The Persian Cat – 8 Fun Facts

An old breed, Persian cats make popular pets due to their calm and sweet disposition. Although Persians tend to be relaxed and easygoing, they tend to limit their affections to humans closest to them.

Not your typical cat, Persian cats have unique quirks which make them all the more endearing.

Most cats are cautious and selectively affectionate. Persians cats are exceptionally friendly.

As ‘dog cats’, Persian cats love humans. They also do things that normal cats do not do. Persian cats will run to the door to greet visitors and even come when they are called by name, a doggy trick that most cats feel is beneath them. Persian cats are also known to be “talkative,” chatting with their owners in melodious meows.

A Persian cat’s long, luxurious coat is comprised of two layers—a shorter undercoat and a long, silky topcoat. Persian coats tend to shed a lot.

The Cat Fanciers’ Association recognizes seven different categories of Persian cats: solid; silver and golden; smoke and shaded; tabby; particolor; bicolor and Himalayan.

But within those seven categories are a near-endless combination of hair colors and patterns: chocolate, red, blue, lilac, cream, tortoiseshell, tabby, calico and more. Certain varieties of Persians, can produce kittens capable of producing 30 different color combinations.

Persian cats are typically inactive and happiest lounging all day in their favourite spot on the floor. This is one cat you will not find climbing curtains and jumping between furniture.

These cats will literally sleep 20 hours a day. Even the kittens do not play very much.

Persians might be laid-back, but their fur is famously high maintenance. Expect to comb its hair every single day.

Cats are notoriously crafty, wily and smart, which Persian cats typically are not. They just are not natural predators and hunters. With their sedentary temperaments, and all that long luscious hair, Persian cats are all about the indoor lifestyle.

Persian cats are a little slow to reach developmental milestones than other breeds. Even at 8 weeks old, studies show that Persian kittens will not be able to figure out the litter box.

Unlike many other cats, Persian cats simply cannot leap into the air or even jump from pieces of furniture. Their solid, stocky bodies are not the most aerodynamic or agile. So Persians typically prefer to stay firmly on land.

Other than polycystic kidney disease, Persian cats are generally free of genetic issues. But thanks to inexpensive genetic testing, most breeders have been able to eliminate the PKD-1 gene from their breeding stock.

Because of their compact hips, purebred Persian moms give birth to relatively small litters, between two and six kittens per birth, and the breed usually has a life span of 15 to 18 years.