Other names : Longhair
Native country : Great Britain
History
The world’s most famous breedLonghaired cats were unknown in Europe until around the mid-16th century. The Persian’s first ancestors were imported from Persia (now Iran) to Italy in the 17th century by Pietro della Valle. Later, Nicholas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc, an advisor to the Parliament of Aix-en-Provence, brought two cats to France from Turkey (perhaps they were Angora in type). These cats were highly prized by the European aristocracy. Louis XV had a white angora Persian. In the first half of the 19th century, some “Persians” bred in Italy and brought to France and England were crossed with “Persians” of Turkish origin. The first specimens were shown in London’s Crystal Palace in 1871. At that time, British breeders organized a selective breeding program. Crosses were made with Angoras to improve the coat. In addition, a systematic effort aimed at increasing the range of colors and patterns was begun, leading to over 200 varieties today. Thus, the smoke Persian, the product of black, white, and blue Persians, was shown in Brighton in 1872. A cat named Silver was the first chinchilla Persian shown in London in 1888. Colorpoint Persians, called Himalayans in the United States and considered a separate breed by T.I.C.A. and Kmehr (or Kmer) in Germany, appeared around 1920. Tabby Persians, which appeared over a century ago, were shown in Paris in 1927 as “tigers.” Also in the 19th century, British breeders selected the roundest, most massive cats. Around 1930, American breeders obtained an extremely short-limbed type called the “Peke face” (after the Pekingese dog). Possibly the world’s most famous feline breed, the Persian was probably used to create the Birman and the British Shorthair.
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