Persians
Persian
Country of origin: Iranian plateau ("Persia")
Breed standards: CFA
The Persian is one of the oldest breeds of cat. In Britain, it is called the Longhair or Persian Longhair. A Persian without an established and registered pedigree is classed as a domestic longhair cat.
Origin of breed
Persian cats have been first brought to Europe in the XVI century from Iran. They are beautiful cats that are often used in cat shows around the world. Their appearance then differed greatly from today's standard. Hundreds of years of selective breeding made Persians cobbier cats with drastically shorter muzzle. It's not clear when longhair cats (in general) first appeared, as there are no African Wildcats (believed to be ancestors of domesticated cats) with that kind of fur. There have been claims that the gene responsible for long hair was introduced through hybridization with Pallas cat. Recent research however refute this theory.
Characteristics
A show-quality Persian has an extremely long thick coat, short legs, a wide head with the ears set far apart, large eyes, and an extremely foreshortened muzzle. Their eyes are often gooey, and the owner should clean their eyes at least once every day. The breed was originally established with a short (but not non-existent) muzzle, but over time this feature has become extremely exaggerated, particularly in North America, and Persians with the more extreme brachycephalic head type are susceptible to a number of health problems (specifically affecting their sinuses and breathing) caused by it. Their short muzzle also causes then to have dust and debris cover the inside of their nostrils more often, which makes it very difficult for them to breathe.
The 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica suggests that the Persian is derived from the Pallas Cat. A photograph accompanying the entry in the Encyclopædia shows a Blue Persian Cat, the conformation of which we would now call a "Doll Faced Persian" or "Traditional Persian". Early photographs and drawings from magazines show the Persian as a Traditional Persian Cat. The Persian was first registered with the Cat Fanciers Association (CFA) in 1871 when the association first kept records.
Photographic records indicate that Persians, up until the 1960s, show a difference in appearance to cats of the early 1980s onwards (i.e., from the Traditional "doll face" to the "extreme", "ultra", "flat-faced" or "snubby" face of today). However, the Persian Breed Council's standard for the Persian had remained basically unchanged over this period. The Persian Breed Standard is by its nature somewhat open ended and focused on a rounded head.
It is generally accepted (and by the Breed Council) that through selective breeding, in an attempt to develop the ideal Persian appearance, the Ultra Face came about . This has been called ultra-typing. The Persian Breed Council's standard was changed during the late 1980s to limit the development of the extreme appearance. In 2007 the Persian Breed Standard was altered to reflect the flat face and it now states that the forehead, nose, and chin should be in vertical alignment.
Conscientious breeders take into account and minimize health issues by careful choice of breeding stock with more moderate head type, as the stated goal of most breeders is first and always healthy cats.
Persian cats can have any color or markings including pointed, golden, tortoiseshell, blue, and tabby. Tipped varieties are known as Chinchilla. Point varieties are called Himalayan in the United States and Colorpoint Persian in Europe.
In the USA, there was an attempt to establish the Silver Persian as a separate breed called the Sterling, but it was not accepted and Silver and Golden longhaired cats, recognized by CFA more specially as Chinchilla Silvers, Shaded Silvers, Chinchilla Goldens or Shaded Goldens are judged in the Persian category of cat shows. In South Africa, the attempt to separate the breed was more successful: the SA Cat Council (SACC) registers cats with 5 generations of pure bred Chinchilla as a Chinchilla Longhair. The Chinchilla Longhair has a slightly longer nose than the Persian, resulting in healthy breathing and no tearing of the eyes. Its hair is translucent with only the tips carrying black pigment: a feature that gets lost when out-crossed to other colored Persians. Out-crossing also may result in losing nose and lip liner, which is a fault in the Chinchilla Longhair breed standard. One of the distinctions of this breed is the blue-green or green eyecolor only with kittens having blue or bluish purple eyecolor.
Because their fur is too long and dense for them to maintain themselves, Persian cats need regular grooming. To keep their fur in its best condition, they must be bathed regularly, dried carefully afterwards, and brushed thoroughly every day. Their eyes need to be checked for problems on a regular basis because some animals have trouble keeping them clean. As they grow older, Persians tend to develop a crusty-like object under the eyes. Likewise, Persians are particularly susceptible to a genetic disease which causes kidney failure, PKD, Polycystic kidney disease, among other diseases. However, cats can now be DNA screened for the gene that causes PKD, so these affected cats are gradually being removed from the Persian gene pool by responsible breeders.
