Persian cat
Also known as: Persian Longhair, Shirazi
Breed at a glance
- Life span
- Persian cats varies depending on their c
- Other names
- Persian Longhair, Shirazi
About the Persian cat
The Persian cat breed features a long, thick coat that requires regular grooming. Originating from Iran, this breed is known for its calm and gentle nature.
Overview
The Persian cat , also known as the Persian Longhair or simply Persian , is a long-haired traditional breed of cat characterised by a round face and petite, but not flat and not smashed in, muzzle. The short flat nose was created in the US from in-breeding and causes breathing difficulties in the breed, whereas, the traditional Persian breed has a petite nose which enables them to breathe without difficulties. The first Persian cats may have been brought to Italy from Khorasan as early as 1620, but there is stronger evidence for a longhaired cat breed exported from Afghanistan and Iran/Persia from the 19th century onwards. [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ] Persian cats have been widely recognised by the North-West European cat fancy since the 19th century, [ 5 ] and after World War II by breeders from North America, Australia and New Zealand. [ 5 ] Some cat fancier organisations' breed standards subsume the Himalayan and Exotic Shorthair as variants of this breed, while others generally treat them as separate breeds. The selective breeding carried out by breeders has allowed the development of a wide variety of coat colours, [ 5 ] but has also led to the creation of increasingly flat-faced Persian cats. Favoured by fanciers, this head structure can bring with it several health problems. As is the case with the Siamese breed, there have been efforts by some breeders to preserve the older type of cat, the Traditional Persian , which has a more pronounced muzzle. Hereditary polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is prevalent in the breed, affecting almost half of the population in some countries. [ 6 ] [ 7 ] In 2021, Persian cats were ranked as the fourth-most popular cat breed in the world according to the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA), a US-based international cat registry. [ 8 ]
Origin
The exact time of the appearance of long-haired cats is unclear, as no long-haired specimens of the African wildcat , the ancestor of the domestic cat species, are known. The first documented ancestors of the Persian cat might have been imported from Khorasan , either Eastern Iran or Western Afghanistan , into the Italian Peninsula in 1620 by Pietro Della Valle ; and from Damascus, Syria , into France by Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc at around the same time. While the de Peiresc import from Syria is corroborated by later correspondences, Della Valle is only known to have voiced his intention in a letter from 1620 but returned to Italy much later in 1626 after travelling several other countries with the remains of his wife in tow and no further mention of the cats. [ 2 ] [ 9 ] In his letter from 1620, Della Valle distinguishes the Khorasan cat from similar long-haired cats imported to Europe from the Near East by their grey coat: [ 10 ] At this point I have found in this country a very beautiful species of cats which are native to the province of Khorasan , but of another appearance and quality than those of Tyre, Lebanon . We estimate them to be of high value; however, they mean nothing to the people of Khorasan. I am inclined to bring them to Rome and to populate Italy with this breed. Their size and their form are like those of ordinary cats. All their beauty is in their coat which is gray without any speckles and without any spots, of one colour throughout all the body, being a little lighter on the chest and the stomach which goes somewhat whitish, with an agreeable shade of light brown, as in paintings when one colour is mixed with the other to give a marvellous effect. Albeit of unclear geographic faithfulness, the name Persian cat was eventually given to cats imported from Afghanistan , Iran , and likely some adjacent regions for marketing purposes in Europe. Persian-speakers themselves are not documented to refer to any breed of cat as "Persian cat", or gorba-ye pârsi . Instead, variations of gorbe-ye borāq , [ 11 ] [ full citation needed ] gorbe-ye barrāq , [ 12 ] [ full citation needed ] and gorbe-ye barāq appear in Persian dictionaries of the 19th and 20th centuries. [ 2 ] In 1815, Lord Elphinstone described the cats in Kabul thus: [ 14 ] The cats must also be noticed, at least the longhaired species called Boorauk, as they are exported in great numbers, and everywhere called Persian cats, though they are not numerous in the country from which they are named, and are seldom or never exported thence. In 1839 Lieutenant Irwin notes that "a variety of cat is bred in Cabul, and some parts of Toorkistan . By us it is very improperly called "Persian", for very few are found in Persia, and none exported. The Cabulees call this cat bubuk [buruk?] or boorrak, and they encourage the growth of his long hair by washing it with soap and combing it." [ 15 ] Seeing as the British seemed to assume the majority of Persian cats stemmed from Afghanista
Grooming
Since Persian cats have long, dense fur that they cannot effectively keep clean, they need regular grooming to prevent matting. To keep their fur in its best condition, they must be brushed frequently. An alternative is to shave the coat. Their eyes may require regular cleaning to prevent crust buildup and tear staining. [ 90 ]
Behaviour
The Persian is generally described as a quiet cat. Typically placid, it adapts quite well to apartment life. Himalayans tend to be more active due to the influence of Siamese traits. In a study comparing cat owners' perceptions of their cats, Persians rated higher than non-pedigree cats on closeness and affection to owners, friendliness towards strangers, cleanliness, predictability, vocalisation, and fussiness over food. [ 52 ]
Himalayan
