- Even in colour, without tabby markings or shading in non-agouti varieties.
- Whiskers and eyebrows in harmony with the body colour.
About the Oriental Shorthair
Origin: United States
- Typical life span
- 12-15 years
- Size
- Small — from its typical weight
- Weight
- 2.3-4.5 kg
- Height
- 25-36 cm
- Registry status
- Recognised by TICA
- Breed group
- Short-haired
- Origin
- United States
- Known hereditary risks
- 2 documented conditions, with the test for each
About
What is a Oriental Shorthair?
Medium-sized, elegant cat with long tubular body, large ears, and wedge-shaped head. Siamese body type in hundreds of colors.
Oriental Shorthair history and origins
Developed from Siamese in the 1950s-60s by breeders wanting Siamese type in non-pointed colors. Available in over 300 color combinations. Same personality as Siamese.
Oriental Shorthair appearance and size
Typically 2.3-4.5 kg and 25-36 cm at the shoulder — published as one range rather than separately for males and females.
Oriental Shorthair temperament and personality
Generally described as energetic, affectionate, intelligent, social, playful and curious.
That is the breed in general, not a promise about one animal. Ask the breeder what their own line is like, and meet the parents before you decide.
Breed reference from The Cat API.
Characteristics
- Size
- Small
- Exercise needs
- —
- Easy to train
- —
- Amount of shedding
- 1 of 5
- Grooming needs
- 2 of 5
- Good with children
- —
- Cost to keep
- —
- Tolerates being alone
- —
- Intelligence
- —
- Health of breed
- 2 conditions documented
Pros & cons
Pros & cons for the Oriental Shorthair
What you get with the Oriental Shorthair
- Low grooming needs, fitting for a busy owner — the coat is “Very short, fine, glossy, silky and lying close to the body.”
- Commonly described as: “Energetic, Affectionate, Intelligent, Social”
What you are taking on
- 2 serious inherited conditions are documented, mainly in hormones & metabolism and kidneys & urinary. The health guide tab has the test to ask for on each.
Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. FIFe breed standard; The Cat API; PubMed — Generalized AA-amyloidosis in Siamese and Oriental cats. One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.
Characteristics
FIFe standard · Oriental Shorthair
Coat and colour
As the FIFe standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording.
Coat
Very short, fine, glossy, silky and lying close to the body.
Almost no undercoat.
Colour
- Preferred
- Permissible
- Undesirable
- Disqualifying
Preferred, permissible, undesirable and disqualifying are FIFe’s own words about the breed. They describe what the standard asks for — not an assessment of any individual dog, and not ours.
Shortened from FIFe standard OSH — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
TICA divisions
TICA lists the Oriental Shorthair in these divisions. They are the registry's own groupings — usually hair length — not a list of colours: no registry we hold publishes one. Ask a breeder what colours their line produces.
- Longhair
Temperament
EnergeticAffectionateIntelligentSocialPlayfulCurious
Breed-level information from The Cat API. It describes the Oriental Shorthair in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
Health & screening guide for the Oriental Shorthair
Known hereditary risks for the Oriental Shorthair breed, and the specific documentation to request from any breeder before paying a deposit. A responsible breeder will have these readily available; deflection is a red flag.
2 conditions documentedThis is breed-level literature, not veterinary advice about an individual animal — your vet knows the animal.
Health checklist (PDF)Hormones & metabolism
Mucopolysaccharidosis VI (MPS VI)
Serious
An inherited lysosomal storage disease with mild and severe forms; signs can include stunted growth, a wide face with a shortened nose, reduced joint flexibility and degenerative joint disease. UC Davis names Oriental Shorthair explicitly (along with Oriental Longhair, Siamese and related breeds) as appropriate for this test.
What to ask for
UC Davis VGL MPS VI DNA test on both parents.
Kidneys & urinary
Systemic (AA) amyloidosis
Serious
Amyloid protein deposits build up in the liver and other organs, most often becoming apparent between 1 and 7 years old; the liver can become fragile and rupture, which is frequently fatal. It is well documented in Siamese and Oriental Shorthair specifically, with a genetic (mixed Mendelian/polygenic) basis that research has linked to variants near the SAA1 gene — but this is a research finding, not yet a commercial diagnostic test.
What to ask for
No DNA test is commercially available yet; the SNP associations are a research finding, not a validated clearance test. Ask the breeder about the line's history of unexplained liver disease or early deaths — diagnosis in a living cat is by biopsy, not blood or DNA testing.
Gallery
No photographs yet
This is where Oriental Shorthair owners’ own photographs will go, from the pet profiles they keep here. Nobody has added one to a public page yet.
A photograph in a pet profile stays private to its owner. We will not put one here unless they ask us to.
Kittens
No kittens listed right now
That is not the same as none existing. Publishing a litter is part of a breeder's subscription here, so a Oriental Shorthair breeder can have a litter and no listing — ask them directly.
See Oriental Shorthair breeders