Persian cat

crispeater

my mum has only ever had persian cats and she has always let them out, thankfully no one has taken any. probably coz everyone thinks they look like they're faces have been squished

storm35

Lol thats what my brother says about them lol.
Cxx

momisa

Hi there

I thought I'd tell you my wee story. (oops, this is quite long)

I went with a friend 7+ years ago to the local Cats Protection as she was looking to adopt a cat. I wasn't looking to bring anything purry home!!

However, 14 cats had just been rescued from one house. All cats were badly neglected, underweight and needed dental treatment. At the time we saw them no work had been done on them so they were dirty and in need of being brushed. All were housed in 7 cubicles and hence in pairs. We wondered along and not surprisingly there was one who was full of beans and wanted to say hello. Needless to say I put my name down for him with a view to taking him home as soon as I could pending all health checks and the standard home check.

When I went to collect him I was informed that the Cats Protection had phoned the Persian Society for advice and were informed that Persian cats are better homed in pairs as they are highly sociable cats. Without blinking I said I'd take the cat he was sharing with.

He is Monte and now 12 years old, and she is Mindy and now 15 years old. They could be mum and son or brother and sister and it's lovely seeing them bath each other.

Monte has the traditional face with the big round eyes and very flat face. He hates being brushed so has to be sedated at least once a year in order to be shaved/dematted. He's had serious eye problems which have cost a small fortune over the years but he can still see!! I recently purchased some scissors and I now trim him as much as he'll allow me and I've noticed he seems happier when his coat is shorter - he certainly makes more effort to clean himself.

Mindy is more angelic in appearance with smaller eyes. She was seriously underweight to the point that my vet told me not to get attached to her on my first visit!! She was diagnosed with a heart murmur 4 years ago and often has a blocked nose due to nasal problems but she tolerates me wiping her nose for her. She used to love being combed and brushed but now only tolerates mild brushing.

Since being in my care they are indoor cats. I buy Sophisticat Pink cat litter (£9 approx) which lasts for 1 month for my 3 cats and I use a large litter tray. There are no smells!!

I also use a hairball paste to help eliminate hairballs - it's not pleasant seeing cats suffer with these ugly things!!

If they eat something which disagrees with their tummy you may need to bath them - Monte and Mindy both tolerate this and I'm still using the shampoo I got from the vet 7+ years ago.

I have harnesses and leashes for Monte and Mindy as they prefer to travel in freedom to the vets/cattery, they sit quite happily on the back parcel shelf. They both walk quite happily on a leash but they go where they want to go and not where I want to go so good timing and dry days are what's required for that.

Have you searched online for breed specific rescue centres? I know they exist as I looked into getting a kitten 5 years ago thinking that I had to get a Persian in order to have a happy home. After calling the Persian Society I was told I could get any kitten and that's how Sadie came into my life - she's a black and white domestic short hair and after a few minor disagreements everyone gets along.

If you let your cat outside it would be cruel to trim their claws but all my cats tolerate me trimming them.

FYI - I would only allow any of my cats to go outside if I lived in a house which had a fully enclosed garden. The fear of thieves and accidents would drive me mad.

HTH
MAC (Mad About Cats) :rotfl:

divadee

my cat pebbles was a pedigree persian (we got given him by my cousin whos marraige broke down how moneysaving is that!!) he was beautiful silver persian.

But, they are a lot of hard work, they can have inherited medical conditions as a lot of breeders overbreed them. The grooming is daily or else they can get very matted and then it can mean a trip to the vets for a shaving at about £60 a time. They can be snotty things as well, and sort of walk around the place as if they own it (but thats true of all cats!!).

We always let our cat out as even though he was a pedigree, cats should be allowed to be out and about doing what is natural to them. He went out the front and the back and we never had any problems, but obviously pet napping in on the increase now. We always bought him in at night though and had a litter tray just at night.

Some breeds of persian dont live to a ripe old age our cat died of kidney faliure when he was 11 which is a very common condition in persians.

If you have a lot of time and attention to give then they are wonderful, but if you wont keep up the grooming just get a short haired moggy. Thats what i have got now and shes wonderful.

storm35

Thank you guys for sharing your stories,.momisa it brough tears to eyes just readign that, them poor kittys.
Still looking for onem i never knew yo could trim cats claws, i would be terrified to do that, incase i hurt them.
Still i cant seem to fine A cat anywhere near me, persian, cat moggy anything ::((

patchwork_cat

HI
You are not advised to let pedigree cats out and some breeders will put it as a condition of sale. You can train a cat to use a toilet you know.

If you don't want to use a toilet a clumping litter is great - world's best or OKO plus. They seem expensive at first, but last and last and you remove the clumps of wee - so no smell.

Longhairs( Persians) are hard work you know, they require daily grooming.

You are a bit short of breeders in the scottish borders. have a look here some will deliver at a cost - you are looking at about £350 here or rescue here

floyd

One problem with purebreed persians in particluar is their sense of balance and sense of danger, both of which are generally quite poor. We have had 3 persians over the years, 2 of which we let out because we thought it cruel to keep them as house cats only for both to be hit by cars (the third we kept in through fear she would meet the same end). Our area wasn't particularly busy and we have had 3 moggies who never had a problem.
There are the obvious inherent problems as others have mentioned, weepy eyes, noses, poor breathing, kidney diseases and having to trim off the 'clinkers' from the back end! Trimming cats claws should only be done by someone experienced as catching the bloodline will cause excessive bleeding and can result in nasty infections.
They are fabulous pets but a bit daft and need alot of work to keep them mat-free. Just be sure that you are willing to put in the time needed to keep a cat of this breed in top health

momisa

Have you tried calling the Persian Cat Society - you'll find their number/details online. You may find that they can provide you with fosterers of adult cats. Some breeders once cats are old will simply get rid of the cats and there are many people who get a persian thinking how beautiful they are without realising the hard work that goes into not only grooming and general care but also in building up their trust.

Call them - you never know what contacts they could give you.

Good luck.

ailuro2

fwiw-and it may not be a popular opinion:o - I'd not give money to someone who has deliberately bred a cat with inherent health problems.

I'd love a burmese- best natured pedigrees I've ever met-very very friendly and sociable cats, but of course they do want someone around to 'talk' to:D

I'd not have another siamese or foreign white/blue/lilac- they tend to be a bit neurotic/mad/clotheseaters:p

If you want something to groom- how about a lovely big maine coon- gorgeous but without the eye/nose problems of persians,and now they are so popular easier to get a hold of.

I'd recommend going along to your local cat show and having a good natter with the owners there, they will give you an idea of what is involved and can put you in touch with a decent breeder.




from http://www.burmesecat.net/

from http://www.mainecoon.plus.com/pets/maine.html

patchwork_cat

Hi
I must admit I agree with Ailuro2 on this. It is wrong to breed in health problems - just look at some dogs and as a result I wouldn't breed Persians. I do breed Maine Coons and Ragdolls as you can see from my avatar.(that is Saskia my raggie queen)

Maine Coons are loopy, tons of personality, massive too. Ragdolls are the Blue Peter cat some are floppy, but they all love people and are known as very dog like in that they follow you everywhere.

Burmese are very clever, but can have personality disorders. Behavioural therapists have more calls about Burmese than any other breed.