Oriental Longhair Cats in the UK


GCCF Standard of Points for Oriental Longhairs

A complete Standards of Points for all breeds is available from the GCCF

This standard for Oriental Longhair cats (amended to include apricot) came into effect on 1st June 1998
From 1st June 2003 the breed has officially been known as the Oriental Longhair and the name was amended throughout the Standard of Points.

All colours share a single class, at Championship status since 1st June 2003.

General type standard:

The Oriental Longhair should be a beautifully balanced animal with head and ears carried on a slender neck and with a long svelte body supported on fine legs and feet, with a long slender tail. The body, legs, feet, head and tail should all be in proportion, giving a well balanced appearance. The coat should be of medium length and fine and silky in texture. The expression should be alert and intelligent. The cat should be in excellent physical condition. The colours and patterns are those of the Oriental Shorthairs with the addition of the green-eyed and odd-eyed Whites.

Head & Neck: Head long and well proportioned with width between the ears and narrowing in perfectly straight lines to a fine muzzle and forming a balanced triangle with no break or pinch at the whiskers. The head and profile should be wedge shaped, neither round nor pointed, avoiding exaggerated type. In profile the nose should be straight, free from any stop or dip, and the chin should be strong with a level bite. The tip of the chin should line up with the tip of the nose in the same vertical plane. The neck should be long and slender.

Ears: Large, pricked and wide at the base with their setting continuing the lines of the wedge.

Eyes: Oriental in shape and slanting towards the nose with good width between. No tendency to squint.

Eye Colour: Green in all colours except blue-eyed and odd-eyed whites, where they may be clear bright vivid blue or one green and one blue, with no flecks of contrasting colour.

Body: Medium in size. Long, svelte and muscular; firm and well muscled throughout.

Legs & Paws: Legs long and slim. Hind legs higher than the front legs. The legs to be firm and well muscled. Paws small and oval.

Tail:Long and tapering. Not blunt ended. Free from any abnormality of the bone structure.

Coat:Medium long, fine and silky in texture without a woolly undercoat; glossy with no knots. A long coat should not be penalised provided that it is fine and silky. The tail should be plume-like. The ears may be tufted. The coat should lie flat along the body with the exception of the areas around the chin, neck, underside and tail, where there may be a tendency to frill, thereby disguising the underlying bone structure. By smoothing back the coat it is possible to study the lines of the body. The longer portions of the coat may show a tendency to wave. Oriental Longhairs do not normally achieve full coat until they are mature and allowance should be made for shorter coats in kittens.

SCALE OF POINTS
Type (50)
 Head & Neck15
 Ears5
 Eye Shape & Setting5
 Body15
 Legs & Paws5
  Tail5
Colour & Coat (50)
  Eye Colour10
  Coat Colour & Pattern20
  Coat Length, Texture & Condition20
Total 100

Withhold all awards for:

  1. Visible kink.
  2. White markings anywhere, other than those referred to in the colour description.
Withhold Certificates or First Prizes in Kitten Open Classes for:
  1. Weak chin and/or uneven bite.
  2. Coat woolly or coarse in texture.
  3. Incorrect eye colour or any fleck of a different colour in the eye.
  4. Lack of two normal scrotal testicles in un-neutered male adults and kittens
  5. Unsound coat on body of adults of self colours, torties and standard tabbies. (Longer areas of coat may show lightening in colour)
  6. Incorrect pattern in non-self colours.
  7. Any defect as listed in the preface to the GCCF SOP booklet.
SELF COLOURS:

Coat Colour (except Whites): Sound to the roots on the body in adults with no white hairs; where the hair is longer there may be some lightening in colour. Kittens may show grey or rusting in their coat and this should not be unduly penalised. Kittens may also show ghost markings, especially in the lighter colours, and this should not be penalised.