Longevity is usually between 10 and 19 years on average. The White persians eye-color can be orange-eyed, blue-eyed, or odd-eyed. The blue-eyed type is prone to deafness.
Color Information
Solid Color Division
Black: Dark coal black fur from roots to tip. No tinting of rust on the tips or smokish undercoating. Nose leather all black, Black or brown paw pads. Copper eyes.
Blue: Blue (gray color) is the dilute of black. Blue kittens can have faint tabby markings when they are young. The lightest pale shade is most preferred, even tone throughout body. A sound darker shade is more acceptable than an unsound lighter shade. Blue nose leather and paw pads. Copper eyes.
Cream: Cream is the dilute of red and just as with red, cream kittens are also born with slightly darker buff-cream tabby markings. Unless the kitten is a tabby, the markings typically disappear when the adult coat starts to grown in at about nine months of age. The lightest pale shade is most preferred. Pink nose leather and paw pads. Copper eyes.
Red: Red kittens are often born with tabby markings that may or may not disappear when the adult coat grows in. All red cats possess tabby markings either very obvious in which case they are considered a tabby or very faint then they are considered a solid color. They are often referred to as red, however, a red cat is often also described as being orange. The nose leather and paw pads are brick red. Copper eyes.
White: Quite often, white kittens are born with a smudge of black or gray hairs on the top of their head. This is due to the varying masking ability of the dominant white gene. The spot does disappear as the adult coat starts to grow in at about nine months of age. They will have pink nose leather and paw pads. To produce white offspring, at least one parent must be white. The gene that produces the white coat is a dominant masking gene which merely serves to "cover up" the true color. Eye color can be either deep blue, copper eyed, or odd-eyed which is one blue eye and one copper eye.
Tabby Division
Classic Tabby Pattern: Dense clearly defined markings. Legs evenly patterned with rings coming up to meet the body markings. The tail is also evenly marked with rings. There will be several unbroken rings on neck and upper chest, the more the better. An intricate letter "M" will be formed on the forehead. Unbroken lines running to the back from the outer corner of eye and swirling on cheeks. Vertical lines over back of head extend to shoulder markings which are in the shape of a butterfly with both upper and lower wings distinctly outlined and marked with dots inside outline. The markings on the back consist of a vertical line down the spine from butterfly to tail with a vertical stripe paralleling it on each side, the three stripes well separated by stripes of the body color. Large solid blotch on each side to be encircled by one or more unbroken rings. Side markings should be the same on both sides of the body. Double vertical rows of buttons on chest and stomach.
Mackerel Tabby Pattern: Dense clearly defined narrow stripes/markings. Even stripes, also called ticking on the legs with narrow ringlets coming up to meet the body markings. Stripes on the tail, neck and chest are distinct. An intricate letter "M" will be formed on the forehead. Unbroken lines running back on the head from the eyes. Lines running down the head to meet the shoulders. Spine lines run together to form a narrow saddle. Narrow strips around body.
Silver Tabby (classic or mackerel pattern): Pale clear silver body color. Tabby markings in dense black with a white undercoat. Lips and chin the same shade as the rings around the eyes. Nose leather: brick red. Paw pads: black. Green, hazel, or copper eyed.
Silver Patched Tabby (classic or mackerel pattern): The body color is a pale silver. The tabby markings are dense black. Patches of red or softly intermingled areas of red on both body and extremities. White undercoating, the lips and chin the same shade as the rings around the eyes. Nose leather: brick red. Paw pads: black and/or brick red. Copper, green or hazel eyes.
Blue-Silver Tabby (classic or mackerel pattern): Body color pale bluish silver. Blue tabby markings. Undercoat white. Lips and chin the same shade as the rings around the eyes. The nose leather should be blue or rose trimmed with blue and the paw pads should be blue or rose. Green, hazel or copper eyed.
