- Oriental Shorthair Cat Size: Medium to large, about 60 centimeters head-body length
- Classification: Shorthair
- Color: solid-colored, tabby or tortoiseshell variant
- Body care: brush occasionally or stroke with a moist hand
- Character: Charming, talkative, affectionate, trainable, spirited, playful, bright
- Origin: USA
- Weight: Female up to 3,4 kilograms, Male up to 4,5 kilograms
- Eyes: bright green
- Life expectancy: 8 to 12 years, sometimes even 15 years
- Nutrition: Species-appropriate food with a high meat content.
Oriental Shorthair origin and history
When Baroness von Ullman in England decided in 1951 that it was time for a newÂ
Siamese cat variant , the success story of the Oriental Shorthair began. The Baroness aimed to breed a cat with a solid brown and short coat and green eyes. After a few attempts, she succeeded. In 1972, the first Oriental Shorthair cat with chestnut brown fur and green eyes was recognized – this variant was namedÂ
“Havana” . Three years later, the breed was also recognized in the United States of America.
Appearance and Care
The Oriental Shorthair’s stature is slim and elegant. Its legs are long, with the hind legs longer than the front legs. Its tail is thin and its paws are small.
It has a wedge-shaped head with very pointed ears. Its eyes are almond-shaped, set at an angle and usually have a very intense color. In white cats this is blue, in other cats it can be green, copper or yellow.
The coat of the OKH cat is short, smooth and shiny. It comes in different colors and with different markings. The solid-colored Oriental shorthair cats are called “solid” and are black, blue-gray, chocolate, purple, red, cream, cinnamon or fawn. In addition, there are all tortoiseshell and tabby markings. The smoke Orientals are relatively new in breeding and can be solid-colored or tortoiseshell. Four markings are possible for the tabby variants: mackerel, brindle, spotted and ticked.
You don’t need to brush or comb your Oriental Shorthair cat regularly, as their coat has almost no undercoat. Often, just stroking them with a slightly damp hand or a damp cloth is enough to remove excess hair.
Oriental Shorthair: Special Features
The Oriental Shorthair is considered a relatively long-lived breed. However, there is a possibility that (inbreeding-related) hereditary diseases can occur in cats of this type. These include heart disease, anemia and the eye disease PRA, which is a disease of the retina that ultimately leads to blindness. It is therefore particularly important to find responsible and trustworthy breeders who only cross animals that are not affected by diseases.
TheOriental Shorthair is considered allergy-friendly because it only produces small amounts of the protein that triggers allergies. However, you should definitely test whether you are allergic to your OHK before taking the animal into your home.
Character of the Oriental Shorthair
The Oriental Shorthair cat brings life into the house. It is lively, curious and likes to explore. It does not let closed doors stop it: it can certainly figure out how to open them over the course of its life. The OKH is a companion that demands a lot of attention. It expresses its displeasure just as loudly as its affection – “quiet” is definitely not the right word to describe this breed of cat.
Frequent play sessions are important to keep the OKH cat happy. She is a proud hunter who wants to be praised. She also loves learning little tricks. Scratching posts can never be high enough for her and intelligence games keep her captivated. She often retains this playfulness well into old age. But in addition to all her agility, she is also very trusting and cuddly: cuddling with her humans is high on her wish list.
