Did You Know?
The Colorpoint shorthair is the first cousin of the Siamese breed, characterized by 16 “point” colors. Some consider them a hybrid of the Siamese. They are a manmade breed, which was born when a few cat breeders were interested to see a Siamese in red color.
Size
The Colorpoint Shorthairs are medium-sized cats, weighing 5-10 pounds.
Coat
Short, glossy, fine
Color
16 point colors, including lynx, red, cream
Life Span
12-17 years
Affectionate, devoted, and loyal, the Colorpoint Shorthair cat breed is always on the lookout for “lap moments.” The manmade cat breed is a perfect choice for families with kids and feline-friendly dogs. They are happy to be around kids that pay them attention and treat them politely. They may live up to 12-17 years.
Physical Characteristics of The Colorpoint Shorthair
A cat of physical extremes, the Colorpoint Shorthair looks like the Siamese, and some cat lovers mistake them to be twins. With a medium-sized tubular body, firm muscles, and long, narrowing lines, Colorpoint walks on small, dainty oval paws supported on her long, slim legs, swishing a tapering tail. Her hind legs are higher than the two in the front.
Her deep vivid blue almond-shaped eyes slant toward the long nose and are studded in a wedge-shaped head, which is flanked by large, flaring ears, creating an impression of a triangle. Their unusually large ears are wide at the base and taper at the tip.
One clearly distinguishing feature between the Colorpoint and their Siamese cousin is the variety of their nontraditional colors. The cat breed comes in 16 colors and patterns, ranging from red to cream, and tortoiseshell. Some members of this cat breed family are a mixture of these colors.
Their short, fine coat darkens with age.
Her beauty lies in her color contrasts, with a light body color and darker extremities. The fur color differs from that of the ears, tail, and paws.
The Colorpoint Shorthair is your long-lived joyous companion that may live up to 12-17 years.
Personality and Temperament of The Colorpoint Shorthair
The Colorpoint Shorthair derives some of her personality traits from the Siamese. Their coat colors may vary, but they have some common characteristics beneath the skin.
Talkative and opinionated, the Colorpoint will make herself heard when she has a point. The manmade breed is very talkative and wants to discuss her day with her people.
Her loud, raspy voice is her way to seek attention and be heard. They bond well with their people and want to be with you everywhere. They will follow you wherever you go, supervising every single move. Affectionate, loving, and helpful, a Colorpoint Shorthair will miss no opportunity to be in your lap and be in bed with you, with her head on the pillow.
The friendly kitty can be your best companion if you enjoy the company of someone to talk to throughout the day. They do not appreciate isolation and will pout and pine if left alone. A highly demanding and social cat breed, the Colorpoint enjoys the company of friendly kids and pets. Keep her highly intelligent brain active with puzzle toys and her agile and athletic body exercised with teaser toys. They love heights and a big cat tree is a perfect toy for them.
She has a sharp mind and can be trained to do many things.
Never leave her without some kind of entertainment and keep your purse, toiletries, and other things out of her reach. Else, she will not hesitate to reach out to whatever fancies her attention, looking for something to play with. The agile kitty is capable of opening doors and drawers.
Health and Care of The Colorpoint Shorthair
The health problems that affect the Siamese may compromise the health of the Colorpoint Shorthair. Nutrition must be controlled for the Colorpoint, as their slender legs cannot hold their weight if they become obese.
Although their coat needs little care with little to no shedding, the cat breed enjoys spending time grooming by her parent and associates brushing with love, care, and affection. Members of this cat family are hypoallergenic and produce little to no dander.
History and Background
A crossbreed of the Siamese and the American Shorthair, the Colorpoint Shorthair breed got the breed championship in 1964.
In the 1940s, cat breeders started crossbreeding different breeds to create a cat with the characteristics of the Siamese in a nontraditional color. They used crossing between the Abyssinian, Siamese, and red domestic Shorthair. Numerous failed attempts finally resulted in successful breeding. The resultant cat was crossbred with the Siamese again to retain her body style and personality.
