is pure Siamese: long, tubular and fine-boned, with a wedge head, enormous ears and almond eyes, usually green. The temperament is Siamese too, and then some. Orientals are extremely vocal, extremely busy and extremely attached to their people, and they do not take being ignored well.
- Origin
- United Kingdom, 1950s
- Size
- 2.5–5.5 kg
- Lifespan
- 12–15 years
- Coat
- Very short, fine and close-lying
- Temperament
- Vocal, demanding, athletic, intensely people-focused
- Grooming
- Minimal
Related: Siamese · Oriental longhair
3 oriental shorthair photos, newest first
Living with a oriental shorthair
A rubber brush once a week is the whole of the grooming.
The social demands are the point of the breed and the reason it does not suit everyone. Orientals talk constantly, follow you everywhere and become genuinely distressed alone; many breeders will only home them in pairs, and that advice is sound.
The fine coat and low body fat mean they feel the cold and seek out warmth.
Progressive retinal atrophy and amyloidosis both occur, and there is a DNA test for the PRA mutation. Dilated cardiomyopathy appears in some lines.
General guidance, not veterinary advice. Individual cats vary, and anything about a specific animal is a question for a vet who has seen it.
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