Medical, Genetic & Behavioral Risk Factors of Oriental Shorthair and Longhair Cats

About the Book

The Oriental shorthair evolved in the 1950s when breeders decided to produce solid color, tortoiseshell, tabby, ticked, shaded, smoke, parti-color, and any other combination Siamese. They are the distant progeny of the original hybrid crosses between the Siamese, Domestic shorthair, and Abyssinian. Like the Colorpoints, the Oriental shorthairs’ fraternal twin, they were slow to be recognized, since the Siamese breeders would not accept any other color than the original four. Finally, they could register with the CFA in 1972 and were granted championship status in 1977. In the 1970s, breeders crossed the Oriental shorthair with the Balinese, creating the Oriental longhair. Like the Balinese and Javanese, the Oriental longhair has a medium-length silky coat devoid of an undercoat, so it is easy to groom and does not mat. In 1988, the Oriental longhair was granted championship status by the CFA, and in 1995, the longhair and shorthair were combined into the Oriental breed with longhair and shorthair divisions. The Oriental shorthair may be out crossed with the Siamese or Colorpoint shorthair, and the Oriental longhair may be out crossed with these breeds, as well as the Balinese and Javanese. In 2014, the Oriental ranked thirteenth out of forty-three in CFA registrations.

About the Author

Ross D. Clark, DVM is the founder of Woodland PetCare Centers and a cofounder of National PetCare Centers. He received his doctor of veterinary medicine degree in 1963 from Kansas State University. He is practice management editor for Veterinary Economics Magazine and served as president of the Tulsa County Veterinary Medical Association, the Oklahoma Veterinary Medical Association, and also as president of the Western Veterinary Conference—the world’s largest continuing education conference for veterinarians. American Animal Hospital Association named him Outstanding Practitioner for the Western Region in 1987 and National Merit Award Winner in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in 1991. Veterinary Partners Incorporated, an organization of veterinarians, lawyers, and accountants that do practice management consulting, recognized Dr. Clark with their prestigious Pioneer Award at the Western Veterinary Conference in 2004. He served two terms as president of Kansas State University Veterinary Medical Alumni Association from 1990 to 1992, and Kansas State University named him an alumni fellow in February of 2003. Over the past forty-five years, Dr. Clark and his partners have cared for show dogs from most states in the United States of America, plus show dogs from Canada, Mexico, and Spain. He is the author of eight books, including Medical, Genetic, and Behavioral Aspects of Purebred Cats and the coauthor of the first and second edition of Medical and Genetic Aspects of Purebred Dogs. He is also author of four management books: first, a practice management manual; second, The Best of Ross Clark; third, Mastering the Marketplace—Taking Your Practice to the Top; and his latest book, Open Book Management for Veterinary Hospital Teams. He has toured throughout the world as a practice management lecturer and consultant. In addition, Dr. Clark has been a Veterinary Economics “Hospital of the Year” judge for over twenty-eight years. Dr. Clark is currently owner and managing partner of four small animal practices and three pet resorts in Oklahoma. Dr. Clark and his team have been doing veterinary practice management consultation, seminars, and appraisals since 1981. Ross is married to Linda Clark, and they have two children, twins Kent and Kimberly Clark.