The Oriental Breed Look in Kittens

Is it normal for owners who aren't all that familiar with cat breeds (such as myself) to "see" an Oriental breed look to their moggie or stray kittens?

When I took my kitten Lusa to the vet about a month ago, I asked the vet tech if Lusa looked a bit Siamese. She said that she thought the same of other kittens in the past, but it's just that their ears are so large, faces pointy, etc.

Also, I just read the thread of about vocalizing in black cats. Someone mentioned that black cats are often part Siamese or Himalayan.

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=101583

What do you all who are breed-knowledgable think about this?

Oriental type is usually a longer bodied, slender/refined build with a longer head type. That's how I know when a cat has some oriental in the background.

That's interesting. We've actually been wondering if our shelter kitten Eve has some oriental to her. Someone told me that when she was 8 weeks old but I didn't really see it. She just looked like a normal kitten to me. But now she's 4-5 months and is very slender, long-bodied, long-legged, and athletic. Especially when you compare her to Lily, who is two months older (but smaller) and my friend's 5 month old kitten. Eve was a huge talker, but quieted down once she got used to having human and kitty friends. Apparently she cried constantly at the shelter because she was lonely.

Eve is mostly black with faint lighter tabby markings. She looks skinny but she's very muscular.

Any opinions? Either way she's still my gorgeous girl!

Comparison pic next to Lily:

IMO she does have that oriental/siamese look to her She's very pretty.

Vash has a very oriental look to him, his littermate , does not, but in appearance, Vash looks like his mom, no clue what their dad looked like.
Vash is long, long legs, long body, long neck, very wedge shaped head.
He's also very active and athletic.

Trouble, his brother, is cobby, but with a wedge shaped head and large ear and very vocal and people oriented.

But as their mother was a stray that was brought in far too pregnant to spay, there really is no telling their background.

Wow, Evie is beautiful!

Here's a current pic of Lusa. I have a few more of her stretching out on my camera that I need to upload. I don't think her body is a long as Evie's, though.

Radar is very long bodied and long legged, slender and has good muscle definition in his hind-quarters. His face is quite pointed, but not what you would call wedge. I don't know yet whether he will fill out more as he gets older (he's 5 months). I know his parentage - cornish rex/siamese mum and moggy dad, although I didn't get a good look at dad as he was lurking at a distance.

If Radar has rex and siamese in him, that probably will give him the more oriental look when grown. Is the mom a rex and siamese cross or is she a rex with pointed rex? Rexes come in all colors including the pointed colors - but doesn't mean they are crossed with the siamese (at this point in time).

Some of the first generations of cornish rex were bred with siamese for type, so the pointed gene is in the lines.

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

If Radar has rex and siamese in him, that probably will give him the more oriental look when grown. Is the mom a rex and siamese cross or is she a rex with pointed rex? Rexes come in all colors including the pointed colors - but doesn't mean they are crossed with the siamese (at this point in time).

Some of the first generations of cornish rex were bred with siamese for type, so the pointed gene is in the lines.

Click to expand...

LOL now you're asking! This is where I get confused. Her human did explain it to me but I was covered in kittens, trying to work out which was cutest, and don't know the first thing about breeding. She is rex, but I think variant, the result of outcrossing to siamese? Red point, with typical rex eyes, features, and body type, but straight hair.

Originally Posted by Arlyn

Trouble, his brother, is cobby, but with a wedge shaped head and large ear and very vocal and people oriented.

Click to expand...

I don't mean to hijack, but could someone please explain, what is cobby, exactly? Does it mean short-legged?

My Ferris has a Maine Coon coat (shorter in front, longer on back and belly, very fine and soft, doesn't matt, great big fluffy long tail) and a VERY triangular, pointy face (whereas Ginger has the blockier snout with the Maine Coon coat) and he has much shorter legs than she had at his age, plus his body doesn't seem to be as elongated as hers is. She has the loooong legs, so when she stands up on her hind legs, she can reach our countertops, even though she's just 8.5 pounds and is a small girl.

So I've been assuming that Ferris has strong Maine Coon genes combined with others that give him the triangle face with the delicate snout, plus the shorter legs and body. The question is, what are the others, LOL...

Cobby - think "persian" - short body, short legs, round head.

Oriental - think siamese, orientals, rex - long slendar body, long legs, long tail and more pointed type head.

Maine coons tend to have a moderate/rectangle type of body - longer then height with medium legs, medium head.


I know in England they are still outcrossing a lot of the cornish (varients) where you would have a cornish parent and a siamese/oriental. You get straight coats and the kittens carry the rex gene for curly.

If mom was a varient and dad was a mixed, you'd get straight coated. The kitten may or may not be carrying the rex gene.

Not sure why England still wants to outcross the cornish - you have a healthy base and IMO no need to keep outcrossing them to orientals.

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

I know in England they are still outcrossing a lot of the cornish (varients) where you would have a cornish parent and a siamese/oriental. You get straight coats and the kittens carry the rex gene for curly.

If mom was a varient and dad was a mixed, you'd get straight coated. The kitten may or may not be carrying the rex gene.

Not sure why England still wants to outcross the cornish - you have a healthy base and IMO no need to keep outcrossing them to orientals.

Click to expand...

I can't even pretend to know the answer to that! The only thing I know is that outcrossing is positively encouraged here at the moment.

I think I can see some Rex in my boy's personality. He is totally fearless, greeting both friends and strangers as if they were long-lost playmates. He snuggles with the vet and plays with the stethoscope. And he never stops - ok he has a late afternoon nap, but the rest of the time he bombs around like a maniac, his 'funny five minutes' can last for 2 hours or more of him bouncing off the furniture. When he's wanting a rest, he's not a lap cat, he's an 'as close to your face as I can get' cat, and could headbut and lick you to within an inch of your life. I feel so privileged to have him in my life and if these traits are similar to those of a cornish rex, I would not hesitate to recommend one to someone - as long as they had the energy to keep up with the mischief!

The other physical feature he has that I forgot to mention is that his tail is really long, if he didn't hold it out from his body it would drag on the floor behind him, it's longer than his hind legs.

Yep, definately a rex personality Goofy but totally smart too - and their paws are like little hands with fingers - they can open lots of things other cats can't

They will have that energy for a long time. Our 15 yr old rex (who died a few weeks ago) would race around the house at 13/14 yrs old

Thanks so much!

Thank you for the answers, GoldenKitty!

Here are a couple of pics of Lusa. In your opinion, would her body type be more "cobby" than "oriental"? She seems to be growing into her ears finally

Doesn't look at all cobby, looks very streamlined.
I think she's gorgeous, complete with her tabby ghost markings.

Thank so much, Arlyn!

Hey! It's Eve's sister, tabby markings and all!