The Oriental Shorthair Cat
August 25th, 2008 | by Joom |Oriental Shorthair is a breed of cats. It is said to have originated in Thailand a long time ago.
Oriental Shorthair is a feline breed that has occurred in Thailand,
alongside the Siamese, for a long time as a self-colored cat and was
brought over with other cats from the Orient to Britain in nineteenth
century. Even as it was initially just considered a non-pointed version
of the Siamese, the Oriental Shorthair gained formal recognition only
in the twentieth century when, in the fifties, development of the cat
was started through breeding with Abyssinians, Domestic Shorthairs,
Russian Blues and Siamese. The cat was termed as ‘Foreign’ in United
Kingdom and ‘Oriental’ in United States. It was another two decades
before official recognition and championship status was given to the
graceful cat. Today it is registered and recognized as a distinct
entity in nearly all cat fancies around the world. Occasionally, as in
the case of Cat Fanciers’ Association, it is coupled with its sister
breed, the Oriental Longhair, into a single breed called simply the
Oriental.
A svelte and finely built animal, the Oriental
Shorthair is amongst the most attractive of all domestic cats. Its
lithe, tubular body appears slender but is in fact quite well muscled.
Head is wedge shaped with large pointed ears and slanted almond shaped
eyes that occur in blue or green colors. Legs and tail are long. Coat
of the Oriental Shorthair occurs in an amazing array of colors and
patterns, with over three hundred variations recognized. Combinations
include bi-color, parti-color, shaded, smoke, solid and tabby.
Like
their longhair counterparts Oriental Shorthairs are prone to certain
ailments in some of their lines. These include dental disorder,
Amyloidosis of liver and dilated cardiomyopathy. These conditions are
rare overall though and generally the cats live a long healthy life of
fifteen years or more.
Oriental Shorthairs are very curious and
intelligent. They like to explore everything and are not shy to open
cabinets and get on top of cupboards to satisfy their natural
inquisitiveness. They are athletic and maintain their active , playful
lifestyle even as they age.
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Tags: abyssinians, amyloidosis, breed of cats, cat fanciers association, colored cat, dental disorder, distinct entity, domestic cats, domestic shorthairs, feline breed, formal recognition, graceful cat, green colors, oriental longhair, oriental shorthair, oriental shorthairs, parti color, pointed ears, russian blues, tubular body
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Tags: abyssinians, amyloidosis, breed of cats, cat fanciers association, colored cat, dental disorder, distinct entity, domestic cats, domestic shorthairs, feline breed, formal recognition, graceful cat, green colors, oriental longhair, oriental shorthair, oriental shorthairs, parti color, pointed ears, russian blues, tubular body
