The Persian cat is trendy and was first seen in Italy in 1620 by Pietro della Valle. At the end of the 19th century, the Persian was an ideal example of the perfect cat in England. In France, they are by artists and writers. Today, the Persian is still a trendy purebred cat. There are two different types of Persians. The traditional (doll-face) Persian and the show (or ultra-modern) Persian. The doll’s face has a long nose and jawline, and the show Persian has a flat, snub nose and a rounder face. Settlers from Persia and Iran brought the longhaired cats to Italy in 1620, so the story goes. Before then, the cats’ origins were in mystery.
A Frenchman, Nicholas Fabri, is credited with bringing the first longhairs to Europe and sending them to be bred with Angoras. These cats became firm favorites in the royal households, and Madame de Pompadour held one in particular in very high regard. The cats soon captured the interest of the English, who began to breed lines of the longhairs themselves—the cats to Scandinavia, Russia, and America for their reasons. So, the trend of Persian longhairs is spreading around the world. A cat show with long, flowing coats occurred at the Crystal Palace in London in the 1800s. It was the first modern-style cat show in the world, and cat lovers loved it. They marked the beginning of pedigree cats, a far cry from the alley and working cats that preceded them. From then on, the cats’ breeding, judging, and exhibiting became great interest.
Ancient Persian Cats
Ancient Persia had a rich history within the cat fancy world, and many historians believe that these cats are the first longhairs, which they indeed were in terms of being selectively bred to produce a consistent coat length. Despite the exotically flowing coat, Persian history is within the time frame of Persia. The region’s climate is not conducive to preserving the remains of animals and their type of record keeping; the cat was never as revered as in the time of Egypt.
The lack of Persian artifacts and writings leaves historians to make assumptions based on the facts surrounding other well-known cat breeds and the Persians’ genetic makeup. The Biblical story of Noah’s ark speaks of a “house cat” coming from the ark once it came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. Noah had commanded the cat to go forth and multiply to control the rodent population. Many believe the cat is Persian due to its long hair and docile temperament, although this view is impossible to prove and remains speculative at best. Bible stories often use the term cat generically, and the cat in question might well have been of the best type to perform its duties. It had been dubbed a “Persian” because that was the general type of cat in Persia then.
In stories to come out of Norway, the Persian cat was also by the Vikings during the days of the expedition. It would make sense, as the Persian cat’s introduction to Europe from Persia must have passed through some place or another, and the Vikings certainly influenced many European cultures. The type of cat that would have most likely been brought over would have to be something of the Persian’s temperament, and with the cats so popular in the Victorian era, breeds with long hair have always had a certain allure. At the time, many European artists depicted Persians in their paintings from the 1600s to the 1700s.
Introduction to Europe
Persian cats were relatively unknown in the West until the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. For the most part, traveling merchants, explorers, and soldiers brought them back from Persia as items of interest and often included some in the estates of European nobility. These cats are too valuable to be used as mousers and instead as decorative pets, more fitting their noble image. In Italy, they are used as status symbols to safeguard the unblemished reputation of noblewomen and in paintings of the era. France was particularly affected by the Preliminary of these cats to the West, as tipped by the established French name for the breed, le Chrysanthemum.
Built-in 1684, the French Emperor’s extravagant Sylvanian Royal estate was home to an elite congress of silver and blue division Persians. Signed a royal insignia by Louis XIV acknowledging a medal won by a brown tabby Persian in a horse race, it is largely considered the first official worldwide recognition for the breed. Careful breeding of these imported cats by European fanciers produced the distinct modern-style Persians. Continuously breeding them with longhairs from their regions developed cats duly called “Persian” at the height of the breed’s popularity during the latter half of this century.
Popularity in the United States
So, how did the Persians cater to the United States? They first arrived in the early 1600s aboard ships delivering goods from England and other European countries. They were in meager numbers, and only a little effort was put into stabilizing the breed in North America. During the 1800s, the Persians were in various cat shows. Persians were in the US, but dedicated breeding efforts began in the late 19th century. Madame Weller, an Englishwoman, moved to the United States, and in 1895, she imported a male from England named Dicks Yellow Boy, and two females, one Silver and one Blue, named Loresque. Madame Weller brought the first Persians, other than those of early settlers, to the US to establish the breed.
The importation of Persians increased near the turn of the century, and by 1900, over 100 Persians were eligible to be shown at cat shows. The Persian quickly became the favorite breed in America; the modern longhaired cats are descendants of the Persian breed. The US has at least one cat in the show, more than any other country. Today, the Persian is easily the most popular purebred in its adopted country. Due to their popularity, some breeders have focused on quantity rather than quality, and there are now many substandard Persian cats, pets, and show quality alike. To comply with the demand, some breeders have resorted to practices such as inbreeding or selling kittens far too young before they are ready to leave their mo.
