Oriental Longhair basic information

The Oriental Longhair, formerly known as the British Angora, is a breed of cat that features a tubular, Siamese-style body (known in the cat fancy as oriental type), but with a longer coat than the short-haired Siamese. The coat can also come in a variety of colors and patterns, including tabby, "tortie", and solid.

General: The ideal Long Hair Oriental cat should be the same as the Oriental Shorthair with the exception of the coat length.

Wedge: The head and ears will present a long, tapering wedge, when viewed from the front, in good proportion to the body. The total wedge starts at the nose and flares out in straight lines to the tips of the ears forming an isosceles triangle with no break at the whiskers. There shall be no less than the width of one eye between the eyes. The whiskers shall be smoothed back to reveal the underlying bone structure. There will be no probing for a whisker pinch. Allowances must be made for the jowls in the stud cat. The skull will be flat in profile. A long straight line is seen from the top of the head to the tip of the nose. No bulge over the eyes or dip in the nose. Allow for growth ridge above the eyes in kittens and young adults, DO NOT PENALIZE.

Muzzle: Fine, moderately long, wedge shaped.

Chin and Jaw: Medium sized. The chin should be strong and full, not receding or diminutive. Tip of the chin should line up with the tip of the nose on a vertical plane.

Ears: Strikingly large and pointed, wide at the base. Position should continue the lines of the wedge. OBJECTION: Dip in the nose, bulging forehead, Roman nose, weak chin, whisker pinch in the actual bone structure. Ears too small, short, or carried high on the head or too wide so as not to follow the lines of the wedge.

Eyes: The eyes appear to be almond shaped, set in an almond aperture, medium in size. Set shall be slanted toward the nose in harmony with the lines of the wedge. Neither protruding nor recessed.

Body: Long, slender, and lithe, with a tubular shape as viewed from top, bottom, or sides. The cat should present a well-muscled, non-flabby appearance. The body should give the illusion that it is no wider than the shoulders. Allowance: Males may be larger than females; the abdominal muscles of an older queen who may have borne several litters may be softer than those of a younger cat. Penalize: Flabby muscles, excessively soft body.

Neck: Long and slender in proportion to the body and head length. OBJECTION: Neck which is carried low, between shoulders and appears to telescope.

Legs: Long and slim. Hind legs to be longer than front, in good proportion to the body. OBJECTION: Weak hind legs, short legs, heavy boning.

Feet: Dainty, small and oval. Toes; five in front and four behind.

Tail: Long, narrow at the base, tapering to a fine point. OBJECTION: Short, thick, non-visible kink or fault in tail.

Coat and Plume: Short on head, medium length at shoulders getting progressively longer toward the tail. Lying close to body, fine textured and silky. Tail hair spreads and drapes like a plume. Allowance can be made for lack of coat in a young cat. OBJECTION: "Bottle Brush" tail, excessive chest ruff or ear tufts as displayed by the Angora.

Body Color: The body colors and patterns are described in the Color Class Section. All colors and patterns that are genetically possible in the cat may occur in the Oriental with the following exceptions: No albino series cats are acceptable. TYPE TAKES PREFERENCE OVER COLOR.

Eye Color: Green is the preferred eye color in all Orientals except whites. Whites will have blue eyes, green eyes and odd eyes; pointed orientals must have blue eyes. In other colors, hazel or amber eyes allowed. Depth of color preferred over tone.