The term Oriental cat is not used for any one particular breed. Rather, it describes a set of physical characteristics belonging to a number of cats from Southeast Asia. A cat breed is an infrasubspecific rank for the classification of domestic cats. ... Trinomial name Felis silvestris catus Schreber, 1775 The cat (also called domestic cat or house cat) is a small feline carnivorous mammal. ... Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ...

The above paragraph is no longer completely true. The Cat Fanciers Association now recognizes the Oriental as a separate breed.

Orientals have small, lean, athletic bodies, large triangular ears, almond-shaped eyes, and usually a very curious, inquisitive, intelligent temperament. They also have a loud voice and 'talk' a lot more than most other cats. Originally, all orientals were short-haired, with a very light-weight and generally light-coloured coat befitting the hot climate of their origin, but they have been cross-bred with Persians and other long-haired to create medium and long-haired oriental breeds such as the Birman and Himalayan. The Persian is one of the oldest breeds of cat. ... The Birman is a breed of domestic cat. ... Front view of a Himalayan cat Side view of a Himalayan cat The Himalayan is a breed of cat with extremely long, fluffy fur, and the points of a Siamese. ...

The most ubiquitous 'oriental' cat is the Siamese. Other oriental breeds include the Japanese Bobtail (described as a semi-oriental), Burmese, Balinese and many others. The Siamese is one of the first distinctly recognised breeds of Oriental cat. ... A Calico (called Mi-ke) Japanese Bobtail cat The Japanese Bobtail is a breed of cat with an unusual bobbed tail more closely resembling the tail of a rabbit than that of an ordinary feline. ... The Balinese is a breed of oriental cat with long hair and Siamese-style markings, or points. ...