Blue-Silver Patched Tabby (classic or mackerel pattern): Body color pale blue with patches of cream softly intermingled areas on the body and extremities. White undercoat with lips and chin the same shade as the rings around the eyes. Blue or rose colored nose leather trimmed with blue and or pink and paw pads will be blue or rose. Green, hazel or copper eyed.
Red Tabby (classic or mackerel pattern): Red body color with a deeper color of red tabby markings with the lips and chin being the same color as the rings round the eyes. The nose leather and paw pads are brick red in color. Copper eyed.
Brown Tabby (classic or mackerel pattern): Body color brilliant coppery brown with dense black tabby markings. The lips and chin are the same color as the rings round the eyes. The leather of the nose is brick red. The paw pads are brown or black. Copper eyed.
Brown Patched Tabby (classic or mackerel pattern): Body color brilliant coppery brown with black tabby markings with patches of red or softly intermingled areas of red on both body and extremities. The lips and chin the same color as the rings around the eyes. The nose leather is brick red with the paw pads being black or brick. Copper eyed.
Blue Tabby (classic or mackerel pattern): Bluish ivory body color including the lips and chin. Tabby markings are deep blue offering a great contrast to the body color. Warm fawn overtones over the whole. Rose colored nose leather and paw pads. Copper eyed.
Blue Patched Tabby (classic or mackerel pattern): Pale bluish ivory body color with tabby markings that are deep blue offering a great contrast to the body color. Patches of cream on both body and extremities. Lips and chin the same shade as the rings around the eyes. Warm fawn overtones over the whole. Rose colored nose leather and paw pads. Copper eyed.
Cream Tabby (classic or mackerel pattern): Body color pale cream. Buff or cream tabby markings darker than the ground color to offer good contrast, yet the contrast remains within the dilute color range. The lips and chin the same shade as the rings around the eyes with pink colored nose leather and paw pads. Copper eyed.
Parti-Color Division
Tortoiseshell: Black body with patches of red or softly intermingled on the body and extremities. Several shades of red are acceptable. The nose and paw pads are colored black and/or brick red. Copper eyed.
Blue-Cream: Blue body with patches of cream softly intermingled on both body and extremities. The lighter shades are most preferred. The nose leather and paw pads are either blue or pink. Copper eyed.
Calico and Bi-Color Division
Bi-Color Van: A van pattern is an all white cat with color on the head and tail. A maximum of two spots of color are allowed on the body. Copper eyed.
Calico: a tri-color cat of red, white and black. The red and the black should appear as clear, unbrindled patches. It is preferred that the cat have white legs, muzzle, undersides and chest.
Dilute Calico: a tri-color cat of cream, white and blue. The cream and the blue should appear as clear, unbrindled patches. It is preferred that the cat have white legs, muzzle, undersides and chest.
Bi-Color: black and white, blue and white, red and white and cream and white. It is preferred that the cat have white feet, legs, undersides, chest, and muzzle.
Red Tabby & White (classic, mackerel): A bi-color cat of white and colored portions, the colored portions conform with the red tabby standard. It is preferred that the cat have white feet, legs, undersides, chest, and muzzle.
Brown Tabby & White (classic, mackerel): A bi-color cat which is white and brown with the established brown tabby standard. It is preferred that the cat have white feet, legs, undersides, chest, and muzzle.
Patched Tabby & White (classic, mackerel): A bi-color cat of white and colored portions, the colored portions conform with the patched tabby color standard. It is preferred that the cat have white feet, legs, undersides, chest, and muzzle.
Other Tabby & White (classic, mackerel): A bi-color cat of white and colored portions, the colored portions conform with the classic and mackerel color standards (with the exception of patched tabby, brown and red) color description.
Persian Cat Grooming and Bathing
One of the most frequent questions I am asked as a Persian cat breeder is, "how often should I bathe my Persian?" Really, there are many possible answers to this question. There is so much information that should be consider when grooming your Persian than just how often to brush or comb and how often to bathe. Persian cats need to be groomed on a regular basis. Persian cat grooming works best when it becomes routine for both the Persian cat or kitten and their human caregiver. Grooming your Persian cat or kitten becomes easier for the cat or kitten when it is a regular part of their daily routine. For example, you might try giving a snack or reward after you groom your Persian. A Persian cat or kitten will tolerate grooming if they feel they are rewarded afterwards.
