1) the popular house cat who is a blend of many breeds and the product of chance mating: and
2) the purebred cat, intentionally bred for certain desirable qualities.
Generally speaking, the latter is divided into two groups-the Longhaired breeds and the Shorthaired breeds. The Longhairs include Persian, Balinese, Sacred Cat of Burma (also called the Birman), Himalayan, Maine Coon and Turkish Angora. The Shorthaired breeds are Abyssinian, American Shorthaired (also known as the Domestic Shorthaired), Burmese, Colorpoint Shorthaired, Exotic Shorthaired, Havana Brown, Japanese Bobtail, Korat, Manx, Rex, Russian Blue and Siamese.
In this country cat fancier organizations issue exact specifications for accurate judging of various breeds, and breeders try to breed their cats to resemble those specifications. Those which most closely meet the standards are top quality purebreds and bring top prices. A large number of purebreds do not meet those standards as closely so have lower prices, but they are registrable and do make excellent house pets.
Through breeding, certain characteristics of bone structure, coat and eye colorings, distinctive markings, length of hair and even basic dispositions of various cats may be established. This most popular of the Longhairs looks somewhat like a miniature lion with his mane across the neck and back and his small ears set wide apart and low on the massive round head. The Persian's glossy fur fluffs up all over his body, including his tailor "brush." His ears are furred inside and out and tufts of fur between his toes are not only permissible in Persians but desirable. His paws are generous in size and his eyes are round and wide open. Odd eyes, that is eyes of two different colors, one copper and one blue, are allowed in White Persians as signs of natural or inherent beauty. The Persian has a massive head, short back, short snub nose, small ears, short tail and large paws. His broad chested body is set rather low on sturdy legs, giving an impression of strength and solidity.
Bred for generations to be gentle, the Persian cat is believed to be a descendant of a cat which still lives in a wild state in the southern regions of the Caspian Sea, near the Caucasus, bordering the ancient kingdom of Persia. He is thought to have been brought back to Europe by Crusaders returning from the Near East, where this breed graced the palaces of sultans and other royalty. Not until the Renaissance, with its emphasis on beauty, harmony and grace, did the Persian cat reach great popularity in Europe.
As there are so many colors in the Persian breed, they are divided into five different divisions for showing. The SOLID COLOR DIVISION is for cats of one color only-white, black, blue, red and cream. (The white cats may have blue eyes, copper eyes or odd eyes, one being copper and one blue.)
The SHADED DIVISION includes the Chinchilla Persian, Shaded Silvers, Shell Cameos and Shaded Cameos. This division is for Persians that have "tipped" fur, that is, black tips on white fur for the Chinchilla and Shaded Silver, and red or cream tipping on white undercoat for the Cameos.
The SMOKE DIVISION of the Persian breed is for cats with a white undercoat with fur that is heavily tipped with black, blue or red. In repose, the cat looks like a solid color but in motion, the undercoat is clearly visible.
The ever-popular TABBY DIVISION includes Silver, Brown, Red, Blue, Cream and Cameo tabbies.
The last section of the Persian breed is called the PARTICOLOR DIVISION and in it one sees the Tortoiseshells, Calico, Blue-Cream (these three colors are always females) and the Bi-Colors. The latter may be black and white, blue and white, red and white, or cream and white.
All Persians should have copper eye color, except the Chinchilla, Shaded Silver and Silver Tabby, whose eyes are green or hazel, and the White Persians who may have blue, copper, or one eye of each of these two colors.
Abyssinian American Shorthairs Angora Balinese Burmese Exotic Short Havana Brown Himalayan Korat Maine Coon Cat Manx Persian Rex Russian Blue Sacred Cat of Burma Siamese Turkish Angora