Oriental Longhair

Oriental Longhairs have the same wedge-shaped heads as modern Siamese cats

Oriental Longhairs feature a long, tubular, Oriental-style body but with a longer silky coat. The range of possible coat colours includes everything from self-coloured (black, blue, chocolate, lilac, cinnamon, caramel, fawn, red, cream and apricot), tortoiseshell, smoke (silver undercoat), shaded or tipped, tabby or white. The eyes are almond shaped. The preferred eye colour for Oriental Longhairs is green; except for the whites, which may have green or blue eyes, or be odd-eyed (two different coloured eyes).[4]

If an Oriental Longhair is bred to an Oriental shorthair or a Siamese, the kittens will all be short-haired.[5] This is because the gene for long hair is recessive. The kittens will, however, be a variant, a carrier of the long-hair gene. If such a "variant" is bred to a cat with long hair, or to another variant, they may produce both short-haired and long-haired kittens. Variants may have a slightly longer coat than Oriental Shorthairs, but this is not always the case.

Red tabby kitten

The Oriental Longhair is an active cat that likes to play.[6] If the owner does not have the time to do so, it will often find a toy to play on its own. The breed enjoys jumping and does it well, usually without breaking any objects due to its agility and elegance. Oriental Longhairs are highly intelligent and are ideal companions for people who like their pets to be close to them.[6] They are loyal and most get along well with other cats, especially if they are of the same breed group. Oriental Longhairs are not adapted to a life of living alone and prefer an interactive home.[6]

Orientals, like their cousin breed the Siamese, have loud and expressive voices that are used often.[6] Many Orientals take to leash training quickly if started young. They have been known to open cabinets, doors and even refrigerators. This breed group is often recommended for more experienced cat keepers.

The Oriental Longhair typically lives for around 15 years.[7] Some can suffer from flat-chested kitten syndrome, which is a condition where the cat's chest does not develop properly. This can result in breathing difficulties.[6]

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  Chocolate adult
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  Chocolate smoke adult
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  Chocolate spotted tabby adult
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  Red tabby adult

• Javanese cat, for the non-traditional coloured Balinese cat
• Oriental Shorthair
• List of cat breeds

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Oriental Longhair cats.

• Iams website: Oriental Longhair cat
• Oriental Longhair Colour Overview (with photos)