The Oriental Shorthair's coat comes in a rainbow of colors, with more than 300 color combinations possible. The Oriental breed is an offshoot of the Siamese, but his coat, which can be long or short, doesn't have points.
There are many interesting facts about this cat breed, according to VetStreet.
- Orientals become highly attached to their people, so it's important to socialize them from an early age.
- Orientals are active and athletic, chatty and curious.
- The Oriental is part of the Siamese family of cat breeds (which also includes the Siamese, Balinese, and Oriental Longhair), and these cats are intelligent, athletic, and vocal.
The Oriental will 'talk' to you and have a distinctive voice. This cat sounds a lot like our dogs!
Oriental Shorthair Cat breed overview
The Spruce Pets tells us:
- They weigh 8 to 10 pounds
- The Oriental has a short and smooth coat that comes in many different colors possible; including solids, shaded, smoke, and tabby color combinations.
- They have beautiful green, blue, gold, and yellow eyes
- This breed will live 10 to 15 years
It has a muscular body and large triangular ears.
Oriental personality and temperament
The Oriental cat is known to behave like Siamese cats. These popular breeds are chatty and love to talk to their owners.
VetStreet recommends that you consider puzzle toys as a way to enrich this Siamese breed.
"When you are not available to entertain him, an Oriental will divert himself by jumping on top of the refrigerator, opening drawers, seeking out new hideaways to frustrate anyone who might be searching for him, and watching television with clear interest. He can learn to walk on leash, plays fetch with enthusiasm and is usually amenable to living with children, dogs and other cats. In fact, he may even prefer it. The more action the better for this cat."
If you need a resource the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) or the International Cat Association can answer any questions.
Many cat owners are attracted to their large ears, eye color, green eyes, tubular body and pattern combinations. You'll often this breed of cat at the cat show. The Oriental Shorthairs are a beautiful cat!
Why are they known as the 'rainbow cat'?
It's said your Oriental should have a furry friend to play with! The Spruce Pets says the Oriental is the result of the crossbreeding of a number of other cat breeds.
"Crossbreeding in the United States also further expanded the cat's coat color combinations, leading to the approximate 300 varieties of colors and patterns existing today. The Oriental is sometimes referred to as the "rainbow cat" for its colorful coat."
Other cats to consider are Russian Blues, Abyssinians, British Shorthairs or the American Shorthair.
Are you lucky enough to live with an Oriental? If you do, tell us what they're like below in the comments!
