Persian Cat Breed: Understanding Their Unique Needs
The Cat Persian is one of the most fascinating feline breeds. It originated, as its name testifies, in the area of present-day Iran and was brought to Europe in the 17th century. Here it was crossed with other long-haired varieties, until it became what it is today.
In Europe, it was immediately known for its elegance and the noble courts of the old continent snapped it up. Even Queen Victoria owned several specimens with the distinctive blue colouring.
The Cat Persian is the classic flat cat. Sedentary, lazy but very affectionate. It is never aggressive and is the ideal cat for elderly people and families with children, provided they are not too agitated.
He is not noisy either, hardly ever meows, and therefore tends to avoid children who are too noisy. He has no problems living with other cats and also tolerates the presence of dogs very well.
He is also suitable for people who spend a lot of time away from home as he does not suffer much from loneliness. He is very lazy and tends to spend his days and nights sleeping a lot in comfortable, quiet places. In fact, all his movement involves moving from one sofa to another, or from one pillow to another.
This cat, due to its laziness, gains weight very easily. It is also very demanding when it comes to food, likes to change its tastes often and has a very refined palate. The Persian's coat is very long (it can reach up to 20 centimetres), it is very soft and the colour combinations that can be found in this breed are many.
The Fédération Internationale Feline (FIFE) has divided the Persian Cat Persian into 3 groups: the Van Persian cat, with colour spots on its tail and head, the Harlequin Persian, which has five sixths of white fur, while the colour covers one sixth of the surface, and the two-tone Persian with two thirds solid colour and one third white.
The Persian's muzzle is rounded and flattened, with a sunken nose and large, round, very expressive eyes with many different colours, ranging from blue, green, orange and it is not uncommon to find them uneven, i.e. one blue and one orange eye.
The cheeks are full and round, the ears are very small and rounded at the tip. It has short, stubby legs with wide, round feet. It has a short, massive frame and well-developed musculature.
The males of the species are much larger than the females, weighing up to 6/7 kg, while the female rarely weighs more than 3.5 kg. The Cat Persian has an average lifespan of 14-15 years, but it is not uncommon to find specimens that have lived as long as 18-20 years.
The Cat Persian is particularly prone to intestinal occlusions, often resulting from the deliberate ingestion of hair, which it loses in abundance, especially during the moulting period. The Cat Persian needs daily care.
In fact, it must be brushed daily and the same goes for cleaning the eyes, due to the copious lacrimation caused by the conformation of the sunken nose.