White WHITE (Blue-eyed 62 14, Odd-eyed 62 14b, Green-eyed 62 14c): Pure white with no staining. A smudge of colour on the head is permissible in kittens but not in adults. Nose leather, eye rims & paw pads pink. Minor "freckles" should not penalise an otherwise good exhibit.

Black BLACK (62 15): Jet black in adults with no rusty tinge. Nose leather & eye rims black. Paw pads black or brown.

Blue BLUE (62 16): Light to medium blue. Free from silvery tipping. Nose leather & eye rims blue. Paw pads blue in adults, pinkish blue allowable in kittens.

Chocolate CHOCOLATE (62 15b): Rich warm chestnut brown. Not dark or cold toned. Nose leather, eye rims & paw pads brown or pinkish-brown.

Lilac LILAC (62 15c): Frosty grey with a distinct pinkish tone, giving an overall appearance of lilac. Colour too blue or too fawn is a fault. Nose leather, eye rims & paw pads pinkish lilac.

RED SELF (62 15d): Rich warm red, level in colour. Tabby markings may be evident, especially in kittens, and should not penalise an otherwise good cat. Nose leather, eye rims & paw pads pink. "Freckles" may appear on nose, lips, eye rims, ears & pads. Slight freckling in a mature cat should not be penalised.

CREAM (62 17): Cool toned cream, level in colour. Tabby markings may be evident, especially in kittens, and should not penalise an otherwise good cat. Nose leather, eye rims & paw pads pink. "Freckles" may appear on nose, lips, eye rims, ears & pads. Slight freckling in a mature cat should not be penalised.

APRICOT (62 15fn): Hot pinkish cream with a metallic sheen. Tabby markings may be evident, especially in kittens, and should not penalise an otherwise good cat. Nose leather, eye rims & paw pads pink. "Freckles" may appear on nose, lips, eye rims, ears & pads. Slight freckling in a mature cat should not be penalised.

CINNAMON (62 15k): Warm cinnamon brown. Nose leather & eye rims cinnamon brown. Paw pads pink to cinnamon brown.

CARAMEL (62 15n): Cool toned brownish blue. Nose leather, eye rims & paw pads brownish blue.

FAWN (62 15r): Warm rosy mushroom, the pinker the better, colour too blue or cold is a fault. Nose leather, eye rims & paw pads pinkish fawn.

TORTOISESHELLS:

The base colour in all Tortie Oriental Longhairs should be free from tabby markings. This base colour is patched and/or mingled at random with shades of red/cream/apricot which may show tabby markings. The head, body, tail and all four legs need not be evenly patterned but all must show some break in colour. Presence or absence of a blaze is immaterial. Nose leather, eye rims & paw pads plain or patched, in accordance with the base colour and/or pink.

TORTOISESHELL (BLACK) (62 21): Black with shades of dark and/or light red.

BLUE TORTOISESHELL (62 28): Blue with shades of cream and/or pale cream.

CHOCOLATE TORTOISESHELL (62 21b): Rich warm chestnut brown with shades of dark and/or light red.

LILAC TORTOISESHELL (62 21c): Frosty grey with a distinct pinkish tone with shades of cream and/or pale cream.

CINNAMON TORTOISESHELL (62 21k): Warm cinnamon brown with shades of dark and/or light red.

CARAMEL TORTOISESHELL (62 21n): Cool toned brownish blue with shades of apricot and/or pale apricot.

FAWN TORTOISESHELL (62 21r): Warm rosy mushroom with shades of rich and/or paler cream.

SMOKE (62 36 - 62 36y):

Any colour accepted in Oriental Longhairs, with a near-white undercoat which should be approximately one third to two thirds of the total hair length in adults. The degree of contrast on the head and face should match the body as closely as possible and too much silver, giving the appearance of clear tabby markings, is undesirable. Some faint ghost tabby markings may be evident on the body, especially in kittens, but distinct tabby markings in adults are undesirable. Nose leather, eye rims & paw pads as in Selfs or Torties of the same basic colour.

