Persian Breed Profile Wnca

Breed Profile

Persian

Christine Bourne May 2007

Body Type: Cobby

History of the breed:

There is some debate as to the true origin of the Persian many say that the cat originated in Persia now know as Iran, hence the name but others believe that they originated from the wild longhaired cats of Asia and Russia.

Experts believe that today’s domestic cat is a descendant of Felis libyca, a cat that is still found all over Africa. The Felis libyca is a shorthaired cat and the hypothesis is that when they migrated to colder climates they grew long hair to keep out the cold.

Felis libyca

http://esperanto.cri.cn/mmsource/images/2005/04/29/mao3.jpg

Longhaired cats, known by the British as French Cats or Angoras, were first introduced into Europe by the Phoenicians and Romans in the 1500’s. They were first shown in Britain in 1871 in black, blue and white. The blue Persian the most favoured as owned by the Royal family.

According to Winslow, the first “high-bred” longhair imported into the United States was a black, imported from Spain by Mrs. Edwin Brainard. The second came to Mrs. Clinton Locke, of Chicago, who imported Wendell, a white, brought directly to the United States from Persia and the foundation for Lockehaven Cattery. The exact date is not given, but placed at about 1875. Frances Simpson, in The Book of the Cat, published in 1903, however, would argue, and claims that her first Persians - a pair of blue-eyed whites - were obtained in 1869 from “...a sail maker’s pocket, from a foreign vessel, which put into a seaport town for, repairs after a severe storm.”

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The Persian cat we see on the bench today is far different from the ones shown in the 1930’s. They had longer bodies, larger ears, smaller eyes and a longer down turned nose with a stop. It is said that it was hard to tell a Persian from a Turkish Angora or a Maine Coon as all three had long hair, small close set eyes, long faces and longer, rangier bodies

In the late 1960’s the extreme Persians were first shown so called ‘Peke Face’ Persians because their face was similar to a Pekinese dog’s face. Large well spaced eyes with folds of skin from under the eyes to the strong chin and the nose turned up. They could only be shown in red or cream. Gradually all Persians became more extreme and today’s Persian evolved.

Breed characteristics:

If the Siamese is the model of the cat world then the Persian is the Royal Family.

A well presented Persian is stunning, majestic and grand with it’s large round head expressive eyes, a cobby body, short sturdy legs, broad chest and magnificent long flowing coat. They have the ability to drape themselves, proudly showing off their magnificent coat and tail.

Personality traits:

Persians are fairly laid back cats without the outgoing approach to life of short hair cats. They are described by Lorraine Saunders in Cat Fanciers’ Almanac, November 2002 as “quiet creatures whose perceptions, thoughts and intuitiveness are masked. They watch us before they wisely tell us who they are. She believes that they watch before trusting and once they do trust you they”open like a flower” sweet and gentle by nature they prefer to position themselves somewhere looking beautiful than running around like mad cats. They are well suited to quieter households, and make great, loyal companions. They are happiest with their feet on the ground, like a set routine and have a demure gentle voice.

Photo Gallery

Persian cats are accepted in all colours and patterns.

Solid Colours

All solid Persians except solid whites should have brilliant copper eyes. Colour should be sound to the roots and free from markings or shading also known as lockets or buttons. White solids eyes can be copper, blue or odd eyed.

Lilac Kitten Solid White

http://www.instantweb.com/f/furxxtc/kittens.html

Particolour

Consists of tortoiseshell, blue cream and lilac creams. The base colour should be to the roots and free from tabby markings. The head, body, tail and all four legs need not be evenly patterned but all must have some breaks in the colour.

Solid Colour with silver (Smoke), Silver & Golden

Hairs are tipped with colour with a solid white band at the roots; frill and ear tufts are silver white. No tabby markings but allowed in kittens.

The Chinchilla or silver tipped is a sparkling white cat with black tipping 1/8^th hair coloured scattered lightly on the back, flanks, head, ears, and upper side of tail. Face and legs may be slightly tipped.

Chin, ear furnishings, stomach, chest, inside legs pure silver white.

The shaded silver or pewter has a mantle of black lying on the back lighter shading down the sides, stomach, underside of tail, and chin.

