cats

Read more

Persians take their name from the country where they are thought to have originated. They became popular pets in animal-mad Victorian Britain and were seen at the very first cat shows in that country. Persians have always been bred to have a round head, short face, snub nose, chubby cheeks and a short, cobby body, but over time those features have become exaggerated. The result is that the Persian now comes in two types, show and traditional. Traditional Persians do not have as short a face as show Persians and look more like the earlier examples of the breed, but both have the same sweet personality. Today the Persian is the most popular cat registered by the Cat Fanciers Association.

Read more

When the Romans invaded Britain, they brought cats with them to help protect their food supplies from rodents along the way. The Romans eventually left, but the cats remained behind, conquering a country with only their charm. When the breeding of pedigreed cats became a fad in Victorian England, the British Shorthair (known simply as the Shorthair in Britain) was one of the first varieties to be developed. The Longhair came about when breeders made crosses to Persians during World War I. As with so many breeds, British Shorthairs almost died out during World War II, victims of food shortages that left breeders unable to feed their cats. After the war, the breed was revived with crosses to domestic shorthairs, Russian Blues, Persians and other cats. The American Cat Association recognized the British Blue in 1967, The International Cat Association in 1979 and the Cat Fanciers Association in 1980. In 2009, TICA recognized the British Longhair as a variety, the only cat association to do so.

Read more

Ragdolls were developed in the 1960’s by Ann Baker; a breeder in Riverside California. The origin of the Ragdoll breed consisted almost entirely of free-roaming cats. Ann bred Josephine, a domestic longhaired white female that was found running loose in her neighborhood, to other cats she owned or found. The offspring of this female had unique temperament traits that were very endearing. By selecting individuals with the look, temperament and criteria she wanted for her breeding program, she created the Ragdoll breed.

Read more

Many believe Abyssinians were given their name because Zula, the cat displayed at the 1871 Crystal Palace Cat Show, was allegedly imported from Abyssinia, present-day Ethiopia. Variations in the coat color and markings can be chalked up to Abys breeding with other domesticated cats.