Pet Advisor Blog
Colorpoint Shorthair – Cat Breed Guide
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Introduction
The Colorpoint Shorthair is a domesticated feline breed that is only recognized by the Cat Fanciers Association and the World Cat Federation. Other members of the World Cat Congress recognize this particular breed as a type or color variation of the Siamese cat breed. Also, there are various registries around the world that classify the Colorpoint Shorthair under the Siamese, Asian or Oriental cat group.
Colorpoint Shorthair cats are basically Siamese type cats with pointed hair and coat colors that also appear in colors asides from the four traditional Siamese colors of lilac, blue, chocolate and seal. In some parts of the world, the Colourpoint name is used to call Persian cats with pointed coloring such as the Himalayan cat breed.
Official Name
Colorpoint Shorthair
The European and British spelling of this breed’s name is Colourpoint Shorthair.
Among the members of the World Cat Congress or WCC, the Cat Fancier’s Association CFA is the only one who recognizes the Colorpoint Shorthair as a distinct breed. The other feline associations affiliated with the WCC consider it a variety of the Siamese and thus calls these cats as Siamese Colourpoint Shorthairs.
Origin
The Colorpoint Shorthair cat breed originates from Britain as well as the North American continent and was first developed during the 1940s. To produce this feline breed, breeders developed a hybridization process using the various breeds to form the Colorpoint’s foundation stock. The breeds used include the Siamese, American Shorthairs, Abyssinians and red-coated domestic shorthair cats.
Quick FAQs
Size: Colorpoint Shorthair cats come in Small to Medium sizes.
Coat Type: The Colorpoint Shorthair has a short length coat.
Body Type: Colorpoint Shorthairs are cats with svelte-type bodies.
Grooming Requirement: The Colorpoint Shorthair is a cat breed that requires very little grooming attention.
Vocal Tendency: Colorpoint Shorthairs are very vocal domesticated felines.
Energy Levels: Colorpoint Shorthairs have very high activity levels.
Time Alone: The Colorpoint Shorthair is a cat that only needs about 0 to 4 hours of alone time every day.
Care: This is a feline breed that will need lots of attention and can be a handful when it comes to handling.
Recognized By
Cat Fancier’s Association – Fully recognizes the breed and accepts it as a Championship Breed.
World Cat Federation – Fully recognizes the breed and accepts it as a Championship Breed.
Other major feline associations and cat registries around the world considered the Colourpoint Shorthair as a color variety of the Siamese cat Breed. This includes all other members of the World Cat Congress, Livre Officiel des Origines Félines, United Feline Organization and all the North American feline associations.
History
The Colorpoint Shorthair is a cat that has a Siamese ancestry and shares the history of the Siamese cat breed. It is considered today as a hybrid breed of the Siamese or just a variety of the traditional Siamese cat breed.
During the 1940s, a group of breeders from both end of the Atlantic Ocean began a development process to consistently produce Siamese-style pointed cats in all colors and patterns. American and English cat breeders used the Abyssinian, Siamese, American Shorthair and various red-coated domestic shorthair cats as the foundation stock for this pointed Siamese cat breed.
Years of breeding produced inconsistency and failures but eventually, the breeders produce the desired color, pattern, body type, temperament as well as coat length and texture through line breeding, backcrossing the produce specimens to the traditional Siamese cat breed. Today it is technically a hybrid of the Siamese, but the modern Colourpoint Shorthair has very small amounts of non-Siamese gene inheritance.
The separation of the Colorpoint Shorthair comes after purist fanciers of the Siamese from America were offended by the new coat colors. They wanted to maintain a pure bloodline so the breeders who were developing the Colourpoint Shorthair breed together with the Cat Fancier’s Association or CFA separated it as a distinct breed from the Siamese.
In 1974, the Colorpoint Shorthair was fully recognized by the CFA as a distinct breed and accepted it as eligible for Championship Class. Across the Atlantic, the UK based Governing Council of the Cat Fancy or GCCF recognizes the Colourpoint Shorthair as existing but still calls it a Siamese. What is interesting is that the GCCF gives this particular breed a different classification code, indicating that there is room in the future to recognize the Colourpoint Shorthair as a separate and distinct breed from that of the Siamese.
Personality
The Colorpoint Shorthair is a hybrid feline breed that is known for its high levels of intelligence, very playful disposition and one of the most people-friendly cat breeds in the world today. These are cats that will love hanging around and playing with their human family and friends. These affectionate cats are so friendly that some breeders describe them as very outgoing and among the extroverts of the feline universe. The Colourpoint Shorthair is known to be sensitive and somewhat nervous towards strangers. The same reservation and aloofness will also be displayed if these cats are undergoing some sort of the change in their lives, especially in changes to their environment. With Siamese-ancestry, expect the Colorpoint Shorthair to be very vocal and extremely talkative as well as very needy when it comes to human attention and companionship. These cats are so vocal that Colourpoint SH cats are known to produce more than 100 distinct sounds. The male Colorpoint Shorthair will display a very high level of aggression towards other animals. Male cats of this breed are also very combative and territorial, fighting other male cats to express their dominant stature or protect their area from intruders.
Standards
Appearance
Basically, the Colourpoint Shorthairs are identical in appearance with The Siamese but comes in colors other than the four traditional Siamese colors. The most notable and distinguishing remarks of the Colourpoint Shorthair from their closely related Siamese cousins come in the coat color and pattern.
General
The Colorpoint Shorthair is a medium-sized cat breed that resembles the Siamese cat. It has a svelte type body with lengthy tapering lines.
Body
The body of the Colourpoint Shorthair is svelte-type and long in length. It has a very distinctive bone and muscle structure, fine boning and firm massed. The distinctive muscular and fine-boned structure is also seen in the areas of the shoulders and hips and continues to the sleek lines of the cat’s tubular shaped body.
Head, Ears and Eyes
The Colorpoint Shorthair cat’s head is long and tapering which is a wedge in shape and medium in size. These cats have enormous and pointed ears that are wide at the base and consistent to the head’s wedge shape. This cat breed has almond-shaped eyes that are medium in size and will slant towards the nose, complementing the lines of the wedge-shaped head and ears. Eye colors for these cats will be a shade of deep vivid blue.
Coat and Tail
The Colorpoint Shorthair’s tail is thin and long that is tapering to a very fine point. These cats have short coats that are fine in texture and glossy in appearance.
Color
The Colorpoint Shorthair Cat breed comes in a variety of point colors. The CFA accepts Flame or Red Point, Fawn Point, Seal Point, Chocolate Point, any of the Tortie Point colors, any of the Torbie Point colors, any of the Lynx Point colors, Lilac Point and Blue Point.
Health
The Colorpoint Shorthair cat breed is considered to be a generally healthy feline breed. This breed may suffer from the same genetic disorders as the Siamese cat breed by not as common. The genetic disorders may include protrusion of the cranial sternum and the serious hereditary anomaly known as endocardial fibroelastosis.