Breeding Persian Cats - What To Know Beforehand

So, you have a purebred papered Persian, and you want to breed her? Before you jump into breeding Persians, there is quite a bit to consider. Some people want to breed just for the ‘fun’ of it, or because they think that the male and female that they have in mind will produce beautiful kittens. This are almost always the wrong reasons to breed Persians.

The first thing to note is that it takes years to become a respected Persian breeder. You must earn the respect of other breeders. Second, you need a pair of Persians that are worth breeding. These Persians will have been tested for genetic problems, and they will have to be purebred, with pedigrees. You must also know what you are doing in terms of matching mates, and in terms of caring for the kittens properly.

Before you start doing any breeding of Persians, it is a good idea to get another breeder to mentor you. The chances are good that you can even purchase your mating pair from the breeder that mentors you. This is the fastest way to get your foot in the door, but again, there is more to it.

First you must consider where your cats and kittens will be kept. Second, you will need to know just about everything that there is to know about Persians, including potential breeding problems, birthing problems, genetic problems, and health problems. Without doing the proper research, and providing the proper care, you are nothing more than a backyard breeder, which means first that you will not be respected by other breeders, and second, you cannot command a decent price for your kittens.

Then there is the aspect of finding homes for your Persian kittens. Most people won’t want to purchase from a breeder who is not well-known or respected by the Persian community, which means that you will most likely have trouble finding homes for your kittens – at any price.

Before you start breeding, make sure that you have taken the time to talk at length to numerous breeders, to ensure that you have a clear understanding of exactly what goes into breeding these fabulous animals. The truth is that as popular as Persians are, they are currently being over bred, and this makes finding suitable homes more and more difficult.

This also suggests that there isn’t as much money in breeding Persians as one might think. The most reputable breeders breed to improve the breed – not to make money from the kittens.

Houseplants That Can Kill Your Persian Cat

Your Persian will absolutely adore your houseplants – and the truth is that most are toxic to him. Many will cause him to become ill – and some will even be fatal – but none of this will prevent him from chewing them and digging in the soil.

There are three things that you can do to prevent your Persian from not only ruining your houseplants, but also prevent him from becoming ill. The first step is to prevent him from digging in the soil. This is easily done by covering the top of the soil with pebbles or rocks. Space between the rocks will still allow water and air to get to the soil, so this is usually not a problem for the plants.

The next thing you must do is prevent your Persian from chewing on the plant itself. This can be done with bitter apple. There are also many sprays that are safe for the plant, but act as a deterrent for the cat. Be sure to read the labels, and to follow the directions for use.

This will help to keep your Persian and your plants safe, but there are also plants that you’re Persian will greatly enjoy, which you should strongly consider providing strictly for him. Start with a long planter filled with various grasses. One of the best things to plant for your cats is cat grass, which can be purchased from your local nursery, and you can also actually plant bird seed, which produces a variety of benign grasses that are safe for cats.

Other plants that your cat will enjoy include catnip, basil, begonia, bamboo, alyssum, butterfly bush, catmint, chamomile, coriander, cress, dill, forget-me-not, hollyhock, impatiens, lavender, lettuce, lovage, marum, mint, parsley, rose, rosemary, spearmint, snapdragon, spider plant, sunflower, tarragon, thyme, and violet. Again, these are plants that the cat will like, so you should expect them to be chewed on, rolled on, and laid upon as well.

You should also consider a potted tree or two that your Persian will enjoy. Make sure that you purchase sturdy trees, and that you secure the container that they grow in so that the cat doesn’t continually knock the tree over.

If you have plants that your cats love, but you want left alone, again, cover the soil with rocks or gravel, and make sure that you treat the leaves, flowers, and stems with a product that works as a deterrent for cats. Your houseplants and your Persian can reside in the same house after all – in peace and harmony.

History Of Persian Cats

Believe it or not, Persians are thought to be the oldest breed of cats, but at the same time, there are numerous different versions of where the Persian cat began. It is widely believed, however, in all versions that the Persian cat originated in the country that was once known as Persia, which is now modern day Iran.

The popular version of the Persian cat history is that Persians were introduced first to Italy, around 1620, by Pietro della Valle and that they were brought from Turkey to France by Nicholas Claude Fabri de Peiresc about the same time. These are documented instances, and again, they fit into all versions of the Persians history.

