THE PERSIAN
Although beloved from their earliest introduction into the West from Persia, and, it is thought, Ankara, Turkey, as early as 1530, systematically bred for the beauty of their fur and sweetness of face since the late 1800's, the Persian has in the last two years fallen in popularity in America, or so the Cat Fanciers Association tells us. The Persian is now said to be number two with the Exotic holding first place. Try telling that to Persian owners who still consider the Persian to be the Aristocrat of Cats.
Apart from their extraordinarily beautiful fur, which is very long across their fairly large, muscular and rounded bodies, they are also bred for short heavy-boned legs, short neck, large head, rounded ears low on the head and their now famous short faces, as well as their gentle nature.
Known in England as the Longhair, as well as the Persian, both their nature and conformation were considerably different a hundred years ago, with a longer face and a feistier disposition. More recently they have been called 'furniture with fur' but owners will tell you a different story. They are past-masters of the luxurious lounge but they also like to play, are said to be affectionate, intelligent and love to be fussed over. Which is a good thing because they need a lot of fussing over. In order for their magnificent coat to remain beautiful and healthy they should be groomed daily.
Persians come in as many as eighty different colors and patterns and there can be slight differences in the conformation among them so if considering this breed, you do yourself a favor to look around.
Also important in choosing a Persian cat are the issues to which the breed can be subject due to its short face. There can be tear duct problems resulting in watering eyes, a 'bite' issue because of the jaw and respiratory problems from the same causes. Any given Persian needn't have any of these problems but you should check for them.
As always, Thirstycats recommends considering adopting but if a Persian from a Breeder is right for you, we simply suggest you be wise in your selection.
Information in this article was obtained from Barrons Encyclopedia of Cat Breeds, Desmond Morris's Cat World and from Eugenia
Natoli's Cats of the World.