The distinctive appearance of the Chinchilla
Persian is caused by the absence of the black colour pigment called melanin from all but the very tips of its hairs. While
the predominant impression is of a white cat, this tipping has the effect of making such cats appear to sparkle as they move,
due to the way in which the hairs shift in position. Chinchilla Persians are particularly elegant cats, not just because of
their coloration and their long,silky fur.
The origins of the Chinchilla longhair
can be traced back to the 1880s. The breed arose as the result of a cross between a smoke-coloured cat and a silver tabby,
with one of the queens produced from this mating then giving birth to the famous Chinchilla male cat called silver lambkin.
He won virtually every award at the Crystal Palace show of 1888, and attracted great attention. When he finally died at the
age of 17 years, he was passed to a taxidermist at the Natural History Museum in south Kensington, London and his preserved
remains are still in the collection there.
MODERN CHANGES
The Chinchilla cats of that era were very different from thoes
seen today however, with their coat markings being noticeably less refined. They were much darker in colour overall with tabby
barring evident on their legs, Which has since been removed by selective breeding. The tipping in the coat should be even,
extending over the upperparts of the body, as well as down the flanks and along the tail. Although traces of tipping may be
apparent on the legs, the underparts should be pure white in colour. The breed's name comes from that of the south American
rodent know as the Chinchilla, which has similar tipping to its fur.
Chinchilla kittens have a more obvious pattern than adult cats.
FACT FILE
BREED DEVELOPED:1880s
COUNTRY:United Kingdom
TYPE:Longhair
BODY SHAPE:Powerful, muscular body
WEIGHS UP TO:7kg/15lb
PLUS POINTS:Stylish appearance and docile temperament
WATCH POINTS:Fur around the mouth may become soiled and
stained by food, and will then have to be cleaned.
DID YOU KNOW ?
?Queen Victoria's grand-daughter, Princess
Victoria owned a tom called Puck III, who commanded a stud fee of a guinea (£1.05) in 1900
?The similarity between the Chinchilla and
the silver shaded led to these breeds being judged as one for a period, but today there is a clear distinction between them
the Chinchilla is a much paler colour.
?Cats with red or cream tipping are called
shell instead of Chinchilla; Cameo is the equivalent to the shaded silver.
White Persian
The White Persian is one of the most
popular of the persian type cats. Its most striking features, the long, thick, fabulous coat and the brilliantly coloured
eyes, have made it one of the most attractive of all cat breeds. White Persians are descended from Turkish Angora, interbred
with Persians. Both breeds originated in mountainous regions where the temperature plummets at night. Each developed a luxuriant
coat as insulation against the cold.
Although our modern-day Persian is probably
descended from cats imported into Europe in the 19th century, Persians existed in other parts of the world long before then.
It is thought that as a breed this longhaired cat is probably descended from a one-off mutation-the coats of all domestic
cats were originally shorthaired.
CHANGED SHAPE
White Persians were first shown in London in 1903 and have continued
to grow in popularity. Today's breed is quite different from the cat which was first seen at cat shows nearly 100 years ago.
The head is rounder and flatter and the ears are smaller, with
round tips and ear-tufts.
EYE COLOUR
Like all Persians (also know as persian longhairs), this variety
is very glamourous, with a long thick double coat so called because it contains two types of fur. Other features of the white
persian include a large, sturdy body, a short, bushy tail, sturdy thick legs and large, round paws. A quirk of the white variety
is that it may be blue eyed, orange eyed or have eyes that are one of each colour. In general, blue-eyed cats are deaf. However,
selective breeding is attempting to eliminate this weakness.
White Persians may have odd-coloured eyes, one orange, one blue.
FACT FILE
BREED DEVELOPED:1880s
COUNTRY:United Kingdom
TYPE:Longhair
BODY SHAPE:Sturdy; short legs
WEIGHS UP TO:7kg/15lb
PLUS POINTS:Affectionate; docile; quiet; good with children;
can be left on own
WATCH POINTS:Needs grooming several times a day; moults
healthy; blue-eyed cats may be deaf
DID YOU KNOW ?
?The remarkably thick coat of the Persian is
extremely long. Top showcats have hairs that are up to 12cm/5in in length.
?If you let your white persian out doors in
winter weather, it will develop a fuller coat to compensate for the cold.
?Persians were first brought to Britain via
Paris. They were pure white in colour and were know as French cats.
?In warm climates, owners of longhaired cats
such as white persians clip the coats of their pets to keep them comfortable.
Seal Point Balinese
This attractive cat has an exotic name,
but actually comes from the USA, where it first occurred during the 1940s It is the longhaired form of the siamese, with similar-but
longer-fine, silky coat. Its unmistakable vivid-blue eye coloration indicates its ancestry, and closer aquaintance shows its
personality to be very similar to the siamese. The Balinese is a highly affectionate companion, and actively seeks attention
when it feels ignored.
It is something of a mystery how the
longhaired characteristic entered the siamese bloodline. It seems to be traceable back to the longhaired gene from Angora
cats From the 1920s Angoras were sometimes mated with siamese in an attempt to revitalise the breed. At first, there was little
interest in breeding from the longhaired cats, but later they started to gain acceptance among cat fanciers.
THE BREED IS NAMED
A Califorian breeder, Marion Dorset, was first attracted to the
cats during the 1940s. She set up a dedicated breeding programme over the next decade. She was then joined by Helen Smith,
a breeder based in New York. It was she who suggested the name 'Balinese'. The breed gained championship status in 1970.
SIAMESE INFLUENCE
Over recent years, the length of the Balinese's coat has tended
to shorten, most notably over the tail, because of repeated outcrosses back to the siamese. Such crosses have been necessary
to maintain the similarity in appearance to the siamese. The tail of the Balinese used to be a dence plume of long hairs,
but now the hair may be little more than 2.5cm/1in. The more exotic colour varieties of the Balinese are now often rather
confusingly described as javanese in the US.
The long, plumed tail & long hair of this Balinese is a characteristic of the breed.
FACT FILE
BREED DEVELOPED:1940s
COUNTRY:USA
TYPE:Semi-longhair
BODY SHAPE:Elongated, with a plumed tail
MAX WEIGHT:5kg/11lb
PLUS POINTS:Affectionate and intelligent; loves joining
in, but less boisterous than the siamese
WATCH POINTS:Active by nature; can be noisy, especilly in
the case of calling queens
DID YOU KNOW ?
?This cat's elegance led to it being called
Balinese, after the graceful temple dancers on Indonesian island.
?The breed has been described, with justification,
as the fashion model of the cat world.
?Crossing between siamese and balinese cats
produce shorthaired kittens, which have coats with a felt-like texture.
?The Balinese's coat is less likely to get
matted and tangled than other longhairs because it does not have an undercoat.
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