What is a Persian Cat?
Persian Cat is long-haired breed of cat that has round face and short muzzle. In English-speaking countries, they are also known as Persian longhair cat.
There are multiple variants like Exotic Shorthair, Toy and teacup, Himalayan, Sterling, and Chinchilla Longhair.
Persian Cats are royal, dignified, but very calm and docile cats. They walk anywhere in your home with an air of royalty. You will fall in love with them with their royalty, dignity and even-temperament. Read our Persian Cat facts to learn more about Persian Cats today and be amazed!
Persian Cat Facts 1-10
1. Persian Cat is an ancient breed of cat. But like other cats and dogs, the history of their origin is not known. These cats are believed to be imported from Persia or Iran.
2. An Italian, Pietro della Valle brought a cat from Iran or Persia to Italy to include it in the breeding program.
3. The cat was most probably called ‘sand cat’ as it lived in desert. It had woolly coat to protect itself from the harsh weather.
4. After a century, Nicolas de Pereisc got some longhaired cats from Turkey. In the 19th century, the descendants of the Turkish cats bred with the cats of Italy, and that was the beginning of the Persian.
5. Queen Victoria and others from the royal family loved the Persian Cat and this helped in increasing the popularity of this breed.
6. They were introduced to Americans in the late 19th century and they soon became popular. Florence Nightingale, Marilyn Monroe, and Raymond Chandler were the few famous people who had a Persian as a pet.
7. It is a medium sized cat. They usually weigh anywhere between 7 and 12 pounds.
8. They are pretty quiet and sweet. They are affectionate but they show their affection to only their family and selected few guests whom they feel they can trust.
9. They prefer serene environments. They use their expressive eyes and sweet, musical voice to voice out their needs which are regular meals, fresh water, lot of play, lots and lots of love, and sound sleep.
10. They are not the ones to climb up your curtains, jump on your kitchen counters, etc. They will sit on a chair or a sofa and happily rule their domain.
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Persian Cat Facts 11-20
11. They love receiving love and attention but they never demand any of the two things.
12. Their appearance is pretty distinct – a round head, round and big eyes, short nose, small ears with rounded tips, and full cheeks.
13. The neck is sturdy and short and the body is muscular. The body type is basically called ‘cobby.’
14. The legs are short and strong. The paws are large, strong, and round. The tail is proportional to the body’s length.
15. They are two types of Persian Cats. The first one is Peke-face and the other one is doll face or traditional face.
16. Peke-face is basically the Persian that is accepted in cat shows. The face is flat. It is to be noted that the cat may have breathing issues.
17. The doll face or the traditional face Persians look like their ancient counterparts. The face is not flat like the Peke-face Persian.
18. They come in various coat colors like red, white, black, chocolate, lilac, tortoiseshell, brown, seal, calico, cream, blue, silver, cameo, golden, and blue-cream.
19. The patterns are as varied as the coat colors like solid color, bicolor, calico/tricolor, smoke, tabby, points, shaded, Tortoiseshell, etc.
20. CFA, ACFA, FIFe, and TICA have recognized this breed.
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Persian Cat Facts 21-30
21. It has several eye colors like blue, green, hazel, copper, and odd-eyed.
22. The coat color and eye color are related. Solid white Persians have blue or copper eyes and other solid color Persians have copper eyes. Golden and silver Persians have green, blue-green, hazel, etc. eyes.
23. They look majestic and stunning with their coat color but they need a lot of grooming.
24. They go well with any pets and children who are calm and quiet. They don’t like children who are noisy and don’t like pets who chase them or irritate them.
25. Some of the common health issues faced by Persians are excessive tearing, breathing difficulties, heat sensitivity, polycystic kidney disease, dental malocclusions (teeth don’t mesh well together), seborrhea oleosa, etc.
26. The average lifespan of a Persian Cat is 10-15 years.
27. In the movie, Cats and Dogs, Mr. Tinkles is a Persian Cat.
28. They were shown in the first cat show in the year 1871 at Crystal Palace. Along with Persians, there were Siamese, Manxes, Scottish Wild Cats, etc. The Persian kitten won ‘Best in Show’.
29. Persian was one of the first cat breeds to be registered by the CFA or Cat Fanciers’ Association which was formed in 1906 in America.
30. A 19th century oil portrait called My Wife’s Lovers was sold at an auction for over $820,000. It is termed as the world’s largest cat painting. It is a 6-by-8.5-foot artwork. This portrait included Turkish Angora cats and Persians. Other famous Persian portraits are Warren Kimble’s White Persian Cat and Arthur Heyer’s Two White Persian Cats Looking into a Goldfish Bowl.
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