Persian Cat

In 1620 the Italian Pietro della Valla,who had lived in and written extensively about the Middle East, realized that it was time for him and his wife to return home, as always he sought presents to take back to Italy for friends and family. Jewels, silks and spices, were very popular with the court ladies, but he was looking for something more unusual.

When he was strolling through a Persian Bazaar he saw the the most beautiful, blue gray , long-coated cat and soon agreed to purchase four pairs of these remarkable cats from the owner. He wrote about this discovery in his journal at the time, this being the first written record of Persian Cats being introduced to Europe.

Two hundred years later Blue Persians were enchanting people at the cat fancy shows and later in 1971 when Harrison Weir organized the first cat show ever known in London, Persians were the most popular of all the exhibits, by then in various other colors than the original blue and in the present day available in around fifty different colors and patterns.

The Persian therefore, is one of the world's oldest breeds and the most popular in the United States. They have a sweet, gentle, personality and are loyal and affectionate toward their owners.

Persians are named for their region of origin, Persia, now known as Iran, and were brought back to England by early European explorers and Crusaders. The Persian is often associated with royalty, as many nobles in both Persia and Europe kept Persians as pets.

Persians have compact, muscular bodies with relatively short legs and tails. Their distinctive short-muzzled faces feature large, expressive eyes, full cheeks and small, rounded ears.

Their long, flowing coats require daily brushing and regular baths to prevent matting.

• Animal Den: Persian Cat Gift Products

• Amazon.com: Persian Cat Books

• The Chat Shoppe: Persian Cat Gifts

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