How to Identify An Oriental Longhair Cat

Identifying An Oriental Longhair

• Step 1:
  Begin by looking at the cat’s general shape and size. The cat should be elegant, fine boned, and lithe. The cat’s lines should be slightly angular and taper down the legs and neck. This is a small species and the males rarely weigh more than ten pounds, the females eight. One thing to pay particular attention to is the tail. It should be long, almost as long as the cat. And be covered in lush, feathery fur much longer and fluffier than the rest of the body.
• Step 2:
  Examine the cat’s fur. It should be very fine and silky. Though this is called a long haired breed, the hair shouldn’t be much longer than an average American Shorthair. The only thing of note is the ruffled, rugged look of the fur. It shouldn’t lie down quite as evenly as you see on most cats, giving it a patchy look. All colors and patterns that are possible can appear in an Oriental Longhair, so this will be of no help identifying the animal.
• Step 3:
  Look closely at the cat’s head. It should have slanted green eyes, though a pure white cat will have blue eyes. The neck will be long and angular, the muzzle too. A strong jaw will keep the muzzle from looking odd. 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 tops of the ears, forming an isosceles triangle with no break at the whiskers. The ears themselves will be strikingly large, very long and pointed. If the cat meets these criteria then you’re looking at An Oriental Longhair.