Approximately 1/3^rd of the hair is coloured rest silver white.

www.cfagulfshore.org/top-cats-2004-2005/premi

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.Golden tipped or Golden Chinchilla

Light apricot undercoat same criteria as for silver

Katkraze Simply Solo- Chinchilla Golden Female

http://www.katkraze.com/cattery.html

Golden Shaded light apricot undercoat same criteria as for shaded silvers

Chassir Winston Cup of Katkraze- Shaded Golden Male

http://www.katkraze.com/cattery.html

Tabby

Persians can come in any of the tabby forms but are mainly seen in Mackerel and Classic tabby. The coat pattern is harder to see with the hair length but the pattern must still confirm to the standard. The Agouti gene (tabby) appears to make the Persian more outgoing than their non agouti counterparts. All should have brilliant copper eyes but the silver varieties may have green or hazel eyes.

Bi-Colour

A white cat with at least ½ but no more than 2/3rd coloured. Colour patches must be clearly separated and even in colour and well distributed. Colour patches should have no single white hairs. A white blaze or white is desirable on the face and white on the back feet, legs, underside and chest.

Harlequin

White patched with colour, the solid patches must cover at least ¼ but no more than ½ of the cat. The coloured patches should be surrounded by white and no single white hairs in the patches.

Van Pattern

White cat with two colour patches on the face separated by a white blaze one patch starts at the end of the rump and ends at the tip of the tail. No white hairs in the coloured parts.

Cattabury Sweetie Pie Of Maymeedoll
Blue Cream Van Persian Female
B: Tia Clark O: Kim Mccauley

http://www.acfacats.com/IA_winners_2005.htm

Himalayan

The Himalayan is a pointed Persian and resembles the Persian in body and type but has a pointed pattern and blue eyes.

History

A man made breed which was created by breeding Siamese to Persian cats. A Swedish Geneticist name unknown is said to have created the breed in 1922 by putting a longhaired white to a Siamese. It was not until the 1930’s a research project by Dr. Clyde Keller, from The Harvard Medical School, and Virginia Cobb of Newton Cattery into the pointed gene (Cs) was conducted by breeding Siamese with smoke, silver tabby and black Persians several shorthair kittens were produced. Two of these were then mated resulting in a longhaired black female. She was then mated to her sire and the first longhaired pointed kitten was born in 1935 named Debutante. Officially Debutante was the first pointed Persian but she had a foreign body type and it took many years to produce the cobby Himalayan we see today. It was first shown in the 1950’s and in 1955 recognised as a breed. In some countries it is still seen a separate breed but most now class Himalayans as a division of Persians

The standard is the same as Persians but for the coat markings and colour. It is recognised in all pointed colours and patterns including particolour.

Description of the Breed

What I am looking for in a Persian.

The overall impression of a Persian is a well coated, solid boned, cobby bodied cat. Cobby describes a short compact body with broad shoulders and rump, usually short thick legs, short tail and large rounded head.

Proportions of a Cobby Body

Starting at the head you are first looking for symmetry – as described above with all the changes in the Persians skull facial and skull deformities can occur. From every angle the face should be symmetrical.

When looking front on the face is assessed for symmetry as per this diagram. The distance between the top of the head and tip of the nose (A) and the tip of the nose and bottom of the chin (B) should be the same.

At the same time you are looking for tongue tipping, jaw malocclusion, crossed eyes, size of nasal apertures, signs of tear duct impingement – watery eyes, tear staining.

The chin is strong, the checks full and rounded the jaw line is strong but also has a soft aspect to it.

The nose is short, broad and snub with a good break between the eyes. The nose is assessed visually and the break by palpation. You should be able to feel a significant indentation at the break which then flows up over a well domed forehead to the top of the skull, with another dome between the ears. There should be no lumps, bumps or ridges on the skull.

The ears should be small and not too wide at the base tilted slightly forward, rounded with generous ear furnishings, they should not detract from but enhance the overall round appearance of the head. They are set wide apart and low on the sides of the head to conform to the rounded head.

Eyes are brilliant in colour, large, full and rounded. They are set level with each other and well apart complimenting the round face. They are not deep set or too protruding again balanced. The expression is described as being “sweet, pansy-faced”.

I can see what they mean and I feel it is probably a slightly better description than a sweet open expression!
www.hugbugs.com/growingthings.htm

Looking at the face from above you can assess the roundness and reconfirm the balance of the face, eyes in the right position ears confirming to the round head. You can also get a good look at the nose, its position and size and the size of the nasal apertures.

. The profile is flat, the forehead nose tip and chin all level. This picture well illustrates the doming of the forehead and the definite break between the eyes.

The position of the jaw is further assessed in this view.