Given all the information there are many factors that play a role in how often your Persian should be bathed, such as your brushing and/or combing habits, your Persians eating habits, their personal hygiene, type of hair/coat they are genetically predisposed to, overall health and environmental and geographical factors.
For more information on specific factors that affect your Persians coat, hair/coat types, grooming, dematting, degreasing and bath preparation please read the following articles.
Persian Cat Hair Types
Cats have four basic hair types, for complete description, please visit our Persian Cat hair type page.
Persian Cat Bath Preparation
There are several things to consider when you are preparing for bathing your Persian cat. Please read our article on Persian cat bath preparation before bathing.
Persian Dematting
Removing mats and knots in your Persian's coat is VERY important. If we can tell you one tidbit of information about grooming, it is to NEVER, NEVER, NEVER EVER put a matted cat into water.
Persian Degreasing
After your Persian cat is brushed out and all the mats have been removed, it is time to degrease the coat prior to bathing. Degreasing a Persian will take some time, practice and patience on both your part and your cat.
Persian Cat Bath
Now that you have degreased your Persians coat, it's time to move onto the Persian cat bath shampoo phase of the grooming your Persian.
Drying Your Persian after the Bath
Once you have your Persian bath completed, now it's time to move onto drying your Persian cat. Have patience, you're almost done.
Persian Facial Stains
When grooming your Persian cat or kitten you may be fighting facial and front ruff stains. Facial staining on a Persian cat shows much more in a lighter colored coat than a dark colored Persian.
Top Breed
Most Popular Cat Breeds
There are 41 pedigreed breeds recognized by the Cat Fancier's Association (CFA). The CFA is the world's largest cat registry and rank the most popular purebred cats as follows:
1. Persian
2. Maine Coon
3. Exotic
4. Siamese
5. Abyssinian
6. Ragdoll
7. Birman
8. American Shorthair
9. Oriental
10. Sphynx
11. Norwegian Forest Cat
12. Burmese
13. Cornish Rex
14. Devon Rex
Top Cat Breeds
?Ask About This Article
18th January 2009
Author: Jess Shaw
Views: 6
If dog is man's best comrade, then cats are a man's whim.
Aside from being expensive, pedigree cats are tiring to tension for as they need their vendor's fondness and thought. Cats are like babies, because they need to be fed, sometimes covered, combed, played with, and cared for.
Cats are best bought from responsible cat breeders. Hobbyists pick to own pedigree cats because their temperaments are more predictable than cats with strange pedigrees.
If you are receiving a cat from a cat breeder, ask him about the number of cat breeds that he has so you can take from them. Also, ask him how many days he has been breeding cats and, whether he can give you a shape security and realize papers for the cat.
Top cat breeds
If you want to show off your cat then it is best to elect from among the top five cat breeds throughout the world.
1. Persian-Persian cats are called Persian for their country of source. Persians have a long coat, obliging personality and can balance into the household. These are the qualities the made Persians one of the top choices of cat lovers. However, its long coat requires daily coiffure to duck tangles.
2. Maine Coon-These are long-haired cats with good mouse hunting skills. These cats are good companions for children.
3. Exotic-This breed can deal you the better of two worlds. The Exotic cat has the look of a Persian cat, but it has stunted wool, making it simple to prepare. They look liked teddy bears with their thick and squat coats. These cats are friendly and good companions like the Persians.
4. Siamese-Siamese cats originally came from Siam or Thailand. This cat possesses an aristocratic cranium, looks almost like a deer because it's stiff ears, and has a succinct coat. Siamese cats have long bodies, long legs and long necks.
5. Abyssinian-These cats are very elegant-looking, much like the cats portrayed in Egyptian sculptures. Abyssinia is the earlier name of Ethiopia. However, Abyssinian cats did not originate in Ethiopia. They got the name because the first cats of Abyssinian breed, which were exhibited in England, were from Abyssinia.
No substance what your superior of a cat breed is, make really that your cat is wholesome and that it has already been weaned. The archetype aged to get a kitten is about 14 weeks, when their immune systems are already urbanized.
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