Colorpoint Shorthair breed guide

Colorpoint Shorthairs want to be with you, on you or involved in whatever you are doing. CFA warns to expect loud protests when you need time to yourself. Many form close friendships with dogs and other pets but seem fondest of cats, curling up with them in an almost unrecognizable pile.

Communication is the gift the breed shares with the Siamese, along with exceptional intelligence: a rare owner is not constantly aware of the cat's current desires. Athletic, agile and inventive, Colorpoint Shorthairs enjoy any toy offered but may like a crumpled ball of paper of their own devising even more.

Expect demands for attention and devotion, which the cat returns many times over.

The short silky hair needs only minimal grooming to control shedding. Some breeders use a rubber brush and others hand groom the Siamese way, stroking the cat vigorously with wet hands, which removes a fair amount of dead hair.

Show cats are the only ones that need a bath.

CFA says Colorpoint Shorthairs are predisposed to certain conditions found in Siamese lines. Some are minor, such as crossed eyes or tail kinks and others call for genetic or physical testing, which most breeders now do to remove carrier cats.

Red-point, cream-point and tortie-point cats came first to the show ring. CFA accepted them for registration in the late 1950s with championship status following in 1964. English breeders added tabby points, which crossed the Atlantic as lynx points.

Colorpoint Shorthairs are now judged in three classes: solid point, lynx point and particolors. Traditional Siamese far outnumbered them for the first 30 years, but Colorpoint Shorthair numbers have been growing.