The set of the eyes within the sockets are assessed.

This rounded large head is supported by a short thick neck which joins a suitably large to medium rounded body. The body is heavy, with good muscle tone but not fat, chest is broad and deep, and legs short and straight with good, strong bones. The back is straight with equal length legs, the back legs also thick boned and straight when viewed from the back no cow hocks or bowing. The legs end in large well rounded paws with the toes held tightly together with tuffs

The tail is short in proportion to the body size it is thick at the base tapering slowly to a rounded tip. It is held straight and at an angle below the back.

Photographer Christine Bourne Owner Mary-Anne Cowan Pawtrait Persians

The Persians coat is it statement -long and thick standing away from the body with a thick undercoat. Its texture is fine, glossy and lively. Each hair should be individually separated. It is long all over the body including the shoulders with a large ruff which continues as a deep frill down between the front legs. Toe tuffs are long and brush very full and dramatic.

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http://www.persian-cat-persian-cats.com/persian-cats-clubs-associations.htm

Potential faults

In the mid 70’s to early 80’s breeders were looking for the extreme head type which resulted in the so called ‘piggy expression’. Some cats had ultra high noses with breaks above the eyes maloccluded jaws, smaller eyes and droopy mouths.

It is very important to the health of the Persian cat that the changes made to the skull during the development of the Persian cat we see today do not impinge on its well being and quality of life. If you compare the skull bones of a ‘normal’ cat to those of today’s Persian cat you can see how problems can occur with breathing, eyes, and jaw. Even the brain has had to adapt to a different shape cavity.

http://www.cfainc.org/articles/head.html

The muzzle and nasal passages are considerably foreshortened the forehead larger and more domed. The jaw is shorter which can lead to problems with tongue protrusions and malocclusions (see below).

The skull should be smooth with no indentations or protuberances. Some of the abnormalities that can be seen in Persians are shown below

http://www.cfainc.org/articles/head.html

The jaw is at risk from malocclusion which can make it very hard or impossible for to eat normally.

http://www.cfainc.org/articles/head.html

A black Persian cat with incorrect bite

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1685333/posts

All cats can stick their tongue out at times but with a Persian a persistent protruding tongue can be due to the small jaw and mouth and an inability to ‘fit’ the tongue into the mouth.

In extreme cases the tongue can not sit in the correct position in the oral cavity.

http://www.agpix.com/catalog/AGPix_Stone/AGPix_Stone_0088.jpg.

WNCA Standards

Head: Round and massive with great breadth of skull. Well balanced with full cheeks and round forehead. Broad and powerful jaws and strong chin

Neck: Short and thick

Nose: Short, broad nose with stop (snub nose). Nose leather broad with open nasal apertures. Should not be above the tear ducts or have ‘Peke” roll

Faults: Incorrect pigment

Ears: Small round tipped ears set wide apart and low on the head without distorting the rounded shape of the head. Full ear furnishings.

Head, neck, nose, ears 30 points

Eye Shape: Large, full round eyes brilliant colour set wide apart, Sweet open expression.

Eye shape 5 points

Faults: *any shape other than round

Eye Colour: Matching coat colour and pattern

Eye colour 10 points

Faults: * incorrect or extremely pale colour

*flecks of incorrect colour in iris or rims

Body: Of cobby type, low on legs, broad chest, massive shoulders and rump with a well rounded mid-section and level back. Large to medium size. When standing presents a square appearance.

Faults: *should not be obese

Legs: Short thick legs. Fore legs straight, hind legs straight when viewed from behind.

Paws: Large firm round paws, preferably tuffs between the toes which are carried close.

Faults: *incorrect pigment on paw pads

Tail: Short and busy tail in proportion to bady length with a round tip. Carried without a curve at an angle lower than the back.

Body, legs paws and tail 20 points

Coat: Long and thick standing off the body. Of fine texture, glossy and full of life. Long all over the body including the shoulders. The ruff immense and continuing in a deep frill between the front legs

Coat 10 points

Colour: Solid must be sound to roots

Solid 20 points Tabby 20 points Bicolour 20 points

Colour 10 points Colour 10 points

Markings 10 points White 10 points

Faults: * White anywhere except in whites or cat with white

* Tabby markings in solid cats or chincillas

Condition: Well groomed and prepared

Condition 5 points

Breed profile information obtained from the following sources:

Book:

Fogle, Dr Bruce. (2001). The New Encyclopedia of the Cat. London: Dorling Kinersley