Persian cats are famous for their appearance which is quite unique. Persians cats are believed to be the oldest breed of cats! They are famous for their placid and quiet temperaments and because of that they get along quite easy with kids.
[ See: JIGAR • Iran | Persian Dating (iOS ⬇) • Iran | Persian Dating (Android ⬇) ]
Persian cats are one of the (most popular) and desirable breeds of cats in the world!
Persian cats are one of the most popular and desirable breeds of cats in the world!
There are a lot of reasons for their popularity, and this is no doubt what helps to ensure that there is never shortage of people wishing to own them.
Their name comes from Persia, the former name of Iran, where similar cats were found. Persian cats are famous for their appearance which is quite unique.
Their huge, soft coats of fur and squashed-like, flat faces are iconic.
Their faces are usually divided in two categories: the Peke-face and the Doll-face.
They have large, round heads, petite and curved ears, a comparatively short tail and a furry, stocky posture.
Since Persian cats weigh about 8-12 lbs, they are considered medium-sized cats!
The Persian cat is a large to medium-sized cat, with a well-balanced body and a cute expression on its face. This breed was originally established with a short muzzle, but this specific feature has become extremely exaggerated over time, particularly in North America.
The Peke-face Persian cat: They are also known as “the show Persian”.
A show cat is a cat that is purebred for the purpose of competing in a cat show. In cat shows, the cats are judged by how close they look to the physical ideal and standard for their breed. Peke face Persian cats have a round head with a thick puckered face, small ears, a flat nose and short tree-trunk legs, and a thick short tail.
The Doll-face Persian cat: These Persian cats are also called the traditional Persian cat because they don’t have the exaggerated features of Peke face Persian cats. They have normal size noses. Traditional Persian cats do not have as short a face as show Persians and look more like the earlier examples of the breed.
Persian cats have been around for more than 125 years!
The historical evidences suggest that this breed has been existed since hundreds of years before Christ.
The first documented ancestors of the Persian cats were imported from Khorasan province in Iran.
Persians cats are believed to be the oldest breed of cats and were first seen in Europe in the mid-to-late 1500s, introduced by Roman and Phoenician travellers from Persia (modern day Iran).
Some of these Persian cats were imported into Italy in the 1600s by Pietro della Valle (1586-1652), an Italian traveler.
The popularity of the Persian was peaked when Queen Victoria of Great Britain and other famous royal figures started showing interest in this stunning breed.
At the time Persian cats arrived in England in the 19th century they were known as French cats! Persian cats were exported to the United States at nearly the last decades of the 19th century. After they were recognized by the ACFA (American Cat Fanciers Association) in 1914, they became the most popular and desired cat breed in the United States.
[ See: JIGAR • Iran | Persian Dating (iOS ⬇) • Iran | Persian Dating (Android ⬇) ]
In the 19th century, the Persian cat became the symbol of luxury among the European elite. As mentioned above Doll face Persian cats are closer to the traditional and original breed type than other Persian cats that are bred exclusively for shows. Traditional Persian cats were more like the modern day Angora cats.
Through selective breeding, their appearance has changed dramatically over the decades, giving them a rounder head, flatter face and chubby cheeks, but the demand for them stayed the same.
Persian cats also differ magnificently when it comes to fur color, such as golden, tabby, Shaded and Smokey, bicolor, silver, gray, Himalayan, chinchilla, Particolor, Solid, etc.
Golden Persian cats have different beautiful shades. For instance Chinchilla Golden Persians have a soft shade while Shaded Golden Persians have a darker fur color.
Actually Golden Persians are very small part of color division in the Persian fur colors because they are very difficult to breed.
The Tabby Persian cats have an extrovert personality. They have three main patterns: classic, mackerel and patched tabby.
The patched tabbies either have the classic or mackerel pattern with the addition of patches of red.
The classic tabby Persian has the bull’s eye markings on the side of the body and the mackerel pattern is recognizable by narrow penciling around the body. The brilliantly contrasted markings can be as striking as an exotic jungle cat.
Smokey Persian cats are one of the easiest divisions to recognize, the shaded and smoke Persians are very noticeable. The thing that makes it so noticeable is the fact that this particular Persian cat is a shaded smoke color with underlying white or cream colors and a slightly Smokey color mixed it.
The Smokey Persians don’t really have much of a color because they only has six various shades, but they are definitely the most significant of all the Persian cats because of their unique and desirable appearance.
