Oriental Longhair

The Oriental Longhair Cat is the semi-longhaired variety of the Oriental Shorthair. Like other Oriental breeds, it has the slender body and active, people-oriented temperament of the Siamese. It appears in a variety of solid and tabby colors, similar to the Oriental Shorthair.

The Oriental Longhair in the United States is the latest in the group of Siamese-derived breeds of the Oriental body type, originating from an accidental mating of a Balinese and Oriental Shorthair in the 1980s. It was accepted as a division of the Oriental breed by CFA in 1995.

In Great Britain, this breed is known as the Angora, not to be confused with the Turkish Angora, which is a separate breed. In Europe, Oriental Longhairs are called Javanese or, if brown, longhaired Havana Browns. These cats do not necessarily have the same origins, which can cause considerable confusion.