Himalayan

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Himalayan

breed of cat

Also known as: colorpoint, colourpoint

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

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Also called:: colourpoint, or colorpoint

Related Topics:: cat

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Himalayan, breed of domestic cat with the colouring of the Siamese and the build and coat of the longhair, or Persian. The Himalayan is produced by matings between Siamese and longhairs followed by selected breeding of the offspring to bring out the proper colouring, coat, and build. A good Himalayan is cobby (of stocky build) and short-legged with long, soft fur, a broad, rounded head, and round blue eyes. Born cream-coloured, it later develops the darker points (ears, face, legs, and tail) of the Siamese. The points, as in the Siamese, may be deep brown (seal point), lighter brown (chocolate point), blue gray (blue point), pinkish gray (lilac point), or reddish orange (red point).

This article was most recently revised and updated by Letricia Dixon.