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PERSIAN / HIMALAYAN
The Persian cat is one of the oldest breeds of cat . In Britain , it is called the "Longhair" or "Persian Longhair", (tipped varieties are known as "Chinchilla Longhair"), in the USA some call it Himalayan (referring to pointed cats). They have 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 (but not non-existent) 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 (specifically affecting their sinuses and breathing) 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.
ORIGIN: According to a legend, the Persian cat was created by a magician from a little flicker of fire, the spark of two distant stars and swirl of grey smoke. The Persian cat is believed to originate from Iran ( 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 traveler. Today, most cats of the long-hair type are known as Long-haired in Britain where only selfs are called Longhairs (each color is classified as separate breed, and there are more than 50 of them). In the USA , these cats are known as Persian and Himalayan, and the color are listed as varieties.
STANDARD:
Other links: CFA FBRL ACFA TICA CCA SFDH