It is believed that Persians were introduced to Britain from France, and that before this time, they did not have the long hair that we see today. Instead, they were bred in Turkey with Turkish Angoras, which is where the long hair comes from. However, in other versions of the history, the cats were bred with African wildcats to obtain the longer hair.

There is no doubt, in any version, that Persians were always considered to be cats of high value. They were considered to be rare, and they were favored by royalty. In fact, there was a point in time where royalty were the only people who owned Persians – or at the very least that Persians were only owned by people of royalty and/or wealth.

Another version of the Persian history has today’s Persians as descendants of Felis Libyca, which is actually a cat that originates from Africa and Asia. This version also has the Persian being introduced to Europe much earlier than 1620. In fact, this version has the Persian being introduced in the 1500s by the Romans and Phoenicians. This version also states that Persians were considered to be of high trade value.

We can be certain about the time that these special cats were first introduced to the United States and Canada. This occurred in the early 1900s, and from that time on, the cats gained in popularity, quickly becoming the most popular breed of cat in the world, which is a distinction that the breed still holds today. In fact, Persians started out as symbols, and became pets, after which they were prized for their show quality.

Today, they are prized for their show and pet qualities, as many Persian owners never show their cats, while others are active exhibitors.

Persian and Himalayan Cats What Makes Them Different?

When you consider getting a purebred cat, you might consider Persians and Himalayans. If so, you haven’t done enough research to own either breed, since Himalayans actually are Persians. They are the same breed!
Himalayan cats are essentially a cross between a Persian and a Siamese. This gives the cat the long coat of the Persian, with the striking marks of the Siamese. Among Persian cats, the Himalayan is the most popular Persian.

While Himalayans are Persians, however, there are some marked differences between purebred Persians and Himalayans. For example, Himalayans are known to be more vocal than Persians are. Persians have eyes of varying colors, but most Himalayans have beautiful blue eyes. However, the most common difference between Himalayans and purebred Persians are the colors, known as Color Points.

Himalayan color points include blue, red, cream tortie, seal, lilac, chocolate, blue-cream, chocolate tortie, lilac-cream, red lynx, blue lynx, seal lynx, cream lynx, blue-cream lynx, tortie lynx, chocolate lynx, chocolate-tortie lynx, lilac-cream lynx, and lilac lynx.

In the case of Purebred Persians, the color points aren’t as well defined as they are with Himalayans. However, most people cannot distinguish the differences between Persians and Himalayans.

Because Himalayans are actually only part Persian, many people think that they should be priced lower than purebred Persians. In most cases, this isn’t what you will find. Himalayans are priced just as high as purebred Persians because of their beauty and their show quality. Of course, if they are the product of champion status Persians and champion status Siamese, their price only tends to rise higher.

So, why would one choose a Himalayan over a purebred Persian? Some like the darker markings on the Himalayan – the Siamese look combined with the long hair, while others prefer the more solid, non-marked look of the Persian. Other than vocal differences, there really is no difference beyond that.

Teaching Persians Good Behavior

Your Persian is beautiful. You could spend hours just looking at him and watching him. The problem is seldom the way he looks…the problem with Persians – or any other breed of cat – is their behavior.

The first thing to realize is that Persians are not dogs. While a dog will do anything in his power to please you, a Persian wants to know what it is that you are going to do to please him. You own a dog…a Persian owns you. Once this has been established and acknowledged by you, you will be more likely to be able to teach your Persian some good behavior.

Cats have their own unique personalities. Each one is different. Some are naturally well behaved, while others are not. Often, the environment determines whether or not they are well behaved. For example, if the Persian gets a lot of attention from you and has plenty of toys to entertain him, you can expect good behavior for as long as that attention continues. However, if you take that attention away, the cat will most likely start acting out in a way that is unacceptable to you.

Note that you cannot really discipline a cat – or any other animal. Animals don’t learn from discipline. They learn from negative results associated with what it is that they are doing. If your cat is swinging from your drapes, and you yell and swat at him, this tells him to fear you, and not to swing from the drapes when you are in the vicinity…he will save drape swinging for when you are not around, but he will still be swinging from the drapes. Squirting with a water bottle doesn’t work….again he associates this with you, not with swinging from the drapes.

However, if the drapes fell each time the Persian felt the need to swing on them, and he hits the floor enough, he will associate that negative result with the drapes, and not with you – and this is what you want. This is how he will learn to stay off of the drapes.

