Cat Breeds - Oriental
Published in Cats & Dogs News
The Oriental Shorthair is a breed known for combining the traditional Siamese body with a diversity of colorings and patterns. When the Siamese was initially imported to Britain in the later half of the 1800s both pointed and solid colors were imported. However, the gene that causes the color to be restricted to the points is recessive, and the general population of the cats of Siam were largely solid colored. While those with the distinctive Siamese markings were selectively bred, the others were referred to as "non-blue eyed siamese," foreign shorthair and, eventually, Orientals.
The longhaired version of the Oriental Shorthair, Oriental Longhair, simply carries a pair of the recessive long hair gene. Regardless, Orientals are intelligent, social animals who bond closely to their people. They tend to be inquisitive, friendly, emotional, demanding and quite vocal, with a meow that is similar to that of the Siamese.
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