We are Family: The Persian Cat

The Persian cat is considered the number one cat breed in terms of popularity. They have sweet and gentle temperament that suit well into most households. Persian cats feel more at home in an environment of security and serenity, however, with love and reassurance, they can easily adapt to the most boisterous households.

In a cat show or competition, Persian cats come in a number of colors that are divided into seven color divisions. Below are the color divisions:

Solid Color Division

In the solid color division, there are whites, creams, blacks, blues, reds, lilacs, and chocolates. All of these have brilliant copper eyes except for the white ones. Blue or copper eyes are found in white cats, or each eye may be a different color with one usually being blue and the other copper or yellow. The coat color of all solids should be sound to the roots and free from markings or shadings.

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Silver and Golden Division

In the shaded division, there are the chinchilla silver, goldens, cameos (white with red tips), as well as chinchilla and shaded versions of all the solid colors.

Chinchilla are white Persian with black tipping scattered on its body, tail legs and face. Shades are characterized by a layer of black on the back, shading evenly down the sides. Goldens are either chinchilla or shaded. Their ground color is a rich, warm cream tipped with black. Green or blue-green eyes rimmed with black are associated with Silvers and Goldens. Also, they have black paw pads and brick red or rose nose leather.

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Shaded and Smoke Division

There are six separate colors in the Smoked Persian patterns; black, blue, cream, cameo (red), smoke tortoiseshell and blue-cream smoke. Also included in this division are the shell and shaded cameos that have red tipping with a white undercoat. Persians with a white undercoat tipped with cream belongs to the cream shell and shaded. While those with layers of black tipping with well-defined patches of red tipped hairs fall under the shell and shaded tortoiseshells kind. A third group, the shell and shaded blue-creams have blue tipping with well-defined patches of cream tipped hair.

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Tabby Division

In the tabby class, there are blue, brown, cameo, chocolate, cream, lilac, red, silver, and patched tabbies. Each one comes in four tabby patterns. The patterns are classic (patched), ticked, mackerel, and spotted. Most tabby cats have copper eyes.

Classic, Mackerel and Patch Tabby comprise this division. The classic tabby has the bull’s eye markings on the side of the body while the mackerel pattern is characterized by narrow penciling encircling the body. The patched tabby may have either the classic or mackerel pattern with the addition of patches of red.

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Parti-Color Division

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The parti-color division or bicolor division is made up of calicos (white with red and black splotches), blue calico, chocolate calico, and lilac calico. In addition, any of the solid, smoke, shaded, tabby, or tortoiseshell colors with the addition of white will fall in this category. Their eyes are typically copper to orange in color.

Tortoiseshell, chocolate tortoiseshell, lilac-cream and blue-cream consist this division. Black cats with great patches of red scattered evenly on its body to make up the tortoiseshell. The blue-cream is a solid blue cat patched with cream. The blue-cream and lilac-cream have muted colors. All four colors have brilliant copper eyes.

Calico & Bi-Color Division

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This group is composed of calicos, bi-colors, smoke and whites and tabby and whites. Calicos have white coats splashed with vivid patches of red and black, while the dilute calico is patched with blue and cream. The chocolate and lilac calicos have white coats splashed with vivid patches of chocolate and red or lilac and cream, respectively A maximum of two spots of color are allowed on the body. Bi-colors (black, blue, red, cream, chocolate or lilac with white) commonly exhibit white on the feet, legs, undersides, chest and muzzle. All established colors and patterns of tabbies with white and smokes with white are shown in this division.

The Himalayan

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Himalayans fall into the newest division. This covers seal point, blue point, chocolate point, lilac point, red point, tortie point, and lynx point. All Himalayans should have blue eyes.

The Himalayan have these distinguish colors: chocolate, seal, lilac, blue, red, cream tortie, blue-cream, chocolate-tortie, lilac-cream, seal lynx, blue lynx, red lynx, cream lynx, tortie lynx, blue-cream lynx, chocolate lynx, lilac lynx, chocolate-tortie lynx and lilac-cream lynx. Color is restricted to the facial mask and extremities with the body of various shades of white to fawn.. All must have deep vivid blue eyes as eyes other than blue are a disqualification.