If you want you’re Persian to stay off of the furniture, or to stop scratching the furniture, you have to make the furniture unattractive. There are many products on the market that you can treat your furniture with that will make it unattractive to your Persian.

Each time you find a way to redirect your Persian attention or behavior, you must provide an alternative. If he is swinging from the drapes and scratching the furniture, a good alternative is a cat tree that provides plenty of scratching posts and rope type swings that he can swing from. It takes time, attention, and a little ingenuity on your part, but you really can turn a Persians bad behavior into good behavior that you can both live with.

Spaying or Neutering Your Persian CatThe Right Choice?

Most pet owners these days immediately have their animals spayed or neutered, in an attempt to control the pet population – and this is recommended and commendable. However, in the case of Purebred Persians, you might want to put some serious thought into this.

First, depending on the requirements of your breeder, you may be forced to have your Persian spayed or neutered – or it may be done by the breeder before the cat is even allowed to go to your home. If the cat is not to be spayed or neutered, you can and should expect to pay a great deal more for it – because this gives you breeding rights for the cat – which of course puts you in direct competition with the breeder.

You must also consider cat shows when you are determining whether you will spay or neuter your Persian cat. Most cat shows have divisions for altered and unaltered cats – they are seldom judged together, but beyond this separation, they are judged in much the same way. Obviously the behavior of unaltered animals is different than the behavior of altered animals.

This brings us to the case for spaying and neutering. If males are not neutered, they will spray to mark their territory. This is a urine odor that can be quite overwhelming and unpleasant for the owner of the cat. The only way to stop a male cat from marking his territory through spraying is to have him neutered.

In the case of females, an unsprayed female will go into heat several times throughout the year. This is usually accompanied by horrifying sounds at all hours of the day and night, which can be quite bothersome. Of course, if there is an unaltered male in the house, or able to make physical contact with the female cat, this results in a litter of kittens – which may not be wanted.

Spaying and neutering cats has become very commonplace, and is quite affordable. Of course, it costs more to have a female spayed than it costs to have a male neutered. You should make an appointment with your veterinarian by the time the cat is between three and six months of age to have the cat altered. You will be instructed not to allow the cat to eat or drink anything after midnight the night before, and to have the cat in the office early in the morning.

The veterinarian will perform the procedure, and you can typically take your cat home by that evening. The veterinarian will give you instructions on caring for the area where the cat has been cut, and if any sutures need to be removed, you will return to the veterinarian’s office in about ten days so that this can be done.

Should You Declaw Your Persian Cat?

You love your Persian – but you love your furnishing, drapes, and carpeting as well. Unfortunately, Persians, as well as other cat breeds are notorious for absolutely ruining furnishing, drapes, and carpet, and even walls and baseboards because they use these objects as scratching posts.

First, if your Persian is making a mess of the furnishings in your home, you really can’t blame the cat. He’s just doing what comes naturally to him – and because you haven’t provided any other alternatives that are suitable, you have only yourself to blame. Alternatives must be provided, because you are not going to stop the cat from scratching when the need arises.

At one point, the answer was to declaw the cat. Today, you will be hard pressed to find a veterinarian who is willing to perform this surgery on your cat. More and more, the practice is being deemed as cruel, because research has shown that declawing a cat is the equivalent of cutting off a humans fingers at the first joint.

In many countries, it is now illegal to declaw a cat, and in many others, it is just a matter of time before this is the case. Countries that frown upon declawing cats, and which may have passed laws against declawing cats include Scotland, Brazil, Wales, New Zealand, Japan, Germany, Yugoslavia, France, Australia, Italy, England, Austria, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Belgium, Switzerland, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Slovenia, Netherlands, and Portugal.

In the United States and Canada, the practice of declawing cats is not yet illegal, but it is being frowned upon more and more. In fact, if a cat is declawed, he will be automatically disqualified from most sanctioned cat shows.

When a cat is declawed, more than his toenail is being removed. In fact, this is actually an amputation of the last joint of the cat’s toe. No matter how old or young the cat is, the animal experiences a great deal of pain following the surgery – for a long period of time. Often, this changes the personality of the cat – forever.


Today, there are numerous alternatives to declawing. Cats can be trained to use alternative scratching sources, such as scratching posts. You can also use caps that cover the cat’s nails. These caps stay in place for about three months, and are becoming better and better as time goes on. Today, you can even purchase these nail caps in a multitude of colors. You can also trim the cat’s nails, which will minimize the damage that they can do to your furniture.