History of the Persian
As the dusty desert caravans wound their way westward from Iran and Persia, it is supposed that among the rare spices and jewels on the basket-laden camels was an even more precious treasure, an occasional longhair cat. They were called "Persian" for their "country of origin," but hieroglyphic references as early as 1684 B.C. shroud forever their exact beginnings. It is believed that the Persian came from hybridization with Pallas" cat, a wild cat that lived in a relatively isolated area in the Middle East with a longer, thick coat and a stocky body that helped them better survive cold weather.
The Persian has been described as the aristocrat of the cat world. Persians with their long flowing coats, huge eyes, (that come in colors of copper, blue, green and even an odd-eye), small ears, muscular, cobby, strong bodies with that openly sweet expression will easily capture your heart! They are the number one owned, shown and registered cat in the world.
Persian Cat Standards(CFA):
Head: Round and massive, with great breadth of skull. Round face with round underlying bone structure and well set on a short, thick neck
Ears: small, round tipped, tilted forward and not unduly open at the base. Set far apart and low on the head
Eyes: Brilliant, large, round and full. Set level far apart, giving a sweet expression
Body: Of cobby type, low on the legs, broad and deep through the chest, equally massive across the shoulders and rump with a well-rounded midsection and level back
Legs: Short, thick and strong. Hind legs are straight when viewed from behind
Paws: Large, round and firm
Tail: Short but in proportion to body in length. Carried without a curve and at an anglelower than the back
Coat: Thick and long, standing off from the body. Fine texture, glossy, long all over the body including shoulders
Himalayans: have blue eyes and points(color on the ears, feet, tail and mask on face)
