The ancestry of the colorpoint shorthair can be traced back to the 1940's when cat breeders crossed Siamese with Abyssinians, red domestic shorthairs and American shorthairs to produce cats similar to Siamese but with a greater color range, now resulting in approximately 16 colors including pastels. http://www.iams.com/iams/en_US/jsp/IAMS_Page.jsp?pageID=CBD&breedPage=coloshor.html http://www.cfa.org/breeds/profiles/colorpoint.html

Initially, although the new colors proved popular, it took a considerable time to get this new breed recognized officially. There was opposition from breeders of Siamese, who were concerned that the new colors would pollute their pure-bred lines.To distinguish them from Siamese and to appease the breeders, the name colorpoint shorthair was suggested and in 1964 the CFA board of directors accepted colorpoints as a separate breed.

Because of their close similarity to Siamese, colorpoints share their characteristics to a great extent; they are very vocal, loving, inquisitive, people orientated, mischievous climbers who will absolutely not tolerate being ignored! Being extremely agile, no shelf is safe from them, so it's a good idea to put away the breakables. Colorpoints are loyal and constant companions, wishing to be with their 'owner' day and night. They will happily curl up on the bed with their favored companion, having spent as much time as possible during the day playing fetch and getting into things that they shouldn't.

As with Siamese, kittens are born white and acquire the colors on their points as they mature. This breed has a short ,sleek, shiny coat that requires little grooming. They do not shed much hair, so it is possible that allergy sufferers may be more tolerant of this type of cat than some others.

This breed is not for everyone, they are not a cat who will go and amuse themselves, they will insist on being involved with their human as much as possible, but the rewards of their loyal companionship are immense, they are a true lifelong friend.

Colorpoint Shorthairs are usually healthy and long-lived, but they can share certain ailments with their ancestor Siamese in some of their lines. Amyloidosis of the liver is one genetic condition that can afflict them, another is the heart conition dilated cardiomyopathy even though the incidence of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is quite low in this breed. They also are prone to gum and tooth disorders and require periodic dental assessment. If possible, cleaning their teeth with a childs toothbrush will help the situation.http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1033800/the_colorpoint_shorthair_cat.html