In 1950, the Siamese was crossed with the Persian to create a breed with the body type of the Persian but the colourpoint pattern of the Siamese. It was named Himalayan , after other colourpoint animals such as the Himalayan rabbit . In the UK, the breed was recognised as the Colourpoint Longhair. The Himalayan stood as a separate breed in the US until 1984, when the CFA merged it with the Persian, to the objection of the breed councils of both breeds. Some Persian breeders were unhappy with the introduction of this crossbreed into their "pure" Persian lines. [ 33 ] [ unreliable source? ] [ 34 ] The CFA set up the registration for Himalayans in a way that breeders would be able to discern a Persian with Himalayan ancestry just by looking at the pedigree registration number. This was to make it easy for breeders who do not want Himalayan blood in their breeding lines to avoid individuals who, while not necessarily exhibiting the colourpoint pattern, may be carrying the point colouration gene recessively. Persians with Himalayan ancestry have registration numbers starting with 3 and are commonly referred to by breeders as colourpoint carriers (CPC) or 3000-series cats, although not all will carry the recessive gene. The Siamese is also the source of the chocolate and lilac colour in solid Persians. [ 35 ] [ 36 ]
Life span
The lifespan of Persian cats varies depending on their country. Pet insurance data from Sweden puts the median lifespan of cats from the Persian group (Persians, Chinchilla, Himalayan and Exotic) at just above 12.5 years, while most cats live until they are about 15 years old. 76% of this group lived for 10 years or more and 52% lived for 12.5 years or more. [ 68 ] A 2015 study looking at veterinary clinic data from England shows an average lifespan of 14.1. [ 69 ] A 2024 UK study found a life expectancy of 10.93 years for the Persian (9.63–12.23) compared to an overall of 11.74 years (11.61–11.87). [ 70 ]
Appearance
A show-style Persian cat has an extremely long and thick coat, short legs, a wide head with ears set far apart, large eyes, and an extremely shortened muzzle. The breed was originally established with a short muzzle, but over time, this characteristic has become extremely exaggerated, particularly in North America. Persian cats can have virtually any colour or markings. The permissible colours in the breed, in most organisations' breed standards, encompass the entire range of cat coat-pattern variations . The International CFA groups the breed into four coat-pattern divisions, but differently: solid, silver and golden (including chinchilla and shaded variants, and blued subvariants), shaded and smoke (with several variations of each, and a third sub-categorisation called shell), tabby (only classic, mackerel, and spotted, in various colours), parti-colour in three classes; tortoiseshell (in black, blue, chocolate, and lilac), tri-colour (tortoiseshell-and-white or " calico " in North America), and bi-colour (in around 40 variations), and Himalayan ( point colouration ). [ 40 ] CFA base colours are white, black, blue, red, cream, chocolate, and lilac. There are around 140 named CFA coat patterns for which the Himalayan qualifies, and 20 for the Himalayan sub-breed. [ 40 ] These coat patterns encompass virtually all of those recognised by CFA for cats generally. Any Persian permissible in TICA's more detailed system would probably be accepted in CFA's, simply with a more general name, though the organisations do not mix breed registries. TICA groups the breed into three coat-pattern divisions for judging at cat shows traditional (with stable, rich colours), sepia ("paler and warmer than the traditional equivalents", and darkening a bit with age), and mink (much lighter than sepia, and developing noticeably with age on the face and extremities). If classified as the Himalayan sub-breed, full point colouration is required, the fourth TICA colour division, with a "pale and creamy coloured" body even lighter than mink, with intense colouration on the face and extremities. The four TICA categories are essentially a graduated scale of colour distribution from evenly coloured to mostly coloured only at the points. Within each, the colouration may be further classified as solid, tortoiseshell (or "tortie"), tabby , silver or smoke, solid-and-white, tortoiseshell-and-white, tabby-and-white, or silver/smoke-and-white, with various specific colours and modifiers (e.g. chocolate tortoiseshell point, or fawn shaded mink marbled tabby-torbie). [ 23 ] TICA-recognised tabby patterns include classic, mackerel, marbled, spotted, and ticked (in two genetic forms), while other patterns include shaded, chinchilla, and two tabby-tortie variations, golden, and grizzled. Basic colours include white, black ("brown", "ruddy", "bronze"), blue ("grey"), chocolate, lilac, cinnamon, fawn, red, and cream, with a silver or shaded variant of most. Not counting bi-colour (piebald)
Popularity
In 2008, the Persian was the most popular breed of pedigree cats in the United States. [ 47 ] In the UK ( GCCF ), registration numbers have decreased since the early 1990s and the Persian lost its top spot to the British Shorthair in 2001. As of 2012, it was the 6th most popular breed, behind the British Shorthair, Ragdoll, Siamese, Maine Coon and Burmese. [ 48 ] [ needs update ] In France, the Persian is the only breed whose registration declined between 2003 and 2007, dropping by more than a quarter. [ 49 ] In the 2024 statistics of FIFe , one of the major global cat registries , the Persian breed ranked at position 11 out of 54 breeds in popularity, comprising 2,1% of their total registered kittens that year, which translates to 1.981 cats. [ 50 ] The most colour popular varieties, according to CFA registration data, are black ("seal") point, blue point, red ("flame") point and tortie point Himalayan, followed by black-white, shaded silvers and tri-colour. [ 47 ]
Frequently asked questions
What are the key characteristics of the Persian cat?
The Persian cat is a long-haired breed with a round face and petite, but not flat, muzzle. They have a sturdy build and a calm temperament. Their coat is thick and fluffy, requiring regular grooming. They come in a variety of colors and patterns, including solid, bi-color, and calico.
Is the Persian cat a good family cat?
Persian cats can make good family pets, but they do require regular grooming and attention to their coat. They are generally quiet and laid-back, but may not be suitable for very young children due to their delicate features. They are best suited for families with older children who can handle them gently.
What health problems do Persian cats have?
Persian cats are prone to several health issues, including respiratory problems due to their flat face, eye problems such as conjunctivitis and tear duct issues, and dental problems. They are also at risk for obesity and certain genetic disorders. Regular veterinary check-ups are essential to monitor their health.
How much does a Persian cat kitten cost?
The cost of a Persian cat kitten can vary depending on factors such as location, breeder reputation, and bloodline. On average, a Persian kitten can cost between $600 and $1,200. It's essential to research reputable breeders and ask about the kitten's health clearances and registration papers.