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by Angela Pollock

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The Persian is one of the most striking breeds of cat to own or just to observe. When draped at their favorite lounging spot, they add calmness and beauty to their surroundings. This breed has been stereotyped as a pampered aristocrat with their luxurious fur and nonchalant facial expressions. Known as the Longhair in Britain, European records date back to the early 1500's and they were referred to as Angoras. Some records note them as being French cats because of how they made their way to England from France.

Because of their long thick coat, Persians are believed to have originated from a cold climate. The may have started as wild cats in Asia and eventually made their way through from wandering to Persia and Turkey. Today's pedigree lines can be traced back to longhaired cats brought to England from Turkey and Persia. The first official cat show in England, in 1871, was dominated by white, black and blue Persians. Persians were owned by the ruling class and royalty, Queen Victoria was known to own two blue Persians.

Despite being born deaf, the blue-eyed, white Persians were prized pets. As the white Persian was becoming a status symbol in Britain, the breed was making its way to North America. In Britain, each color is seen as a different breed while in the United States, the different colors are viewed as only a variety of the breed.

The Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) divides the breed into seven color categories for competition.

*Solid Color
*Silver and Golden
*Shaded and Smoke
*Tabby
*Particolor
*Bicolor
*Himalayan

The red Persian is extremely rare while the black Persian is said to be livelier than most other colors of the breed. A variety of the red Persian, although controversial, is the peke-face Persian. British organizations and many American associations will not recognize a peke-face Persian because it is considered a deformity of the face. Because of unintended mating and even some intended breeding, there have been several other varieties of the Persian that are rare and can be quite expensive.

Some of the more rare and costly Persians include the tortoiseshell Persian and calico Persian. The chinchilla Persian was developed from the silver tabby Persian while the crossings of black, blue and chinchilla Persians resulted in the smoke Persian. The varieties and shades in colors of this breed are vast.

Even with the different color combinations, all Persians share many common traits. Their features include a blunt (pugged) nose, rounded face with large eyes, and a brilliant fluffy tail with an overall incredible thick coat. Their nature is usually peaceful and calm while enjoying the attention of humans.

Persians require grooming, regular bathing and many owners apply baby powder to the coat to keep the hairs separated. Because they tend to become overweight, their diet is usually monitored. They are more apt to getting respiratory problems from swallowing their long hairs during self-grooming.

Owners of Persian cats can attest to the loyalty and companionship that the breed has been known for. Their beauty can be overwhelming to cat fanciers which goes to reason why the Persian is one of the most popular breeds in the world and the most photographed of all breeds of cats.

Sources:
AN IDENTIFICATION GUIDE TO CAT BREEDS by Jill Caravan, copyright 1991
GUIDE TO OWNING A PERSIAN CAT: FEEDING, GROOMING, EXHIMBITION, TEMPERAMENT, HEALTH, BREEDING by Juliet Seymour, copyright 1997
http://www.cfa.org/breeds/ profiles/persian.html
http://ca ts.suite101.com/article.cfm/pe rsian_cats

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