Persian.

Persian. Persian, popular breed of longhaired cat. More Persians are registered with the Cat Fanciers' Association, the largest feline registering body in the United States, than any other breed of cat. Persians are aristocratic but by no means delicate, with long, plush coats and heavy bones. They have broad, massive skulls with round faces and a domed forehead; small rounded ears; and broad, snub noses with a decided break. The coat is long from head to tail, with an immense ruff and frills between the front legs. The Persian comes in a broad range of colors, with blue, black, and white being the most popular. Persians probably originated in Asia Minor; they were introduced to Europe in the 1700s, where they were called French cats or Angoras. When short, stocky longhaired cats from Iran (formerly known as Persia) were incorporated into the gene pool, the breed became known as Persians. They became popular in Britain during Queen Victoria's reign; she and other members of the royal family kept blue Persians. They have been exhibited in cat shows as a recognized breed for more than a hundred years; the first cat show in Britain, in 1871, included black, blue, and white Persians. The Persian has changed significantly since then; early Persians had much longer bodies, larger ears, smaller eyes, and longer faces than today's short-faced, round-eyed Persians. This is because the longer, more slender Angora type gradually went out of favor after the compact, sturdy Iranian type was introduced. The modern Persian is closely related to two other breeds; the Himalayan and the Exotic Shorthair. The Himalayan is identical to the Persian except for its color, which is pointed like a Siamese. The Exotic Shorthair is a shorthaired Persian. Most cat associations permit kittens from any combination of these breeds to be registered as purebred, pedigreed cats. Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.