Foreign Oriental Shorthair
The colorpoint cats that we so instantly and so easily identify as Siamese are in fact only one part of that Far East breed. In their native Thailand (Siam), the cats also appear in many solid color variations.
Such variations, which were introduced in the 1970sin the united States, are known as the Oriental Shorthair.
The same cats in Great Britain and Europe are known as Foreign. Each color is considered its own breed and is referred to as such: for example, Foreign Red and Foreign Ebony. The name originated in the1920s, when breeders of the solid-colored animals saw their animals excluded from Siamese categories and created the new breed categories to include their cats.
The Foreign or Oriental Shorthair has the personality of the Siamese. It’s a lively and energetic cat, with intense curiosity about everything around it. Lots of play and exercise must be part of the cat’s daily routine for it to be truly happy. Like the Siamese, the Foreign Shorthair can be trained to walk on a leash.
The various colors are divided into five classes: Solid, Shaded, Smoke, Tabby and Bi-(Party) Color.- Solid: White, with white coat and blue, green or yellow eyes; Ebony, with black coat and green or yellow eyes; Red, with red-brown coat and green or yellow eyes; Lilac (Lavender), with pink-grey coat and green or yellow eyes; Chestnut, with brown coat and green eyes; Blue, with grey coat and green or yellow eyes. Shaded: Cameo, with white undercoat tipped withered; Silver, with white undercoat tipped with black, blue, brown, or pink-grey. Smoke (tipped more heavily than the Shaded): Black Smoke, with white undercoat tipped with black; Blue Smoke, with white undercoat tipped with grey; Chestnut Smoke, with white undercoat tipped with brown; Lilac (Lavender) Smoke, with white undercoat tipped with pink-grey; Cameo Smoke, with white undercoat tipped with red-brown. Tabby: Classic, Mackerel, Spotted, or Ticked, inane of the Tabby colors. Also Ebony Tabby, with brown coat with black markings; Silver Tabby, with silver coat with black markings; Red Tabby, with brown-red coat with darker markings; Cameo Tabby, with white coat with red-brown markings; Cream Tabby, with cream coat with buff markings; Chestnut Tabby, with light brown coat with brown markings; Blue Tabby, with blue-white coat with grey markings; Lilac (Lavender) Tabby, with grey coat with pink-grey markings. Bi-Color (Patched): Blue-Cream, with grey coat with cream patches; Lavender-Cream, with grey coat with cream patches; Tortoiseshell, with black coat withered and cream patches; Chestnut-Tonier, with brown coat with red and cream patches.
The fur of the Foreign Shorthair, like that of the Siamese, is short, very soft, and exceedingly fine. The body is thin and slender, with long, thin legs and small, egg-shaped paws. The head is large and triangular,
With medium-sized, almond-shaped eyes that are slanted; it has a pointed muzzle. The ears are large and pointed at the tips.
Daily brushing with a medium-hard brush is recommended to remove dead hairs, especially during shedding periods. An exclusively meat diet tends to damage the light colors of the coat, so fish and cooked vegetables should be used alternately with meat.