Persian Cats
Contents: 1. Go to a Poll on peoples preference for Traditional or Ultra Persians 2. Go to a link to see a page in Memory of Yeri a superb Traditional Persian 3. Go to a link which takes you to more on the appearance of this breed 4. Go to a link which takes you to superb photographs of Ultra Persians 5. Go to links which take you health, maintenance, rescue and breeders A discussion on the changing appearance of Persian CatsThe appearance of Persian cats has changed over the last 100+ years and particularly over last 30-40 years it seems. This is an interesting and well discussed subject, polarizing opinion. There are no absolute right and wrong conclusions.
If you prefer not to vote but would like to know the current vote, here it is. Please vote, however.
Please go to the "Have a Say" page where there is a forum form and tell us all why the breeders are breeding a type of Persian that is less popular than the original traditional appearance. Please read this page as it explains how this came about. Carol Trevelyan-Knox (UK) has written a very useful article on this subject. See it here. If you disagree with what I say please challenge me on the "Have a Say" page If you have any questions on the development of the Persian or any other cat topic that interests you please raise it in the forum and I or a visitor to this website will answer it quickly. It seems to me that when it comes to what we do in relation to cats we should always strike a balance between the interests of the cat and our interests. It is this fine line between competing interests which is the interesting thing. Or, are the interests competing? You would have that what suited the Persian cat also suited humans. But this is not necessarily the case. Cat breeders are in a business and they do their best to maintain a balance between the commercial aspects of the business and the breeding of cats that the public wish to adopt.
The appearance of the Persian is what has made this cat one of the most popular pure bred cats in America. I think the breed was absolutely the number one in the USA but the position has slipped. The breed is not necessarily as popular in other parts of the world. Persians are by far the most registered cat with the Cat Fanciers Association (CFA) the USA's registry of pedigreed cats and the biggest registry in the world. They have been the mostregistered cat with the CFA since they first started keeping records in 1871. However, records indicate that the number of registrations with the CFA is declining.Perhaps this is as a result of an increased interest in the Bengal cat, which is not registered by the CFA (although the TICA register the Bengal). Or, perhaps it is in part due to the change in appearance of this popular cat. Perhaps some people (we will have to call them buyers as what happens in a breeding program depends on the buying public ultimately) are finding that they prefer the Traditional appearance.
It seems possible that breeders in their desire to enhance the Persian cat's appearance, may have over refined the facial appearance. You want to see more of the best in cat pictures...? Click here to see the best Persian kitten pictures It seems that in breeding the extremely flat faced look there may have been some compromises on health issues. But is this true?
Please don't misinterpret what I am saying. The vast majority of breeders of Persians are responsible. It would seem that some breeders are considering whether it is wise to continue to breed along the chosen path of developing the flat faced Persian. I say "Traditional" style Persian as there is certainly a gray dividing line between the two appearances. It could be asked "what is a Traditional Persian cat?". Does it mean the type of cat that was shown at shows in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Probably, yes. Pictures of Persian cats from that era, perhaps up until the 1940s (and you can read a lot more about the technical aspects of this plus photos if you click here) were very definitely what I would call "normal looking", just like a non pure breed cat, except with the famous coat.
There is no doubt that the Persian Breed Council is very well intentioned. But they consider, it seems, the longer nose of a Traditional Persian a defect. By the criteria of the breed standard, it is a defect. Back in the 1970s the flat profile was well established, with large round eyes and round head structure. However, since then the nose has become shorter but the "break" (the point where the angle of the nose turns to join the forehead) has remained in the same place - between the eyes.
However, throughout this period of development and change, up until the 1980s the Persian Breed Standard had remained almost unchanged (since the acceptance of the breed in the late 1800s - i.e. over a 100 year period).
Persian breeders in both England and in America were aiming to produce cats with a rounder head structure and a shorter nose that they believed were closer to the "ideal" expressed by the Persian standard. Moving forward to the 1980s, breeders tended to "over develop" the face, in my opinion, and faces became too extreme and "piggy" looking. The piggy appearance is due to the fact that the nostrils are between the eyes. The noses of these cats where not necessarily shorter but the break was higher (at the top of the eyes), with the noses between the eyes. As a result, cats developed to this extent had lost some of the sweet open look that was the original objective to be achieved by reference to the breed standard. It was decided at this point to change the breed standard to ensure that the nose was not between the eyes, while the break was between the eyes. A number of changes to the standard took place over this period (late 1980s). Since then, there has been one more important change to the standard. Over many years judges had been using the same diagrams and examples of the Persian head and profile in judging workshops so it was decided to formalize that with a change to the profile (flat facial profile). In conclusion, through selective breeding and a desire to satisfy judges interpreting a naturally open ended breed standard, breeders developed the Ultra Persian, the changed appearance of which has now become a new breed standard; the standard having been adjusted to meet the evolving appearance. There are no absolute right and wrongs as to which is the better. The only immutable consideration is the health and well being of the cat. However, it would seem to me that Persian cat breeders have overlooked the CFA "overall standard". This is an underlying standard that is not breed specific. A cat in competition must meet this standard as well as the breed standard. They work together, the former being more fundamental than the latter. This overall breed standards makes it clear that the ideal cat must not suffer from an illness, condition or discomfort as a result of characteristics bred into the cat. Isn't this the case with the flat faced Persian? Why is this underlying standard ignored? There is a parallel situation in the dog world in the UK. The Kennel Club, and old and revered dog club, who run Crufts, the biggest dog show have decided under pressure to review breed standards with the intention of promoting health over appearance. Read about this. One last point. Perhaps a number of Persian cat breeders feel but do not express the view that the breed standard is not written as clearly and concisely as it should be. In addition it could and should be illustrated (for the sake of clarity). Further I sense that Persian cat breeders would like the standard changed to one which allows them to breed healthy cats. The current standard encourages the opposite. As one breeder says, if a cat has too many toes the cat is disqualified. The number of toes have no bearing on anything least of all health. But if a cat has a nose that looks correct according to the breed standard but the cat has difficulty in breathing the judges are prepared to make the cat a champion. Read about Persian cat health issues by clicking on the link below.
One thing we are all in agreement about is that the appearance of this breed is still very popular. They make great photographs if you're a great photographer. But the popularity of Persian cats seems to have waned due to the extreme and unhealthy conformation, which is in addition to the other health issues. It is these, in my view, which have had a negative impact on the Persian cat. Also, through selective breeding, the coat has got longer bringing both a fabulous appearance and greater demands on grooming. The development of this breed's coat has a similar history to the face, it seems. I would argue that it has gone a fraction too far. When the coat becomes problematic to the point when it is recommended that the cat remain indoors for fear of getting the coat dirty, then humans, I think, have interfered with nature too much. Persian Cat Rescue CentersClick here for Californian rescue centers Click here for UK rescue centers. BreedersThese are selected as usual from the first 2 pages of a Google search and only from independent websites (i.e. not part of a directory). They are listed in the order in which they appear on a Google search.Rocky Mountain Persians Boutique Kittens Pelaqita Persians T-N-T Puff Cattery Kasiakatz The Cozy Kitten Cattery LLC Hekla Cattery Sources:
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