The Colorpoint Shorthair, like many of CFA’s breeds, is a man-made breed. In the 1940s-1950s, a few adventurous breeders decided that the beautiful Siamese would look nice in red. A seal point Siamese was bred to a red tabby American Shorthair, and a breed was born! CFA advanced the Colorpoints to championship status in 1964 with the red and cream points, and advanced the lynx and tortie points in 1969. The Colorpoint Shorthair breed currently includes 16 colors, with body and head type identical to the Siamese.

The Colorpoint Shorthair is a highly intelligent, playful, and people-friendly breed. They are extremely affectionate and outgoing and enjoy lounging around and playing with people, causing them to also be described as “extroverts”. They can also be very sensitive with nervous temperaments, which do not adapt well to changes of environment or to strangers. Like Siamese, they can be extremely vocal and attention-demanding, feeling a need for human companionship. They have over 100 vocal sounds, much more than regular cats, making very unusual meows. Males are sometimes found to be overly aggressive towards other animals, will fight with other cats whenever they feel their territory has been invaded or just to express dominance.