Persian Cats

The Persian cat originates from Persia, but interbreeding of Angoras with native British domestic longhairs in the 19th Century makes the true origin of the breed unclear. The Persian's European debut is credited to Pietro Della Valle, an Italian traveller.A show-quality Persian has an extremely long thick coat, short legs, a wide head with the ears set far apart, large eyes, and an extremely foreshortened muzzle. The breed was originally established with a short muzzle, but over time this feature has become extremely exaggerated, particularly in North America, and Persians with the more extreme brachycelphalic head type are prone to a number of health problems caused by it. However, conscientious breeders eliminate this by careful choice of breeding stock with more moderate head type, as the goal is first and always healthy cats. Persian cats can have any color or markings including pointed, tortoiseshell, blue, and tabby. Persian cats with point are referred to as Colourpoint Persian in Europe and Himalayan (cat) in United States.