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PERSIANS
Although everyone, on both sides of the Atlantic, knows what a Persian cat looks like and uses the term freely, in Britain Persians are classified for breeding and show purposes as Longhairs. This group includes some varieties such as Chinchillas, which in North America are given separate breed names. The Persian has a cobby build with short, thick legs, a rounded head, a short nose and large eyes. The tail is plume-like and the coat full and thick. Coat and eye colours are variable. BACKGROUNDFor most people, the Persian is the ultimate luxury lap-cat, associated with wealth and power. This is no doubt because the first Persians brought to Europe over 300 years ago by travellers to the East were often given as presents to noble patrons, so that the Persian became the cat of aristocracy. The Italian Traveller Pietro della Valle (1586 – 1652) spent four years in Persia from 1617 – 1621 and is credited with having brought the first Persian cats to Europe, although the earliest European reference to longhaired cats is dated 1520. In the account of his travels published after his death Pietro della Valle described the Persians’ coat as ‘soft as silk and so long that it forms ringlets in some parts and particularly under the throat.’ The Persian quickly became a favourite in court circles on the mainland of Europe and spread through France to Britain, where they were known for a time as French cats. CHARACTERISTICSPersian litters are usually relatively small – two to three kittens – and although Persian queens are normally good mothers the kittens are often very delicate at birth, needing close attention for the first few weeks. The fine Persian coat begins to appear in kittens from the age of six weeks to two months, but does not develop fully until about two years. Self (US solid) kittens tend to show ‘ghost’ tabby markings in their first coat, but these disappear as the kittens mature. In general, a Persian should have a broad, round head with a short retrousse nose, full cheeks and small round-tipped ears set wide apart and tilting forward, low on the head with long ear tufts. The American preference is for a pronounced stop, or break, where the nose meets the forehead. The eyes should be large, round and set apart, with what the American standard calls a ‘sweet’ and the British a ‘pleasing’ expression. The coat should be long, silky, flowing and shiny. COLOURSPersians come in a wide variety of coat colours and patterns – over 60 – although not all of these are recognised for show. The first group consists of the self (US solid) colours: black, white, blue, red, cream, chocolate (a medium to dark chocolate brown), and lilac (a pinkish dove-grey, called ‘frost’ by some American associations). Particular eye colours are associated with the coat colours. The eye colours specified for most self (solid) colours are brilliant copper or orange. However, whites may have deep blue, orange or copper, or one eye deep blue and one orange or copper. The latter are known as ‘odd-eyed whites.’ Persian coat colours have waxed and waned in popularity. The whites were the first variety to be brought to Europe and became particularly popular in France. However, the dominant white gene W carries with it a liability to deafness, particularly in blue-eyed whites. This can appear in either or both ears and is caused by inner ear deformation. It becomes evident in kittens at 4 – 6 days old and is incurable, but with extra care to make sure that communication with the mother is maintained the kittens normally survive and learn to compensate with their other senses. However, the future life of such a kitten must be entirely indoors, and no further matings should be attempted from queens who have borne deaf kittens or from the kittens themselves. A deaf queen is hampered as a mother by her inability to hear the distress cries of her litter, with the result that the kittens may be neglected. A deaf tom may pass the condition on. CAREOne key to the popularity of the Persian cat is its placid nature and ease of adjustments to new environments and experiences, which means that they are not temperamental when taking part in cat shows. These qualities make them good family pets, although they need daily grooming of up to an hour to keep the coat healthy and free of tangles. They also moult prodigiously. The long coat tends to collect the oily secretion sebum which builds up on the guard hairs and, especially in whites, causes staining. American Persian owners, who are perhaps braver than British ones, believe in frequent bathing to deal with this problem, but it can be at least alleviated by applying Fuller’s Earth or unperfumed talcum powder, taking care to brush this well out afterwards. Information sourced from: The Encyclopaedia of the Cat by Michael Pollard For further information, check out these websites: http://www.cfainc.org/breeds/profiles/persian.html http://www.farsinet.com/gorbeh/
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