SHADED (62 43 - 62 43ys):

Red ShadedPattern: The Shaded Oriental Longhair is an agouti cat in which the dark colour is restricted to the ends of the hairs; this darker portion of the hair may vary from tipping to medium-heavy shading but must not extend to more than half the hair length on the sides in adults. Heavier shading may or may not be apparent on the back. The tabby pattern, which may be Ticked, Spotted, Mackerel or Classic, may show clearly on the surface of the coat in kittens but should become less distinct as the lighter under-colour extends up the hair shaft with maturity. The more heavily shaded adults may still show some superficial broken tabby pattern, especially on the back and sides; this pattern may be more noticeable in standard varieties than in silver varieties. Cats with a classic pattern may appear darker because the pattern area is greater. The head, legs and tail may show tabby markings of varying clarity depending on the degree of shading.

Coat Colour: Shaded or tipped with any colour accepted in Oriental Longhairs. The shading should be the same colour as the pattern area of the equivalent colour of Tabby Oriental Longhair; in Silver colours the shading may be reduced in intensity. The under-colour should be free from ticking. In Standard colours it should be pale warm toffee coloured in Black, Chocolate and Cinnamon Shaded, cream in Red Shaded, cool toned beige in Blue, Lilac and Caramel Shaded, pale mushroom in Fawn Shaded and near white in Cream and Apricot Shaded. In Silver colours the under-colour should be as pale a silver as possible. Tarnishing, i.e. discolouration of the silver, is undesirable.

Nose Leather, Eye Rims & Paw Pads: As in the equivalent colour of Tabby Oriental Longhair.

TABBIES:

The tabby pattern, which may be Spotted, Classic, Mackerel or Ticked, is formed by markings of the solid pattern colour on a background of agouti hairs. The pattern colour in Standard Tabbies should be that of the equivalent coloured Oriental Self or Tortie. In Silver Tabbies the pattern colour may lack warmth and this should not be penalised. The pattern colour in Spotted, Classic and Mackerel Tabbies should match on head, body, legs and tail. In Ticked Tabbies the pattern colour on head, legs and tail should match the ticking colour on the body.

In Standard Tabbies the markings should be dense to the roots and in Silver Tabbies they should extend well down the hair. The markings should show good contrast with the ground colour but in dilute colours the contrast between the markings and the ground colour is less than that required in non-dilute colours. In Tortie Tabbies the distribution of tortie markings is immaterial.

In Silver Tabbies tarnishing, i.e. discolouration of the silver ground colour, is undesirable.

Head Markings: On the forehead there should be an "M". There should be an unbroken line running from the outer corner of each eye and pencillings on the cheeks. The edges of the ears should be the same colour as the markings with a central patch of ground colour resembling a thumb print. The Tabby has a tendency to white in the immediate area of the lips and lower jaw and it is a serious fault if this extends to the throat and/or muzzle in Standard Tabbies. Silvery white colour on the throat and/or muzzle in Silver Tabbies is not a fault.

Body Markings: In Spotted, Classic and Mackerel Tabbies the markings should be dense and sound with no agouti hairs in the pattern area; a pattern which consists of dark agouti on a light agouti background is incorrect and must be penalised. In Ticked Tabbies the ticking should extend well down the hair. The markings on each side should be identical and show good contrast with the ground colour although this contrast may be less in dilute colours. The pattern should be well defined but may be partially obscured by the coat which should be smoothed down to show the pattern as clearly as possible.

Leg Markings: The legs should be barred in Classic, Mackerel and Ticked Tabbies, barred and/or spotted in Spotted Tabbies. The barring should extend from the body marking to the toes and the pattern colour should extend well up the back of the hind legs.

Tail Markings: The tail should be ringed, with a solid coloured tip of the darker colour except in reds, creams and apricots where the tip may be pale. The tail should be held by the tip, shaken and viewed from the rear to examine the rings.

