SHE's "Persian Cat" song is surely familiar to everyone, loved especially by little girls. So what exactly is a Persian cat and what are its characteristics? This issue of PetsZone brings you an encyclopedia introduction about cats.

　　The Persian cat (Persian) is the most common long-haired cat. It is a breed developed from the native long-haired cats of Afghanistan and the Angora long-haired cats of Turkey, selectively bred in the UK for over 100 years and originated in 1860. Persian cats have an endearing face, long and luxurious back fur, and graceful demeanor. Known as the "prince" or "princess" among cats, they hold a very important position worldwide. Persian cats are incredibly popular globally, and cat owners take pride in owning one.

　　Persian cats have a gentle and refined temperament, are intelligent and agile, understanding of people, inactive and quiet, with a high-pitched and soft meow. They love to be spoiled, have a neutral temperament, graceful manners, and a naturally pampered demeanor that gives off a luxurious and noble impression. Persian cats are strong and sturdy with smooth, streamlined body lines. They have round faces, flat noses, short thick legs, small ears, large eyes, and short round tails. Their long and dense back fur feels like cotton and is as light as silk; fur colors are bright, shiny, and varied. Persian cats appear beautiful and generous, have soft sweet meows, gentle personalities, are brave and curious, like being close to people, are easy to train, and are a beloved noble pet.

　　Physical Characteristics

　　Head

　　The Persian cat's head is round and large with a very broad skull and full cheeks;

　　Ears

　　Ears are small, rounded, forward-tilted, with the base not excessively broad, widely spaced, and placed relatively low on the head;

　　Eyes

　　Eyes are large and round with bright coloring and widely spaced; (Persian cats with blue or amber eye colors are generally purebred Persian cats)

　　Nose

　　Nose is short, flat, and broad; chin is full, strong, and round;

　　Limbs

　　Limbs are short and sturdy, with straight front legs;

　　Paws

　　Paws are strong, round, and large; front legs each have five toes, hind legs have four toes;

　　Tail

　　Tail is short but proportionate to the body.

　　Fur Colors

　　Persian cats' fur colors are roughly divided into five major color series with nearly 88 variations. Single colors include white, black, blue, red, cream, etc. The Chinchilla series (=Chinchilla cats) includes mouse gray (tip color), shaded silver, shaded golden, etc. The smoke series includes smoke (white roots), shaded blue, shaded red, etc. Tabby colors include silver, brown, red, cream, blue, etc. Mixed colors include tortoiseshell (Tortie), calico, blue cream, and bi-colors like black and white, blue and white, red and white. Red (mostly male) and tortoiseshell (mostly female) are rare, making such-colored Persian cats very precious.

　　They have a unique double-layered coat, with a dense undercoat covered by a layer of long, smooth, water-resistant fur. In winter, the dense undercoat fully develops, making the winter coat fuller than in summer. The quality and type of the coat are most important, while color and pattern are secondary.

　　Persian cats come in various colors, commonly white, tabby, blue, and brown. Some white Persian cats are called Himalayan cats in North America.

　　The base color of Chinchilla is white, with tips that vary by pattern in black, silver-gray, or gold. Black and silver-gray tipped is called "silver Chinchilla," gold tipped is "golden Chinchilla," with color gradually fading from tip to base of the fur.