Furry Diary

Colorpoint Shorthair

Also called Colourpoint Shorthair

Recognised breedShort profile

From United States and United Kingdom, from about 1948; bred from Siamese crossed with other shorthairs (notably a red tabby American Shorthair) to add new point colours123

At a glance the quick version

Weight, male3.6 to 5.4 kg4
Weight, femaleup to 3.6 kg4
Lifespan8 to 12 years4
Sizemedium

Hill's: males 8-12 lb, females under 8 lb.

talkative and communicative
highly intelligent and playful
very affectionate with its people
24

Coat and looks how to spot one

short, fine, glossy close-lying coat

A sleek, refined cat of medium size, all long lines, with a long tapering wedge-shaped head, large pointed ears, vivid blue almond eyes, a slender neck and a long thin tail. The short coat is fine and shiny and lies flat, with a light body and darker colour on the face, ears, legs and tail.241

Coloursred pointcream pointlynx (tabby) points in seal, chocolate, blue, lilac, red and creamtortie points in seal, chocolate, blue-cream and lilac-creamtortie-lynx points21

Personality what they are like

Much like its Siamese relatives: chatty, clever and eager to be involved in everything. It gives a lot of affection and asks for plenty of attention in return, and many get along very well with other cats. It also has a mind of its own.24

Daily activity how busy a day looks

High. Athletic and inventive, loves heights and needs daily play; a scrunched-up paper ball can be as popular as a bought toy.24

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

Very little needed; stroking with damp hands lifts loose hair, and many enjoy a brush as bonding time.24

Home where they are happiest

Indoor home with cat trees and perches for climbing.4

Company who they like around

Needs daily interaction and company; often bonds closely with other cats.24

The story where it all began

Around 1948 breeders in the US and Britain wanted a Siamese-type cat in red, so they crossed Siamese with other shorthairs, including a red tabby American Shorthair. Red, cream and tortie points came first, gained CFA championship status in 1964, and lynx points followed, with all lynx and tortie colours in place by 1969.12

Fun facts for the dinner table

  1. 1

    The CFA standard lists 16 point colours, split into solid, lynx and parti-colour classes.2

  2. 2

    Lynx-point cats often look as if they are wearing eyeliner because their tabby markings frame the eyes.2

  3. 3

    In the CFA it is its own breed, while TICA, GCCF and FIFe show the same colours as Siamese.1

Recognised by the official bits

CFA
Accepted for registration in the late 1950s; championship status 19642
WCF
Recognised1
TICA, GCCF, FIFe
Not a separate breed; these colours are shown within Siamese1

The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you

A typical home-care rhythm for a Colorpoint Shorthair. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.

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Where this comes from

Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

  1. Wikipedia - Colorpoint Shorthair en.wikipedia.orgused for origin, history, recognition, colours
  2. CFA - Colorpoint Shorthair cfa.orgused for history, recognition, body, coat, colours, temperament, grooming, fun facts
  3. Wikipedia - List of cat breeds en.wikipedia.orgused for origin
  4. Hill's - Colorpoint Shorthair hillspet.comused for weight, lifespan, temperament, activity, care

Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.