Meet the Himalayan: A Gentle, Blue-Eyed Cat

The Cat Himalayan cat breed was created by man; in fact, it is a cross between the Persian cat, from which it has taken its physical characteristics, and the Siamese cat, from which it has taken its characteristic physiognomy. It is not originally from the Himalayas as its name tends to suggest, but rather its origins are Swedish from the Swedish geneticist Sig, Tjbbes. Its name, Cat Himalayan comes from its coat colour similarity to the Himalayan rabbit.

Its history is unique; the Swedish geneticist Tjbbes began by crossing Siamese cats with long-haired cats, working on the colourpoint gene he had identified. But the actual breed was born around the 1950s when the American Marguerita Goforth succeeded in her attempt to produce the long-awaited colourpoint Persian.

For some it is a true breed, for others it is a sub-breed of the Persian with the exception of the blue eyes and the colourpoint colouring, but it is nevertheless a popular breed both in Europe and the United States.

Character of the Cat Himalayan

The Cat Himalayan has taken a bit from both its ancestors; from the Persian it has taken the quiet character, from the Siamese the playful and sociable one. He likes to play a lot, but is not intrusive. He loves to be in company and is also a great talker, his voice, typical of the Siamese, is lively but pleasant and he often lets it be heard in accompaniment of a purr.

He loves being the centre of attention and being with humans. She cannot stand solitude. It is capable of spending hours and hours on its human's lap being cuddled. It is a cat that prefers the warmth of home to going out in the garden, it wants a comfortable and quiet environment and does not like changes and strangers. In fact, it will run and hide when a person it does not know enters the house.

Being sociable it also lives well with other animals, and being playful it also likes to be with children, provided they are calm and know how to behave with them.

Appearance of the Cat Himalayan

It is a medium to large cat, its physique is the same as that of the Persian, i.e. rounded features, short legs and a muscular, robust body. The head is rounded, the ears small and well spaced, the eyes are spectacular, ranging in colour from the most intense blue to light blue and are large and round. The Cat Himalayan is of two types, like the Persian, i.e. traditional or with flatter features. The tail is not very long but in proportion to the body and is very thick.

But the beauty of this cat lies in its fur. It has a very thick, soft and fine coat, with a very abundant undercoat. The base of the coat is white, only the ends are coloured (ears, face, paws, tail). The gorgette is very thick. The points of colour of its coat are many, ranging from cream, lilac, chocolate, blue, fire-brown. The contrast between the pigmentation of the body, which is light, and the extremities, which are dark, must be as sharp as possible. The sharper the contrast, the more valuable the cat is.

Health and care of the Cat Himalayan

On the whole the Cat Himalayan is a robust and long-lived cat that has no particular problems with nutrition or genetic diseases. Having a flattened muzzle like the Persian, it can develop respiratory problems. Due to a tendency to lachrymation, its eyes then must always be kept clean to avoid infection. By not exercising much, this cat tends to put on weight and it is therefore necessary that it follows a well-balanced diet to stay in shape.

It is very important to take care of this cat's coat, which must be brushed and combed every day to avoid knots forming. It is also good to bathe it every 15 to 20 days with a specific shampoo and conditioner. Typical of Persians, this cat tends to lose a lot of hair.