The origins of the Persian cat are murky, at best. Some claim that the Persian is descended from the Sand cat, but this cannot be proven. It is also thought that somehow Angoras were crossbred with Chinese longhairs or Russian Longhairs, but again, this is uncertain. There is also the suggestion that longhairs came to China as a gift from the king of Persian but there is no proof of this. What is known is that Perisans were recognized as their own distinct breed by the 19th century and came to America at around the same time. This longhaired cat comes in a wide variety of colors that is very thick, making it prone to matting.

A Persians coat is so thick the hair looks as if it is standing on its end. Regular grooming is an absolute must to avoid this problem including regular brushing and bathing. Any matting that is not attended to may result in uncomfortable skin infections.

Described as a sweet cat, Persians are not particularly active. Though they do enjoy running and playing, they will spend a fair portion of the day sleeping. This makes them particularly suitable for apartment life, as they do not require much room to exercise. The sweet nature of the Persian also makes it a good choice for families with children, but they do not always like to play as children do.

Persians are also very loyal to their families and like to stick close to them, making them less likely to stray. However, some Persians may be stubborn, making them resistant to litter box training. Persians may be prone to some medical problems including, nostril constriction, cherry eye, tear duct overflow, dental malocclusions, polycystic kidney disease, entropion, and seborrhea oleosa.

There is a website that has great information on Persian and most other breeds of cats. It has details that pertain to a cat breeds health, grooming, living conditions, best food choices and more, the website is called: Dog And Cat Facts, and can be found at this url:

http://www.dogandcatfacts.com

By Robert W. Benjamin

Copyright © 2007

You may publish this article in your ezine, newsletter, or on your web site as long as it is reprinted in its entirety and without modification except for formatting needs or grammar corrections.

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Robert W. Benjamin has been in the software business on the internet for over 5 years, and has been producing low-cost software for the past 25+ years. He first released products on the AMIGA and C64 computer systems in the late 1970's-80's.

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