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Standard
FIFe breed standard – Siamese and Oriental Shorthair
FIFe (Fédération Internationale Féline) uses one common standard for Balinese, Oriental Longhair, Oriental Shorthair and Siamese (Category IV). The summary below presents its essentials, illustrated with photos of our own cats.
♛The ideal head: a wedge, large ears, almond eyes♛
- 1Ears – large, pointed, wide at the base; they continue the lines of the wedge.
- 2Eyes – almond-shaped, set slightly slanted towards the nose.
- 3Nose – long and straight, continuing the forehead line without a break.
- 4Chin – medium, its tip forming a vertical line with the tip of the nose.
Deep blue eyes; the dark points (mask, ears, legs, tail) contrast clearly with the pale body.
Even coat colour without shading or markings, green eyes, long and slender lines.
Even white coat, large ears, long straight nose, almond-shaped green eyes.
The standard in brief
General appearance
A svelte, elegant cat with long, tapering lines; supple and well muscled. Medium in size.
Head
A wedge with straight lines, medium in proportion, with a slightly convex skull in profile. The nose is long and straight, continuing the forehead line without a break. The muzzle is narrow; the chin is medium, its tip forming a vertical line with the tip of the nose.
Ears
Large and pointed, wide at the base, placed to continue the lines of the wedge.
Eyes
Medium, neither protruding nor recessed, almond-shaped and set slightly slanted towards the nose.
OSHvivid, luminous green (also valid for some white varieties).
SIAintense deep blue.
Neck and body
The neck is long and slender. The body is long and slender, well muscled but still dainty and elegant; the shoulders are not wider than the hips.
Legs and paws
Long and fine, in proportion to the body. The paws are small and oval.
Tail
Very long, thin even at the base, tapering to a fine point.
Coat
Very short, fine, glossy, silky and lying close to the body, with almost no undercoat.
OSHeven colour; in non-agouti varieties without tabby markings or shading.
SIApoints (mask, ears, legs, tail) of even colour, with a clear contrast to the even body colour.
Scale of points (100)
Oriental Shorthair (OSH)
Head
Eye colour
Body
Coat colour / body colour
Points and pattern
Coat quality and texture
Condition
Siamese (SIA)
Head
Eye colour
Body
Coat colour / body colour
Points and pattern
Coat quality and texture
Condition
Faults and disqualifications
Faults (precluding the certificate)
OSHeye colour more yellow than green.
SIAinsufficient contrast between points and body colour; pigmentation faults (colour loss on the nose leather, paw pads or lips); white toe(s) or white spot(s) in the coloured areas of varieties without white; lack of colour on the legs.
Disqualification
SIAany eye colour other than blue.
Source: FIFe – Breeds Nomenclature and Standards, Category IV (fifeweb.org). This is our own summary; the authoritative text is the FIFe standard. The colour and pattern tables are given in the full text of the standard.