Himalayan and Kashmir ~ Blue-cream Point
Himalayan and Kashmir ~ Tortie Point
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Himalayan and Kashmir ~ Blue-cream Point
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Himalayan and Kashmir ~ Tortie Point
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Persian is a widely recognized and popular breed and formed the basis of
the early hybridizations that resulted in the development
of the Himalayan cat. The early evolution of the Persian most likely occurred
on the high, cold plateaus of Persia (now Iran and Iraq). When these cats
with a longer, silky coat were brought to Europe
by the Phoenicians and the Romans, the Europeans were impressed. Over the
years the Persian cat has been purposely bred to
perpetuate and accentuate the longhair trait. The first step in
working toward a colorpoint Persian was to cross the Siamese and the Persian.
This early work was followed by years of breeding
the offspring to obtain a group of cats with long hair and the colorpoint
pattern. The colorpoint longhairs were bred back
to Persians, and their offspring were interbred. After many years
breeders had cats with many of the basic Persian characteristics and colorpoint
coloring. At this point, the next step in the work
began - that of obtaining breed recognition from bona fide registry organizations.
In England, Brian Sterling-Webb perfected his long-haired colorpoint over a period of 10 years. In 1955 he approached the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF) and requested recognition for this new variety of longhaired cat. Since he and other breeders were prepared to describe and defend the work that had gone into the development of this new color, recognition was granted and the Longhaired Colourpoint was accepted as a breed in England. In North America, Mrs. Goforth applied for breed recognition at the CFA Annual Meeting held in Washington, DC on December 18, 1957. Mrs Goforth contended that although the Himalayan standard was identical to the Persian standard, the cat was not a Persian, but a new breed of longhair. With this philosophy as a basis for the Himalayan, these cats received recognition and were granted foundation record registration with CFA. The rules governing the acceptance of new breeds and colors at the time required breeders to show three generations of pure Himalayan colorpoint breedings in order to be eligible for championship competition. |
| Intelligent and outgoing. Devoted, gentle, and affectionate. Can be quite demanding. Voice usually louder than that of a Persian but much quieter than their Siamese ancestors'. Playful as kittens, becoming more reserved as they mature. Make excellent companions for the elderly, children and other pets. |
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Head
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Massive, broad & round head. |
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Eyes
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Large, round eyes. |
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Ears
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Tiny & small round-tipped ears. |
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Nose
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Short, snub nose conspire to produce a sweet but extreme expression that few people can resist. |
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Neck
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Ruff around neck. |
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Body
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Short, cobby body. a heavy-boned, well-balanced, medium-to-large cat with resounding depth across its shoulders and chest. |
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Tail
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Short, full tail in proportion to body |
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Coat
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Coat is long, thick and flowing. Body coat is light with contrasting color points on face, ears, paws and tail. Needs daily grooming. |
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Fault
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Long or narrow head. Long nose, narrow muzzle, obvious underbite. Large, pointed ears that are too close together. Small, slanted eyes too pale in color. Narrow, slender, long, high-standing body. Tail too long. Oval paws, long toes. Disqualify: lockets or buttons; kink in the tail, serious jaw deformity |
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Disqualify
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Locket or button. Kinked or abnormal tail. Incorrect number of toes. Any apparent weakness in the hind quarters. Any apparent deformity of the spine. Deformity of the skull resulting in an asymmetrical face and/or head. Crossed eyes. For pointed cats, also disqualify for white toes, eye color other than blue. |
| Usually healthy. Very short nose may be associated with teasing because of malformed tear ducts. Breathing problems also possible in some lines. |
Himalayan and Kashmir ~ Sealpoint