Colorpoint Shorthairs are the scintillating relatives of the Siamese. This breed flaunts its stylized elegance in "point" colors beyond the basic Siamese colors of blue, seal, chocolate and lilac point. Half-siblings to Siamese by virtue of the initial Siamese/red domestic shorthair/Abyssinian foundation crosses, Colorpoints have progressed in leaps and bounds since the early hybrid experiments by British fanciers. Colorpoints, c. 1947-48, were a far cry from their angular, leggy descendants of today.

In the first quarter-century, breeders concentrated on hybridizing and line-breeding (offspring to parents; grand-offspring to grandparents, etc.) cats with red and cream restricted to the points (face, legs, ears and tail), and Siamese type. Their diligence developed handsome red, cream, and parti-color points.

Solid color and all over patterned cats, the opposite end of the genetic spectrum, which were also produced in these initial breedings to the domestic shorthairs and Abyssinians, contained the potential for still another breed: but the future Orientals, also half-siblings to Siamese, were disregarded for the moment. Their day would comeeventually. Meanwhile, the striking, effervescent, Colorpoints demanded absolute commitment; to that end, persevering American advocates pursued CFA registration privileges. Additionally, breeders introduced lynx-points to the palette. They already had tabby-patterned pilot cats with which to work, having gotten the tabby gene from the original domestic shorthairs and Abyssinians. From the drawing board came Colorpoints with striped tails, legs and masks, and ears, which when viewed from behind, gave the impression of a thumb print in the middle of the ear.

To distinguish the new breed from the Siamese, new color breeders agreed to the name "Colorpoint Shorthair" for CFA registration purposes. The breed's consequent acceptance, in 1964, was a "cause celebre". *

Pictured above: GC Teakatut's Lexington; seal lynxpoint Colorpoint Shorthair
CFA's National Second Best of Breed Colorpoint Shorthair

Photo Courtesy of:  Sandra Douglass and Gail Moser

Photo by:  Mark McCullough