In the CFA, the Siamese comes in four colors only: seal, blue, chocolate, and lilac points. These traditional colors are considered natural mutations developed and refined by breeders, although evidence shows that quite a lot of outcrossing may have occurred along the bloodline.

The effort to produce a Siamese-style pointed cat in colors other than the traditional four began in England and in America in the 1940s, carried out by breeders who used foundation crossings between the Siamese, Abyssinian, and the red domestic shorthair. The American Shorthair also became part of the matrix. Initially, the Colorpoint breeders experienced setbacks and failures; in the effort to achieve the proper colors in the proper places, the Siamese body type was often sacrificed. The breeding was further complicated by the difficulty of working with the red coloration because it is a sex-linked color.

Once the color and pattern were achieved by linebreeding, the lines were then crossed back to the Siamese to reestablish the body style, personality, and coat texture and length. While technically a hybrid, the Colorpoint now has little non-Siamese gene inheritance, based on a ten-generation bloodline bred back to the Siamese after the color has been achieved.

Regardless of how alike the two breeds were, some Siamese breeders were upset about the new colors. To appease the breeders who wanted to keep their lines pure, the breeders working with the new colors accepted the name Colorpoint Shorthair for CFA registration purposes. In 1974 the breed was accepted for CFA Championship and Colorpoint fanciers finally had a forum for their color creations. Some of the other U.S. associations simply extended the Siamese standard to include the new colors, which may not be as genetically accurate, but is certainly a lot less confusing. In the British Governing Council of the Cat Fancy, the Colorpoint Shorthair is called Siamese but given a different breed classification number, indicating that they, too, have reservations about the Colorpoint being bona fide Siamese.

Personality
It’s easy to see why the Siamese and their look-alikes are popular. Their outgoing, friendly demeanor makes them popular in any crowd. Never at a loss for words, they’ll keep the conversation rolling at the dullest party.

Although they are a very active breed, they are also loving and affectionate and will seek you out for a good, long session of purring, petting, and pampering. They are outgoing, talkative, intelligent, and very sensitive to their owner’s moods and needs. If you’re sitting watching a movie and crying, the Colorpoint will be the first to come up and give you a nudge.

Conformation
The body type of the Colorpoint Shorthair is almost identical to that of the Siamese. Head shape, body conformation, ear and eye placement, and size are the same in both standards. The Colorpoint Shorthair is essentially a Siamese cat in colors other than the traditional four accepted Siamese colors, so the similarity of the breed standards isn’t surprising. The notable difference is in the color and pattern.

The Colorpoint Short-hair is generally a healthy breed but can suffer from the same defects as the Siamese. Protrusion of the cranial sternum is a common defect seen in some Siamese and related breeds, but this defect doesn’t seem to be associated with health problems. Endocardial fibroelastosis is a more serious anomaly that can be found in some Siamese lines.