Bi-color Persian cats are a division of Persian cats that have two or three colors on their fur (coat) which always contains white as one of those colors. For example, a black and white also known as “tuxedo cat“, is a black and white bicolor.
A calico is also a bicolor cat that has three colors of fur and one of the colors is still white. Bicolor Persian cats are known for their extraordinary unparalleled fur markings and their unique personalities.
Silver Persian cats’ beautiful silver fur is so delicate and beautiful. Also their facial structure is not as flat as many other Persian varieties. Silver Shaded Persians are believed to have been bred from a combination of Chinchillas and self-colored longhairs to try and improve the sizing and general appearance of the cat.
The Himalayan Persian cat is an ideal house-cat. This division of Persian cat is naturally well mannered, sweet, calm, and not hyper active. Himalayans have the characteristic and long fur of a Persian cat with the coloring of a Siamese cat.
Himalayan Persian Cats are built more like Persians and are a medium-sized cat breed.
The Chinchilla Persian cat is considered by some cat breeders to be the most beautiful of all Persians.
They have pretty, doll-like facial features along with an amazing coat of fur in colors such as silver and gold which make these Persians a popular pet and show choice.
This division of Persian is also a little different since it typically has doll face that are more traditional than the flat or “Peke-faced” you’d usually see in show cat Persians.
The Particolor Persian cats division is typically a tortoiseshell cat which means they are actually black cat with patches of red throughout their fur coloring.
Particolor Persian Cats can have a little bit of lilac and blue throughout their coat. This fur color has a very outstanding pattern and look, though it’s nearly as beautiful as the pale and pretty shade of the shaded and smokey Persian division.
The Particolor Persian cat is quite unique among the Persian divisions since this particular division made up of only females and is the only Persian division that can’t reproduce itself without mixing with other divisions.
The coat color of all solid Persian is the same to the roots and doesn’t have any markings or shadings. Black Persians have glossy patent color that shines with intensity. Milk-colored cream cats are the dilute of the deep vibrant glowing reds.
Chocolates and lilacs are bred with the mix of Persian and Himalayan which are rarely seen.
The chocolate colored ones show a warm chocolate and brown mix color and the lilac ones have a lavender pinkish color.
One of the best aspects of Persian cats is their eyes! Colorful, round eyes like orbs.
When Persian kittens are born, they have blue eyes. As they grow, the eye coloration changes; melanin moves into the iris and causes a color change to green, yellow, or brown.
At the age of 3 weeks, the eye begins to change into its true color from various hues. Most kittens have their fully new eye color by 6 weeks of age.
Interesting fact is that their eye color depends on the color of their fur coats!
For example, golden Persian cats usually possess blue-green eyes.
The Chinchilla Persian cats are notable for their black-rimmed sea-green eyes. Among Solid Persian cats, only the pristine whites come in three different eye colors. Usually white cats have one or both eyes blue.
The non-blue eye will be the standard eye color of the breed. For instance the non-blue eye in white Persian cats is vivid orange.
There is a wrong belief that white Persian cats with blue eyes are born blind but that’s not actually true. The fact is these types of Persian cats may experience vision problems.
Cats with two different colored eyes are usually white or have some white areas on their bodies because the same gene causing their white fur color also controls their eye color. In odd-eyed cats, melanin only moves into one eye and changes the color but the other eye remains blue. Sometimes a bit of melanin moves into one iris but doesn’t completely change the eye’s color.
That iris will have some blue in it as well as some other color such as green.
Persian cats possess a very quiet, and at the same time, arrogant nature. This characteristic has led Persian breed to prefer the luxury life of apartment as opposed to living in the wild. They are famous for their placid and quiet temperaments and because of that they get along quite easy with kids. But they are not frigid by any means.
They are actually quite affectionate, naughty and jolly at times.
The interesting thing about them is that unlike many type of pets, they are not at all demanding of you, but they would always welcome your affectionate touch with warmth. As mentioned earlier, they prefer the stable, quiet and safe atmosphere of their homes.
Unlike some breeds of cats, they have a low, beautiful, pleasing voice that is like music to the ears and they do a lot of purring.
These beautiful cats are known for their docile and sweet behaviors. Persian cats are excellent lap cats since they are not as hyperactive as some other cat breeds.
Persian cats are among the very few breeds of feline that prefer to take a nap on their owner’s lap instead of a quiet corner.
