About Persians

History of the Persian Cat


File-Persian_aka_Angora_from_1894.JPG.jpg

The Persian is one of the oldest know breeds of cat. The origins of the Persian are as varied, as the number of people describing them, but it is fairly well accepted that some early Persian cats came from Persia (now known as Iran), and Turkey, and were introduced to England by early European travelers, and during the time of the Crusades. Some historians believe that the Persian may have mated with Angoras in Italy during the 16th Century. Everyone agrees that the Persian was high on the list of esteemed "possessions" by royalty, from the king of Persia to the kings and queens of England.  In the late 19th century, North America discovered the Persian cat, and it soon reached the zenith of being the most popular cat in the United States, an honor it still holds today.  With its glorious long-flowing coat and sweet face to match its disposition, it is no wonder the Persian is the favorite cat among all pedigreed breeds. Persians require a secure, serene environment, but once they feel safe, they will be a constant source of pleasure to the lucky household that is owned by a Persian. The Persian requires regular maintenance to keep the beauty of that coat, so consider carefully before making what should be a lifetime commitment to this glorious cat.

Personality

Owning a Persian gives one the same gratification as owning a beautiful work of art. Persians are noted for their gentle temperament and ease with which they adjust to new environments, making them ideal show cats. In my opinion, Persians are fully aware of how beautiful they are. They are quiet and, although not shy, tend to be undemonstrative. They are quite loving and affectionate and make wonderful companions, and come in a variety of colors. The Persian cat has graced the show scene for more than 100 years. Judges and spectators have been impressed with their sweet, gentle nature and long flowing coats which occur in multitude of colors and patterns. Persian cats have a sweet & gentle nature. Typically they have a laid back personality. They are an affectionate breed & enjoy the company of their carers. .  They are not very energetic or very vocal.  Persians are a quiet cat, easy going & generally get along with other pets & family members although boisterous children should be avoided.



Special Requirements

Persians require daily grooming to avoid knots & mats in their coat. This will only take a few minutes per day. Some Persians may also have runny eyes, these need to be gently wiped clean due to their flat faces. All Persians should be kept indoors as they are not able to survive outside.

Physical Features

The Persian cat is one of the most beautiful cats with a long, luxurious coat. The Persian is a heavy boned, cobby type with short, thick legs with large paws. Persians are well muscled & medium to large in size. They have a short, thick neck, large shoulders & a broad chest.  It has a short tail, which is in proportion to the body. It has a large, broad head with large, round, expressive eyes set wide apart, small round tipped tufted ears which are set low on the head & wide apart.  The nose is short, with a stop (or break) centered between the cat's eyes. The overall expression is sweet and sometimes described as "pansy like."

"The ideal Persian should present an impression of a heavily boned, well balanced cat with a sweet expression and soft, round lines. The large round eyes set wide apart in a large round head contribute to the overall look and expression. The long thick coat softens the lines of the cat and accentuates the roundness in appearance." The Cat Fanciers Association Breed Statement


Persians are the most popular breed and come in the widest variety of colors! There are a total of 95 colors to choose from, 26 of which are chocolate and lilac.  Here is a break down of the color groups:

                Solid Color Division (Blue, Black, White, Red, Cream, Blue, Lilac, Chocolate)
                Colorpoint/Himalayan Division
                Shaded & Smoke Division
                Tabby Division
                Parti- Colour Division
               Calico & BiColour Division
                 Silver & Golden Division (Chinchillas, Teacup Persians). These cannot be bred with the other colours for show purposes because they have unique green eyes and lovely makeup like markings around their nose, mouth and eyes.
Chinchilla from the Silver Division
      The Chocolate series also including lilac are some of the more rare colors. To understand thesolid chocolate and lilac breeding program, a chocolate point (CP) or lilac point (LP) Himalayan is an ideal starting point. Chocolate is a recessive gene as blue is a recessive gene, and lilac has the same relationship to chocolate that blue has to black. Crossing a CP or LP with a solid black or blue Persian will produce an offspring of black or blue phenotype who bear both the genes for chocolate and for point pattern in their recessive forms. All the necessary genes to produce a solid chocolate or lilac offspring are present. This can be done by mating to cats of a similar genotype or by again mating back to a CP or LP Himalayan. The resulting kittens will come in a variety of colors, both pointed and solid. In the hands of genetically knowledgeable breeders, successful production of Solid chocolate and lilac Persians may be achieved.

Chocolate Persian Colors - solid chocolate, chocolate tortoiseshell, chocolate colorpoint, chocolate tortie point, chocolate tabby point, chocolate tortie tabby point, chocolate and white bicolor, chocolate calico, chocolate calico smoke, shell chocolate calico, shaded chocolate calico, chocolate tabby, chocolate patched tabby.

Lilac Persian Colors - solid lilac, lilac tortoiseshell, lilac point, lilac cream point, lilac tabby point, lilac cream tabby point, lilac and white bicolor, lilac calico, lilac calico smoke, shell lilac calico, shaded lilac calico, lilac tabby, and lilac patched tabby.

Solid Lilac
When you look at a lilac solid compared to a blue - you can really see the difference between the two.

Solid Blue
Solid Brown



Solid Black


Seal Colorpoint/Himalayan
Seal Tortie Tabby Colorpoint


Seal Tortie Colorpoint