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 1970s in 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 the the1920s when breeders of solid-colored animals saw their animals excluded from Siamese categories and created 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 an 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 a white coat and blue, green, or yellow eyes; Ebony, with black coat and green or yellow eyes; Red, with a 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 a grey coat and green or yellow eyes.
Shaded: Cameo, with a white undercoat, tipped withered; Silver, with a white undercoat, tipped with black, blue, brown, or pink-grey. Smoke (tipped more heavily than the Shaded): Black Smoke, with a white undercoat, tipped with black; Blue Smoke, with a white undercoat, tipped with grey; Chestnut Smoke, with a white undercoat, tipped with brown; Lilac (Lavender) Smoke, with white undercoat tipped with pink-grey; Cameo Smoke, with a white undercoat, tipped with red-brown.
Tabby: Classic, Mackerel, Spotted, or Ticked, inane of the Tabby colors. Also Ebony Tabby, with a brown coat with black markings; Silver Tabby, with a silver coat with black markings; Red Tabby, with a brown-red coat with darker markings; Cameo Tabby, with a white coat with red-brown markings; Cream Tabby, with a cream coat with buff markings; Chestnut Tabby, with a light brown coat with brown markings; Blue Tabby, with a blue-white coat with grey markings; Lilac (Lavender) Tabby, with a grey coat with pink-grey markings. Bi-Color (Patched): Blue-Cream, with a grey coat with cream patches; Lavender-Cream, with a grey coat with cream patches; Tortoiseshell, with black coat withered and cream patches; Chestnut-Tonier, with a 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 exclusive meat diet tends to damage the light colors of the coat, so fish and cooked vegetables should be used alternately with meat.
see more: Siamese Cat