Nose Leather: As in the equivalent self or tortie colour or pink rimmed with the self or tortie colour.

Eye Rims & Paw Pads: As in the equivalent self or tortie colour.

Note: In Red, Cream and Apricot Tabbies "Freckles" may appear on nose, pads, lips, eye rims and ears. Slight freckling in a mature cat should not be penalised.

Colour:

BROWN (62 20): Markings jet black. Ground warm coppery brown.

BLACK SILVER (62 18): Markings black. Ground silver.

BLUE (62 20a): Markings light to medium blue. Ground cool beige.

BLUE SILVER (62 18a): Markings blue. Ground pale blue-silver.

CHOCOLATE (62 20b): Markings rich warm chestnut brown. Ground warm bronze.

CHOCOLATE SILVER (62 18b): Markings chocolate. Ground pale chocolate-silver.

LILAC (62 20c): Markings frosty grey with a distinct pinkish tone. Ground beige.

LILAC SILVER (62 18c): Markings lilac. Ground pale lilac-silver.

RED (62 20d): Markings rich warm red. Ground paler bright red.

RED SILVER (62 18d): Markings red. Ground pale red-silver.

TORTIE (62 20e): Markings jet black with red. Ground warm coppery brown with pale red.

TORTIE SILVER (62 18e): Markings black with red. Ground silver with pale red-silver.

CREAM (62 20f): Markings cool toned cream. Ground paler cream.

CREAM SILVER (62 18f): Markings cream. Ground pale cream-silver.

APRICOT (62 20fn): Markings hot pinkish cream with a metallic sheen. Ground paler apricot.

APRICOT SILVER (62 18fn): Markings pinkish cream with a metallic sheen. Ground pale apricot-silver.

BLUE TORTIE (62 20g): Markings light to medium blue with cream. Ground cool beige with pale cream.

BLUE TORTIE SILVER (62 18g): Markings blue with cream. Ground pale blue-silver with pale cream-silver.

CHOCOLATE TORTIE (62 20h): Markings rich warm chestnut brown with red. Ground warm bronze with pale red.

CHOCOLATE TORTIE SILVER (62 18h): Markings chocolate with red. Ground pale chocolate-silver with pale red-silver.

LILAC TORTIE (62 20j): Markings frosty grey with a distinct pinkish tone with cream. Ground beige with pale cream.

LILAC TORTIE SILVER (62 18j): Markings lilac with cream. Ground pale lilac-silver with pale cream-silver.

CINNAMON (62 20k): Markings warm cinnamon brown. Ground warm light cinnamon.

CINNAMON SILVER (62 18k): Markings cinnamon. Ground pale cinnamon-silver.

CINNAMON TORTIE (62 20m): Markings warm cinnamon brown with red. Ground warm light cinnamon with pale red.

CINNAMON TORTIE SILVER (62 18m): Markings cinnamon with red. Ground pale cinnamon-silver with pale red-silver.

CARAMEL (62 20n): Markings brownish blue with a metallic sheen. Ground beige.

CARAMEL SILVER (62 18n): Markings brownish blue with a metallic sheen. Ground pale beige-silver.

CARAMEL TORTIE (62 20p): Markings brownish blue with a metallic sheen with apricot. Ground beige with pale apricot.

CARAMEL TORTIE SILVER (62 18p): Markings brownish blue with a metallic sheen with apricot. Ground pale beige-silver with pale apricot-silver.

FAWN (62 20r): Markings warm rosy mushroom. Ground warm pale mushroom.

FAWN SILVER (62 18r): Markings mushroom. Ground pale mushroom-silver.

FAWN TORTIE (62 20y): Markings warm rosy mushroom with rich cream. Ground warm pale mushroom with pale cream.

FAWN TORTIE SILVER (62 18y): Markings mushroom with cream. Ground pale mushroom-silver with pale cream-silver.


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These pages were brought up to date from the original by Julia May which is still accessible here:- Palantir

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