The Oriental cat is a breed officially recognized in 1977 in the United States. It is distinguished by slender long body, thin bones and strong muscles, wedge-shaped head, very large ears, thin and long tail, it is playful, talkative, friendly, strongly attached to humans.
Oriental cats attracted the attention of felinologists in 1950. Breeders from Great Britain, who were the first to start their breeding, gave them the name of “brown oriental cat”, later naming these animals as “Havana” cats because of their color resembling the color of the famous Cuban cigars. The first animals were brought to Europe from Thailand at the same time as Siamese cats.
The appearance of oriental cats
Reminiscent of its trumpet shape, the long and slender graceful body of the animals is quite muscular. This oriental beauty is very hardy physically and has remarkable flexibility. With a trim abdomen, small paws, long and thin tail orientals remind athletes of track and field athletes.
The small head is wedge-shaped with a sharp muzzle, a long flat nose, and expressive, high ears. Most likely, it is because of the shape of the head and expressive clever slanting eyes, set obliquely to the nose, that animals were originally called “oriental cats. Interestingly, in spite of this eye arrangement, you will not find strabismus in “Havanese”.
Tight to the body short and very thin wool can be compared to satin. To date, more than forty different colors of these animals have been bred. Brown has long since ceased to be the breed standard. Oriental cats are found in a very large range of colors: lavender, chocolate, black. But always the color is exceptionally uniform, without the presence of white spots and individual hairs or tiger moire.
A few words about the character of oriental beauties
And here the comparison with the East is very, very appropriate. Recalling the best descriptions of oriental character traits, the phrase from the famous movie “Orient is a delicate matter” is more suitable than ever for Oriental cats. Indeed, oriental cats exhibit remarkable subtlety in all aspects of their behavior. Having a stormy temperament, they are both immensely gentle and affectionate in their relationships with people and can clearly demonstrate their genuine love for people.
Their intelligence in general is unique, and loyalty and its manifestations are admirable. But at the same time, they are full of self-respect, and for them to be in the spotlight - it’s normal. Oriental cats love when they have signs of attention. They are very persistent and try to be in your eyes more often, very competently and accurately choosing the place of their location in the house so that you just can’t ignore them.
Oriental cats have an amazing ability to understand the mood of his master. If cats see that you’re something unhappy, they tactfully and with a great respect will not bother you with games, and even with requests for food. But at the same time, cats are very companionable and can’t bear loneliness for a long time. They just need company, whether it’s other animals or people.
Having well-developed physical body it is only natural that animals are very active (they can stay in one place for a long time if you tell somebody about them). Active play is the norm for Oriental cats. A hanging piece of foam rubber or a crumpled up piece of paper can keep an animal occupied for hours.
One more detail of the behavior - Oriental cats will definitely try to help you in your household chores. This is how they show their belonging and loyalty to the family. Therefore, do not be surprised if after cleaning some of the items will be in the trash. This is just a desire to imitate, which is demonstrated to you by the domestic “helper”. By the way, animals are very easy to train. To teach an oriental cat elementary commands and certain actions is quite simple and does not take much time.
To conclude the story about the character, we should add that Oriental cats are always individual and have their own peculiarities of behavior and habits.
Keeping and care
Oriental cats are very unpretentious in care and maintenance. Among the difficulties of care should be noted their intolerance of the cold and drafts. Naturally, it is also necessary to monitor the hygiene of the animals. Some owners, using their natural tendency to training, teach animals to go to the toilet.
A balanced diet is important. To keep the coat satiny soft and shiny, a few drops of melted butter can be added to each meal.