Oriental Longhair

Meoww!!

Oriental Longhairs feature a long tubular, Siamese-style body (known in the cat fancy as oriental type), but with a longer coat than the short-haired Siamese.

In 5 Words

  • Active
  • Playful
  • Agility
  • Elegance
  • Energetic

Snapshot

WEIGHT RANGE:

Male: medium: 8-12 lbs.
Female: small: <8 lbs.

EYE COLOR:

Blue, Green

EXPECTATIONS:

Longevity Range: 8-12 yrs.
Social/Attention Needs: Moderate
Tendency to Shed: Low, Moderate

COAT:

Length: Short
Characteristics: Smooth
Colors: Red, Cream, Seal, Chocolate, Blue, Lilac, Blue-cream, Lilac Cream
Pattern: Tabby, Shaded
Less Allergenic: No
Overall Grooming Needs: Moderate

CLUB RECOGNITION:

Cat Association Recognition:
CFA, FIFe
Prevalence: Rare

Characteristics

Playfulness
Friendliness
Trainability
Intelligence
Health Issues
Did You Know?

The oriental longhair is a really active cat that likes to play a lot.

Learn About the Oriental Longhair

History

The Oriental Longhair is essentially a Siamese not limited to short hair, the colorpoint pattern and few color choices. The Oriental Longhair is accepted in more than 300 color and pattern combinations. The breed was deliberately developed from the colorful Oriental Shorthair; the fanciers involved wanted a breed that had the same wide range of colors and patterns but with a longer coat. In the late 1970s, breeders crossed the Oriental Shorthair with the Balinese (longhaired Siamese), and the Oriental Longhair was born. In 1985, the breed achieved championship status in TICA. In 1988, the Oriental Longhair was accepted by CFA for registration and in the early 1990s for championship.

Description

The Oriental Long hair, is a breed of domestic cat. It was formerly known as the British Angora before being renamed in 2002 by British cat fancies in order to avoid confusion with the Turkish Angora.

Oriental Longhairs feature a long tubular, Siamese-style body (known in the cat fancy as oriental type), but with a longer coat than the short-haired Siamese. The range of possible coat colours includes everything from self-coloured (black, blue, chocolate, lilac, cinnamon, caramel, fawn, red, cream and apricot), tortoiseshell, smoke (silver undercoat), shaded or tipped, tabby or white.

The body colors and patterns are described in the Color Class Section. All colors and patterns that are genetically possible in the cat may occur in the Oriental with the following exceptions: No albino series cats are acceptable.

Temperament

The oriental longhair is a really active cat that likes to play a lot. If the owner doesn’t have the time to do so, it will find a toy to play on its own. This breed enjoys jumping and does it really well, without breaking any objects due to its notorious agility and elegance.

The Oriental Longhair Cat has been described as Curious, Intelligent and Social.

Health

Oriental Longhairs are prone to tartar formation, plaque buildup and gingivitis. The gingivitis can lead to periodontitis which can cause tooth loss. Hereditary liver amyloidosis has been found in some lines.at.

Care

The coat of Oriental Longhairs is silky and close-lying, with a luxuriously plumed tail. Unlike in Persians or Siberians, it has no undercoat, so little grooming is necessary: only once in several weeks. Any colours are allowed; the patterns can be solid, shaded, smoke, parti-colour, tabby and bicolour.