Persian Cat: Cat Food and a Description of the Breed
The Persian cat is one of the best known and oldest cat breeds. It’s characterized by its long coat, strong stature as well as its broad skull and the flat nose. However, the Persian cat owes its great popularity above all to its extremely calm and relaxed character.
History of the Persian cat
With the purposeful breeding of the today's Persian cat was begun in England approximately from the middle of the 19th century. After it was assumed for a long time that the ancestors of the breed came from the Near East, newer findings point to a relationship to longhaired cats from Russia.
The Persian cat became more and more short-legged and smaller over the years. Its facial skull became shorter, its forehead rounder and the coat increasingly luxuriant. Especially mass breeding in the USA in the 1970s led to a number of health problems in the Persian cat, which eventually also affected the animals in Europe.
Fortunately, since the beginning of the 21st century, more attention has been paid to good health in Persian breeding, so that breed-related restrictions are slowly but surely becoming less frequent.
Appearance of the Persian cat
The Persian cat is a medium to large longhaired cat. Female specimens can reach a weight of up to six kilograms, while males can even weigh up to eight kilos. However, the weight of the popular cat breed is usually somewhat lower.
The Persian cat has a strong body and short, stocky legs, which makes it look quite stocky. Its head is round and broad. Its nose is traditionally flat. However, for animal welfare reasons, Persians with a slightly longer nose are increasingly bred today.
The orange to copper coloured eyes of the Persian are large and round. Their ears are small and set wide apart. Long tufts of hair usually grow from the auricles. According to the breed standard this is not absolutely necessary.
The coat of the Persian cat
The silky, long fur of the Persian cat is very fine and dense. Due to the dense undercoat it appears especially voluminous, which makes the already stocky build even stronger.
The coat forms a distinct ruff, which also covers the shoulders and chest. It is also particularly bushy on the tail and hind legs. With regard to colouring, the breed standard does not impose any restrictions, so that Persians are generally recognised in all traditional colours.
The short-haired relative of the Persian
With the Exotic Shorthair the Persian cat has a short-haired relative, with whom she has to share a breed standard at least at the FiFé. The Exotic Shorthair originated in the 1960s in the USA, where it is the result of crossbreeding between the American Shorthair and the Persian.
Character of the Persian cat
The Persian cat is known for its pleasant and calm character. It is considered to be reserved and attaches little importance to outdoor activities. Instead she prefers to spend time with her owner and enjoy his caresses. However, she always decides for herself when she wants to cuddle and when she would rather have her peace and quiet.
Kittens are definitely enthusiastic about one or two games together. With increasing age, however, the cozy Persian cat usually loses interest in such offers of employment.
She usually gets along well with children. A dog in the household is normally no problem, as long as it is not too pushy and behaves friendly towards the Persian.
Keeping and care of the Persian cat
The Persian cat is a classic domestic cat. A cat-safe balcony is accepted quite gladly. However, it is not absolutely necessary for the well-being of the stocky animals.
Although the Persian does not have a great urge to move, its keeping proves to be quite time-consuming. This is mainly due to the fact that her long coat needs a lot of care. Otherwise, stubborn knots quickly form.
If you decide for a Persian cat, you will not be able to avoid daily combing. Usually the long-haired four-legged friends enjoy this form of attention very much, so that the daily ritual strengthens the bond between animal and owner additionally.
Persian cat diseases
The effort to breed Persians with the shortest possible noses has over time led to numerous health problems and made the breed susceptible to breathing difficulties and problems with the eyes, among other things.
Fortunately, in recent years, most breeders have therefore been paying more attention to breeding animals with longer noses. Nevertheless, owners should keep an eye on the sensitive cat eyes and care for them as necessary.
Apart from that Persian cats tend to have problems with their kidneys and suffer comparatively often from PKD (polycystic kidney disease). The genetically caused formation of cysts in the kidneys is similar in its symptoms to chronic renal insufficiency in cats.
The disease is often detected very late and is not curable. In affected Persian cats, therefore, only a treatment of the occurring disease symptoms is possible.
The life expectancy of the Persian
If the Persian cat is spared from serious diseases, its life expectancy is usually between 13 and 18 years. Bad keeping conditions and health problems may, however, sometimes shorten the life expectancy of the Persian considerably.
The right food for the Persian cat
When feeding the Persian cat it is important to ensure that the food is well tolerated. Also make sure that you adjust the amount of food your cat eats to her actual needs to avoid overweight.
As Persians, unlike other breeds, usually use only their tongue to eat, a good wet food is usually the better choice for them. With the tasty wet food for cats from I love my cat you can ensure that your Persian cat is optimally supplied with high-quality animal proteins and other important nutrients.
In addition to our wet food, we also recommend the following food supplements and care products for your Persian cat:
- Eye care drops to counteract problems such as watery eyes
- Ear care drops to clean the sensitive ears of your Persian cat
- Kidney Power Powder to support the detoxification of the kidneys in a natural way
- Shiimun Skin, to supply the coat of your Persian cat with additional nutrients
- Dental powder to effectively counteract plaque and tartar
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