Noisy environments aren’t suitable for them. As they are creature of habit, they prefer to have as little change as possible.
They don’t like sudden changes and are content by their everyday peaceful life. Persian cats thrive under simple and routine lifestyle.
These breeds of cats, unlike most other cat breeds, like to have their feet planted firmly on ground, and do not like to reach great heights.
They are very independent and placid but enjoy spending time with their human companions.
Persian cats are among the least mischievous cats that exist. They are perfectly glad to maintain a domain without rascality.
Persian cats are known for being lazy and laid back so if the owners are outside or at their jobs, they are likely to sprawl on a comfy piece of furniture and sleep until their human companions come home. Although some Persian cats enjoy going out, they will not object to living entirely indoors.
The Persian cats seem to be a perfect animal but one thing you should know is that intelligence is not their strong point; although there are some exceptions to this in the case of individual cats. Because of this Persian cats are rarely good hunters, and it is quite hard to train them because they have difficulty in understanding what they need to do.
If you combine all the positive factors stated above together, you will have a perfect cat and pet for all people of different age groups. Though of course, all these positive aspects don’t come easy.
Caring for these cats can be daunting and quite hard at times.
Persian cats have bushy, thick masses of hair. This means that they need lots of grooming on daily or weekly schedules. You need to be intricate and thorough in their maintenance as their long coat is vulnerable to hairballs and tangles. If the fur knots around the belly and under the arms and legs, it can pull at their tender skin.
They must be showered regularly and dried with care. Monthly bathing is essential to keeping your cat’s coat clean and free of tangles. Their fur needs to be brushed every day; otherwise it would mat or fall. Persian cats enjoy being groomed.
Even if you brush your Persian cat daily, you may find that you have to bring your Persian to the groomers every 6 months to a year.
Because of their pushed-in faces, Persian cats can have excessive tearing, which can cause staining. It’s important to wipe under their eyes each day with a cotton ball or soft cloth to help avoid black or brown smudges from forming.
Both pedigreed Persian cats and mixed-breed Persian cats have varying incidences of health problems that may be genetic in nature.
The average Persian cat lives for around 12 years. Although they are beautiful and sweet, Persian cats especially the peke face ones are prone to a number of potential health problems, most commonly related to their facial structure:
The lifespan of a Persian cat is between 12-17 years. Keeping a well-balanced and healthy diet of both wet and dry food and also water will ensure your Persian cat has all the nutrients that it needs to keep them healthy. Other factors that influence the lifespan of Persian cats are such as environment, whether the cat lives indoor or outdoor. An outdoor Persian cat faces more dangers than an indoor cat.
Persian cats are known for being sweet natured and placid. They are unlikely to show aggression towards other cats, and probably won’t react if a more established cat tries to put them in their place and demands to be boss. Persian cats usually get along well with other pets and animals, including dogs and other cats. They are rarely seen to act violent. They also tend to be patient with children.
Persian cats were showcased in the world’s first organized cat show in 1871 at the Crystal Palace in England. The day-long cat show also featured other cat breeds such as Siamese cats, a Scottish Wild Cat, and Manxes, among other exotic felines and to no ones’ surprise, a Persian kitten won “Best in Show“.
The famous royal figure of the United Kingdom, Queen Victoria owned Persian cats!
Blue Persian cats were especially sought after, as Queen Victoria owned two of them. This increased this specific type of Persian cats’ popularity in Britain at the time.
Persian cats are known for remaining inactive for long periods of time. They are very lazy cats and can spend hours staying in the same place without moving. That’s one of their nicknames is “furniture with fur“.
Except for the difference in head structure and the resulting difference in looks between doll-face Persian cats and Persian show cats, both types of Persians still have luxurious coats and very pleasing temperaments. Both still need a lot of grooming to keep their long coats in good shape. However, the show-type Persian because of their face structure will need the extra facial grooming on a daily basis. If you prefer not having to deal with this extra grooming, the doll face Persian may be a better pet choice for you.
Cats are among the most preferred pets in the United States and cat owners are willing to spend more than $1,200 a year on average on this creature. Since Persian cats are pure breeds, they can be quite expensive. But if you are looking for a pet Persian cat rather than a Persian cat for cat shows, the price will a lot lower. In the USA you can expect to pay from $500 to $700 depending on fur color for an average pedigree Persian kitten.
