Oriental Longhair
Encyclopedia
The Oriental Longhair, is a breed of domestic cat. It was formerly known as the British Angora before being renamed in 2002 by British cat fancies in order to avoid confusion with the Turkish Angora
.
The Oriental Longhair is analogous to the CFA
Balinese
and Javanese
, and the TICA
Oriental Longhair breeds in the United States. With no globally recognized naming convention, other cat fancies
may refer to this type as Foreign Longhair or Mandarin.
-style body (known in the cat fancy
as oriental type), but with a longer coat than the short-haired Siamese. 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. All Oriental Longhairs have green eyes, except for the whites, which may have green or blue eyes, or be odd-eyed
(two different colored eyes).
The breed originated as a byproduct of the introduction of the Sorrel [=Cinnamon] gene from a Somali
into Oriental cats. The F1 generation, when mated to each other, did produce Cinnamon kittens,
but also some longhairs as well. These were originally called "Angoras".
The late Julia May was involved and is, perhaps, the reason why the OLH breeding policy is rather more
liberal than usual in Pedigree animals.The breeds open to outcrossing are Siamese, Balinese and
Oriental Shorthair as well as OLHs. Any offspring which are long-coated and WITHOUT points may be shown as
an OLH at GCCF shows.
TICA and FIFE recognise the other kittens from such an outcross according to their phenotype
or ,simply, what they look like.
The excellent outcome of this policy is that the breed is healthy, vigorous and fecund.
Each litter can be a delight , especially if one or both parents are "variants"
[in thise case = short-haired cats carrying the longhair gene]
.There can be pointeds and selfs, long and short coated and any of the
very many coat patterns currently in the Oriental breed.
If an Oriental Longhair is bred to an Oriental shorthair
or a Siamese
, the kittens will all be short-haired. However, if these kittens are reintroduced into a breeding program as adults, approximately half of their kittens will have long coats.
Turkish Angora
The Turkish Angora is a breed of domestic cat. Turkish Angoras are one of the ancient, naturally occurring cat breeds, having originated in central Turkey, in the Ankara region...
.
The Oriental Longhair is analogous to the CFA
Cat Fanciers' Association
The Cat Fanciers' Association was established in the United States in 1906 and is the world's largest registry of pedigreed cats and the predominant pedigreed cat registering association in North America...
Balinese
Balinese (cat)
The Balinese is breed of domestic cat with long hair and Siamese-style point coloration. It is essentially a Siamese but with a medium-length silky coat, and a plumed tail.-History:The "Balinese" is not actually from Bali or any part of Indonesia...
and Javanese
Javanese (cat)
The Javanese is a breed of domestic cat recognized by cat fanciers as a show cat, more specifically an oriental longhair.-Origin:The Javanese cat is not from Java nor Indonesia. Genetically they are long-haired Oriental."....
, and the TICA
The International Cat Association
The International Cat Association, commonly known as TICA, is the world's largest genetic cat registry. Originally a North American organization, it now has a worldwide presence...
Oriental Longhair breeds in the United States. With no globally recognized naming convention, other cat fancies
Cat Fancy
Cat Fancy is the name of a popular North American monthly magazine dedicated to cats, owners of cats, and breeders of cats published by BowTie Inc.-The magazine:...
may refer to this type as Foreign Longhair or Mandarin.
Description
Oriental Longhairs feature a long tubular, SiameseSiamese (cat)
The Siamese is one of the first distinctly recognized breeds of Oriental cat. The origins of the breed are unknown, but it is believed to be from Thailand. In Thailand, where they are one of several native breeds, they are called Wichian Mat...
-style body (known in the cat fancy
Cat Fancy
Cat Fancy is the name of a popular North American monthly magazine dedicated to cats, owners of cats, and breeders of cats published by BowTie Inc.-The magazine:...
as oriental type), but with a longer coat than the short-haired Siamese. The range of possible coat colours includes everything from self-coloured (black, blue, chocolate, lilac, cinnamon, caramel, fawn, red, cream and apricot), tortoiseshell
Tortoiseshell cat
Tortoiseshell describes a coat coloring found mostly in female cats. Cats of this color are mottled, with patches of orange or cream and chocolate, black or blue. They are sometimes called torties...
, smoke (silver undercoat), shaded or tipped, tabby
Tabby cat
A tabby is any cat that has a distinctive coat that features stripes, dots, lines or swirling patterns, usually together with an "M" mark on its forehead. Tabbies are sometimes erroneously assumed to be a cat breed. In fact, the tabby pattern is found in many breeds of cat, as well as among the...
or white. All Oriental Longhairs have green eyes, except for the whites, which may have green or blue eyes, or be odd-eyed
Odd-eyed cat
An odd-eyed cat is a cat with one blue eye and one green, yellow or brown eye. It is a feline form of complete heterochromia, a condition which occurs in some other animals...
(two different colored eyes).
The breed originated as a byproduct of the introduction of the Sorrel [=Cinnamon] gene from a Somali
into Oriental cats. The F1 generation, when mated to each other, did produce Cinnamon kittens,
but also some longhairs as well. These were originally called "Angoras".
The late Julia May was involved and is, perhaps, the reason why the OLH breeding policy is rather more
liberal than usual in Pedigree animals.The breeds open to outcrossing are Siamese, Balinese and
Oriental Shorthair as well as OLHs. Any offspring which are long-coated and WITHOUT points may be shown as
an OLH at GCCF shows.
TICA and FIFE recognise the other kittens from such an outcross according to their phenotype
or ,simply, what they look like.
The excellent outcome of this policy is that the breed is healthy, vigorous and fecund.
Each litter can be a delight , especially if one or both parents are "variants"
[in thise case = short-haired cats carrying the longhair gene]
.There can be pointeds and selfs, long and short coated and any of the
very many coat patterns currently in the Oriental breed.
If an Oriental Longhair is bred to an Oriental shorthair
Oriental Shorthair
The Siamese cat was imported to Britain from Siam in the later half of the 1800s. According to reports, both pointed and solid colors were imported. The gene that causes the color to be restricted to the points is a recessive gene, therefore the general population of the cats of Siam were largely...
or a Siamese
Siamese (cat)
The Siamese is one of the first distinctly recognized breeds of Oriental cat. The origins of the breed are unknown, but it is believed to be from Thailand. In Thailand, where they are one of several native breeds, they are called Wichian Mat...
, the kittens will all be short-haired. However, if these kittens are reintroduced into a breeding program as adults, approximately half of their kittens will have long coats.
External links
- AACE
- http://tica.org/public/breeds/si/si.pdf STANDARD ORIENTAL LONG HAIR & SIAMÉS GROUP - TICA]
- STANDARD ORIENTAL LONG HAIR - FIFe