Exotic Shorthair (Cat)

The ideal Exotic Shorthair should be well proportioned, medium to large cat giving the impression of elegant robust power.

General: The ideal Exotic Shorthair should be well proportioned, medium to large cat giving the impression of elegant robust power. The head is massive with small, rounded ears, large, round, wide-set eyes and a short nose presenting a sweet expression. The body is compact and broad, with heavily-boned short legs. Tail is in proportion to the body. It is recognized in a variety of colors and patterns. THE OVERALL TYPE, HEAD AND BODY STRUCTURE, TAKES PREDOMINANCE OVER COAT AND COLOR. QUALITY IS THE DETERMINING CONSIDERATION.

Head: Should be massive with great breadth of skull; round underlying bone structure. Nose; short, snub and broad with a decided nose break between the eyes. Jaws; broad and powerful. Chin; full and well developed with cheeks full and prominent, perfect tooth occlusion desirable. In profile the forehead, nose and chin should appear to form a perpendicular line. Penalize: Small or slanted eyes, long, narrow head, long roman nose, thin muzzle, visible bite deformity.

Ears: Should be small, round tipped, tilted forward, set wide apart, low on the head, fitting into the rounded contour of the head and not unduly open at the base. Penalize: Large pointed ears; slanting out from the head or set on a bias or close together.

Eyes: Eye opening should be large and round, set wide apart giving a sweet expression to the face. Color - Pointed blue; solid, Bicolor, Tabby except silver, Tortie, Shaded except silver, harlequin, calico and particolor except silver should be a brilliant copper. Silver in all patterns should be green.

Body: Neck should be short and powerful, providing adequate support for the massive head. The body should have heavy bone and good muscle tone. The back should be short and level with a well-rounded midsection. The shoulders and hips should be the same width. Females may be proportionately smaller. Penalize: Narrow chest, long back, slab flanks, long and thin neck, extreme weightlessness.

Legs and Feet: Legs should be short thick and heavily boned, having a height at the shoulders and rump about equal to the length of the back. Feet should be large, round and firm with toes close together; five toes in front and four behind. Penalize: Light boned, long legs, bowed legs, hock heels, oval feet and separated toes.

Tail: The tail should be short but in proportion to the body length, carried at an angle lower than the back. Penalize: Long tail, tail carried in a squirrel-like fashion.

Coat: Medium in length, dense, short and plush in texture. Even length over the body, not to exceed one and one-half inches in length. Penalize: Close or flat-lying coat.

Condition: The cat should be firm in flesh but not fat, gentle and amenable to handling. The cat should be clean and well groomed. Penalize: Poor presentation.

NFA: Severe bite fault, incorrect number of toes; wrong eye color; kinked or abnormal tail; lockets and/or buttons (exceptions: Any color and Whites, refer to Color Pattern description); lack of break; long or flowing coat; insufficient merit.

Accepted Colors: The Exotic Shorthair is recognized in all the recognized colors of the Siamese and Persian. The Bicolors listed below include the harlequin pattern and the Particolors include the harlequin and calico patterns. The Exotic Shorthair also recognized the following listed colors:
Chocolate
Shaded Chocolate Tortie
Brown Tabby Particolor
Lilac
Shaded Lilac Tortie
Silver Tabby Particolor
Chocolate Smoke
Chocolate Tabby
Blue McTabby Particolor
Lilac Tabby
Chocolate Smoke
Cream McTabby Particolor
Chocolate McTabby
Lilac Smoke
Red McTabby Particolor
Lilac McTabby
Chocolate Tortie Smoke
Brown McTabby Particolor
Lilac Tortie Smoke
Silver McTabby Particolor
Chocolate Patched Tabby
Lilac Patched Tabby
Blue Bicolor
Bluecream Particolor
Black Bicolor
Tortoiseshell Particolor
Chocolate Tortie
Cream Bicolor
Lilac Tortie
Red Bicolor

revised 7/93

Source: AACE >>>