The Persian A Purrfect Cat

There is an air of aristocracy and an image of perfection that surround this breed. With that luxurious fur and "chubby cheeks" look, the Persian is quite a remarkable one

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This is perhaps the most recognised and well-known cat breeds we see in India and around the world. That stubbed nose and cheeks that puff out, fur that is long and silky, and a regal persona about it make the Persian a breed apart.

Going back to the 1600s, the very emergence of this breed is shrouded in mystery with most historians leaning to Mesopotamia – then Persia and present day Iran – for the country of origin. European explorers such as one Italian, Pietro della Valle, are said to have taken the cat back with them out of a region known as Khorsan which comes within Eastern Iran and Western Afghanistan. Gradually the breed developed, along with variants other than the Longhaired Persian, as royals such as Queen Victoria, feline enthusiasts and breeders across UK and the US, and other parts of Europe, were fascinated by it – by this longhaired, silky-smooth cat with a rounder head than the Angora of Turkish origin with ears less pointed and a tail that was longer and fluffier. The breed is believed to have entered the US around 1890. When the