Persian
The Persian cat is one of the oldest
breeds of cat. In Britain, it is called the "Longhair" or
"Persian Longhair" (tipped varieties are known as
Chinchilla).
Origin of Breed
The Persian cat originates from Persia, but interbreeding of
Angoras with native British domestic longhairs in the 19th
Century makes the true origin of the breed unclear.
The Persian's European debut is credited to Pietro
Della Valle, an Italian traveller.
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. 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 brachycelphalic head type are prone to a number of
health problems (specifically affecting their sinuses and
breathing) 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,
tortoiseshell, blue, and tabby. Persian cats with point are
referred to as Colourpoint Persian in Europe and Himalayan
(cat) in United States.
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.
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.
A Persian cat without an established and registered pedigree
is classed as a domestic longhair cat.
| 