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About Persians
 The Persian is the most popular purebred cat in the world with their long flowing cats and sweet expression. Since coming from Persian and Iraq, Pietro della Valle is credited for importing the first Persian cats into Italy during the 1600s. The longhaired cats eventually were interbred with Turkish Angoras with hundreds of years of selective breeding producing the Persians of today.
The Persian comes in a rainbow of colors, including white. White persians are the most appreciated by non-exhibitors.
When comparing the Exotic and Persian breeds, the type is pretty much the same - except unlike a Persian, with its long, luscious coat, an Exotic has a short, plush coat. Many Exotic breeders continue to use Persians in their breeding programs in order to refine the type, producing Exotic Longhairs.
The Cat Fanciers Association standard calls for a Persian to be a heavy 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 thick, plush coat softens the lines of the cat and accentuates the roundness in appearance.
The head is round, smooth and massive with great breadth of skull and well-set on a short thick neck. The break of the short, snub and broad nose is centered between the eyes. The cheeks are full. The jaws are broad, and the ears are small, round tipped and low on the head. The eyes are in brillian and color, large, round and full.
All of this is set on a cobby, massive body on short, thick legs with a short tail
Sources:
The Persian breed standard, The Cat Fanciers Association, April 2007. |
