Persian Cats

As the name suggests the Persian cats belongs to Iran and were brought to west by travelers. One of the oldest cat breeds, the Persian can have any color or markings including tabby, blue, tortoiseshell, and pointed. In Britain, it is called the "Longhair" or "Persian Longhair" (tipped varieties are known as "Chinchilla. Every Persian cat has following characteristics: It has a very thick fur like coat and large head with eyes set far apart with short legs.

The projecting nose and jaws of Persian cats are traditionally very small but these days due to breeding different breeds they have grown considerably and thus the Persian are prone to a number of health problems caused by it. However, conscientious breeders eliminate this by careful choice of breeding stock with more moderate head type, as the goal is first and always healthy cats. Persian cats can have any color or markings including pointed, tortoise shell, blue, and tabby.

Persian cats with point are referred to as Colourpoint Persian in Europe and Himalayan in United States. 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. Persian cats have usually a friendly temperament and they like to play with humans.

Persian kittens are especially popular in households because they are quite chatty and help playing with the kids. Thus they do not need much training by cat breeders as they are natural learners. These cats are very laid back and seldom get rough. They don't like to fight and are friendly by nature. They have a very thick coat on the back that must be washed everyday carefully.

They have a straight short tail that resembles the tail of Manx cats but unlike Manx cats the tail is never shortened. They have large round eyes and small flat nose. Persian cat breeders are found throughout United States and United Kingdom. The breeding of Persian cats is very difficult as they are immune to a number of diseases therefore they are usually crossed with other breeds to fight the diseases genetically.

Black and white Persian kittens are one of the most sold pets in United States. The Persian cat is a very lovable animal who is calm, and gentle. He loves to be petted and shown a lot of attention. But Persian also can take care of itself without too much entertaining by humans.

Additional Information about Persian Cats

The Black Persian Cats

The Black Persian is probably as old as the Blue, but has been recreated by English breeders and is thought to be the first Persian variety to have been recognised. It is certainly one of the most handsome. Unfortunately, perfect Black Persians are rarely found.

From tip to tail there should not be a single white hair -the entire coat must be black as a crow. Nor must there be a mark of any other colour. The slightest brown shading in the coat is also rejected, as is a grey undercoat.The eyes must be amber or dark copper coloured.

The White Persian Cats

The White Persian, also known as the French Persian, must be pure white. Originally only with blue eyes, there then appeared orange eyed white Persians followed by odd eyed ones, with one blue eye and one orange. The White Persian should not be confused with the Chinchilla with its ticked coat, which is now considered a separate breed. White Persians have a tendency towards deafness.

This is due to the dominant white gene. Its admirers affirm that it makes up for this deficiency by being extra sensitive and by a greater than usual ability to concentrate. Deafness occurs far less frequently in orange eyed Persians, which suggests that there is some link between blue eyes and the ability to hear.

Apart from differences of colour, the standard for the Black Persian and the White is identical. Whites do, however, have a tendency to be slightly longer bodied and shorter nosed. Bicoloured Black and White Persians are easy to obtain. In Great Britain they are also found in the Pekingese- faced version, with its almost flat, wrinkly nose.

Blue Persian Cats

The Blue Persian was probably the original guinea , pig used by British breeders. An eighteenth-century naturalist described it as having "a completely grey, shaded coat which is fine haired and glossy, darker on the back, with a plumy tail, the hairs of which are five or six fingers lang." Obviously they were writing about a Blue Persian with an all grey coat.

The standard lays down that the coat of the Blue Persian should show all the shades of blue grey. This is the most cherished variety of Persian today, and the purity of its greyish blue -or bluish grey -coat is carefully preserved.

Today there is also a Red Persian. They are rare because it is very difficult to breed the true gingery red colour. This is a great pity because Reds, like the Persian Red Tabby, are extremely beautiful. The truly magnificent coat is true gingery red, getting darker on the head, cheeks, chest and legs. Again, with the Red Tabby breeders have great difficulty in breeding true

Smoke And Tabby Persian

New varieties of Persian keep being produced and, particularly in the United States, it seems that every breeder would like to create his own. Many of these disappear as fast as they appear, or are produced only with such difficulty that they are very rare.

This is true of the Smoke. A magnificent creature, it causes a sensation at cat shows, where it always seems to be in the medals. Usually it is the result of crossing Chinchillas and Black Persians. The undercoat is silver and the top coat black. Standing or sitting still it looks like a Black, but as soon as it moves the undercoat shows strikingly through the black, particularly in the ruff and fluffier areas.

A very elegant, intelligent and sturdy cat, it is extremely affectionate towards its family. It is a lot of trouble to look after, however. The various Smoke varieties include: the blue Smoke, with blue grey coat, nose and pads; the chocolate Smoke with brown fur and nose and cinnamon coloured pads; the lilac Smoke, whose fur, nose and pads are lilac with pinkish highlights; the red Smoke, whose coat is ginger, with pink nose and pads; the cream Smoke, with cream fur and pink nose and pads; and the oyster Smoke, which also has variations.

There is also a Smoke blue. Another important group is that of the tabbies (marbled). These were first seen in a show in London in 1871. They have become more numerous since. Classic tabbies were at first silver, chestnut or ginger. Today they are classified as follows: Persian Silver Tabby, with silver fur and clear black tipping. Lines and spiral markings appear.

The shape of a letter M is outlined on the forehead and the eye is outlined in black. Varieties include blue silver tabby, chocolate silver tabby and lilac silver tabby. Persian Brown Tabby. The colour is golden brown with black tipping, and markings resemble those of the silver tabby.

There is also, of course, a blue tabby, chocolate tabby and lilac tabby. Persian Red Tabby; very sought after in the United States but difficult to obtain. There is one variation: cream tabby. It is impossible to list all the Persian tabby varieties, but mention should be made of the red calico, and other tortoiseshells, including the calico and dilute calico. The Chinchillas have made their contribution to the Persian tabbies, too, with the golden, silver, shaded, shell cameo and tortoiseshell varieties.