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Is My Cat an Oriental Shorthair?

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by Heather Marie Wiest
(U.S, MN)

Bandit

Bandit

I don't know my cat's breed and I would like to find out. I think he is an oriental because the description fits him well but he is white and gray. But I'm not sure how to figure out. He was a stray but I took him in he has all his shots and I'm too nervous to ask what breed he is can you people help me??

Hi Heather... I answer this question in general terms on this page:

What Breed is My Cat?

As for Bandit, he is a fine looking cat. He will be a random bred cat, meaning not a purebred cat and not an Oriental Shorthair.

In fact, the Oriental Shorthair in the USA is a very slender cat (foreign appearance - the cat fancy people call it), much like the modern Siamese.

They have small, long heads and are quite fragile looking creatures.

Bandit looks strong, healthy and normal with a fantastic bicolor coat of grey and gleaming white. He is beautiful and for me more attractive than an Oriental Shorthair.

Is My Cat an Oriental Shorthair? to Oriental Shorthair cat

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Is My Cat an Oriental Shorthair?

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Dec 31, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar		 No OSH, but special...
by: Finn Frode, Denmark

Hi Heather. I think Kay Zirkel put it very well the other day when she said this about her Ms Coco Chanel:
"These kitties are really special they are called Moggy and you can own your very own by going to your local shelter and picking any of several wonderful.."
Being a fine mixed breed shorthair, a cat that has been taken in as a stray - that makes your Bandit something special. Cats like him need people like you and luckily you found him. 🙂

Dec 27, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar		 No..But Still Handsome!
by: Lisa James

Your gorgeous boy isn't an OSH, like Michael says. A stray is not ever likely to be a purebred anything, although lost purebred pets do happen once in a while. The "slinky" breeds, (Siamese, Balinese, Javanese, Oriental Shorthair, Oriental Longhair, & Colorpoint Shorthair) may "appear" fragile, but they are 100% pure muscle, with shining coats that are tight to the body. In a good one it nearly looks like the color has been spray painted on. They come in over 300 colors & patterns, so a blue & white bicolor isn't an unusual one.

I have a blue & white bicolor domestic longhair who's mom was a feral that abandoned her & her father was a traveling salesman, & she is the love of my life, so be proud of your boy, & even though he isn't an American Shorthair either, he is still an "All American"!

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Is My Cat an Oriental Shorthair? — 6 Comments

  2. My dad before he died rescued a kitty that he named Lucky. It had been abandoned for who knows how long in the apartment complex my dad lived in. He had been feeding him along with other abandoned kitties in the complex. Since Lucky was fairly friendly, after the lost of his 14 year old kitty Freya, my dad decided to see if he would adjust to indoor living, which he did. After my dad died, we inherited Lucky. more I am pretty sure he is not a purebred, but based on his behavior and general body shape, I thought he had at least a fair bit of Siamese in him, now I think its more likely Oriental Shorthair.

    He is Grey and White bicolor. 11.3 lbs but NO fat. Extremely long in the body with a very thin whip like tail that ends in a point. His face is more angular than the ave DSH. His eyes green but more almond shaped. Also he is VERY vocal. He demands attention and wants to play a lot though he is probably 2 or 3 years old. Sometimes he will try to play with one of his hind feet trying to bite it and talking up a storm as he does it.

    My question is, if he does have Oriental Shorthair heritage, even if he is not purebred is there things I should watch for?

    Thanks

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Rachael, thanks for visiting and sharing….

      My answer based on my experiences is Yes. I have a large cat who is a black moggie. He has a long face like a Oriental SH or Siamese. The Siamese and Oriental SH are the same cat really except for the coat type. My cat talks like a Siamese cat and has a similar character in some ways. He has some Siamese DNA in him, I am sure. So there is Siamese DNA floating around the world finding itself inside random breed cats all over the world. This makes sense because cats from Thailand would have been transported to the Middle East and the West and then crossbred with other cats. It is a mashup. Even purebred cats are a DNA mashup.

      There is nothing special to look out for. Love him as your dad did and be observant. But all cats have the same requirements. Siamese cats like company.

      Reply ↓

      • oh yes I am well aware of Siamese mixing with other kitties. When I was growing up we had a family of white cats who were a mix tween a red tabby cat and a Siamese. Several of the kitties had one green eye and one blue eye. Many had a few spots on the forehead and many were more angular.
        The male kitties with the different colored eyes we called Tuffy after the first one, his daughter Thule was the mama cat for many of the kitties we had as I was growing up. My mom named her Thule after the thick pea soup Thule fog that is common in Central Valley winters here in California. The only female kitty we had with one of each eye was my cat Thomasina who was Thule’s granddaughter.

        Reply ↓

  3. could be be a russian white? i have a similar (almost exact looking) cat, they have a distinct gray color and eye/ear size, and on some sites i’ve found they’ve called them Russian White.

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