Persian Cats

Incredible Persian Cats

Persian cats definitely hold celebrity status amongst all of the cat breeds we have today. Their long, luxurious coats, and those amazing eyes set in unusually flat faces gives these felines an almost unreal appearance. It's easier to believe one might be a stuffed animal until you actually see it move.

Underneath all that glamorous beauty you'll find one very stocky cat. Persians are round, in every essence of the word, with short stocky legs to support their extra girth. Their surplus of long fur does an admirable job of hiding any angles they might have left, adding to this breed's cuddly appearance.

A Persian's head is easily its most distinctive feature, much larger and rounder than that of the average cat, with eyes as big as saucers. Gazing into one's face can be almost hypnotic.

Personality

Persians are very sweet in nature, and tend to prefer, quiet, peaceful households. They also seem to enjoy displaying themselves like the fine pieces of living artwork that they are.

Size

While there is no particular weight range the Persian should fall in, these cats should be full bodied. The Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) breed standard does state individuals should be medium to large sized, and have good muscle tone without being obese.

Coat Colors

Variety is truly the spice of life when it comes to Persian Cats. This breed is divided into no less than seven separate coat color groups, with plenty of choices in each.

Solid Colors

• Black
• Blue
• Chocolate
• Red
• Lilac
• Cream
• White

Silvers and Golds

• Chinchilla Silver
• Chinchilla Gold
• Shaded Silver
• Shaded Gold

Tabbies

Tabby refers to a pattern overlay on a particular color, and come in two types:

• Classic Tabby
• Mackerel or Striped Tabby

Colors include:

• Silver, or Silver Patched Tabby
• Blue or Blue Patched Tabby
• Blue-Silver, or Blue-Silver Patched Tabby
• Brown, or Brown Patched Tabby
• Chocolate, or Chocolate Patched Tabby
• Lilac, or Lilac Patched Tabby
• Red Tabby
• Cream Tabby
• Cameo Tabby
• Cream Cameo Tabby

Shadeds and Smokes

These colors include:

• Shell, or Shaded Cameo/Red
• Shell, or Shaded Cream
• Shell, or Shaded Tortoiseshell
• Shell, or Shaded Blue-Cream
• Black Smoke
• Red Smoke
• Tortoiseshell Smoke
• Blue Smoke
• Cream Smoke
• Blue-Cream Smoke

Himalayans

This color variety is often mistaken for a breed of it's own, but Himalayans are actually just another color variation of Persians.

Himmies always have a cream or light beige base coat, but carry darker shading, known as points, on the face, legs and tail.

Point colors include:

• Chocolate
• Blue/Dark Gray
• Seal/Silver
• Flame/Red
• Lilac/Lavender-Beige

Parti-Colors

This group includes:

• Tortoiseshell
• Chocolate Tortoiseshell
• Blue-Cream
• Lilac-Cream

Calico and Bi-Colors

Calicos are the traditional "patched cats" with a combination of white fur interspersed with distinct patches of two other colors.

In addition to the standard Calico coloring of black, red and white, variations can include:

• Dilute Calico
• Chocolate Calico
• Lilac Calico
• Calico Smoke
• Dilute Calico Smoke
• Chocolate Calico Smoke
• Lilac Calico Smoke
• Shells, in the colors previously mentioned
• Shadeds, in the colors previously mentioned

Bi-colors consist of white fur and one other color with a distinct pattern of white on the legs, feet, belly and muzzle.

• Black and White
• Blue and White
• Chocolate and White
• Red and White
• Lilac and White
• Cream and White
• Brown Tabby and White
• Red Tabby and White
• Patched Tabby and White
• Other Tabby and White

For a more in depth explanation of all of these coat colors, we recommend you refer to the CFA Persian Cat standard.

Caring for Your Persian

As you can imagine, Persians do require some additional care to keep them looking their best.

Daily brushing and an occasional bath will help keep the coat from matting, and it's good practice to give their faces a gentle wiping each day to remove eye run-off.

Not being terribly active cats, these beauties will also require the occasional nail trimming.

Health Considerations

Luckily, this breed is a hardy one, and individuals frequently live well into their teens. Respiratory illnesses do not plague this breed they way they do some others.

Persians really are "indoor" cats, and should be kept inside to lessen their chances of picking up parasites that would be hard to remove from such abundant coats.

Is a Persian Right for You?

Persian cats are easy to live with personality-wise, however, unless you are prepared to become a part-time pet groomer, or keep the coat clipped short, you may want to choose a less demanding breed such as a Burmese or Exotic.

External Links

• Persian-Cats.com, meet other Persian cat lovers.
• PersianCats.org, a Persian and related cat breeds rescue organization.

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