At the end of the 1800s, Blue Persians became extremely popular as pets of the wealthy, and were specially bred to be sold for high prices. They became particularly favorites of European royalty. Queen Victoria of England acquired two Blues, Princess Victoria of Schleswig Holstein was an enthusiastic breeder, and King Edward VII presented medal for the top prize winners of the day.
One reason for the Blue’s popularity may have been because it was thought to be the nearest in color to the original Persians brought to Europe by traders in the 1600s. The genetic mutation of the breed we know today may well have arisen on the Mediterranean island of Malta – which is why it is sometimes called the Maltese Blue.
The blue grey coloring is a dilution of black. The blue comes from a lavender sheen which adds a brightness to the pale coat. This is very much in evidence with the show cat, which is ideally an even, medium to pale blue, with no shading, markings or white hairs. A dark, slate grey coat is considered very undesirable.
Because of its long, distinguished history of careful breeding, the Persian Blue is often used as the standard Persian type against which other Persian breeds are compared. For this reason, it is sometimes included in breeding programs to improve the type of other varieties.
The Blue Persians has a reputation for being a very affectionate and gentle cat that enjoys close human companionship.
The Blue Persian was one of the first Persian cats to be established as a breed. In the late 1800s, it became a fashionable asset for the wealthy and aristocratic.
Coat – thick, dense, silky; full frill at neck and shoulders
eyes – copper or deep orange; rims blue grey
other features – nose leather and paw pads blue grey
grooming – demanding; thorough, daily
temperament – placid
Blue Persian Cat
Pet owners looking for an exotic variety of the Persian family should get the blue Persian cat. It has been known in history of 19th century Europe as an aristocrat pet, which also led to its popularity. In fact, it has remained one of the most sought after breeds of cat today.
A blue Persian cat exhibits numerous physical features that mark the standard of what a true breed is. This standard was identified and imposed by the CFA to help breeders and pet owners to find the most valuable cats from this breed. The color of the cat’s fur is the most basic area of focus for examining a breed. In this case, blue Persian cats with lighter shades of coat are more desirable than the ones with darker shade. In addition, the tone of the coat’s color must be the same starting from the nose tip going all the way towards the tail end.
Speaking of colors, the variation in a Persian blue cat’s coat diminishes the appreciable quality of the breed. The ones with monotonous dark shade are considered more valuable than those that are lighter in shade and feature a variety of color tone throughout the body. In addition, it is also important that the paw pads and nose leather are also blue in color. The beautiful copper eyes of the blue Persian cat are therefore most aesthetically striking feature. In fact, it gives out a commanding and often haunting kind of feeling when you look into them.
This breed of cat also features a well proportioned body and heavy bone structure. Meanwhile, their copper eyes are positioned with a slight distance from each other that is accompanied with a large head. Nonetheless, the large bone structure is rendered unnoticeable by their long hairs that give it a fluffy appearance. The overall expression of its rounded face with soft lines makes it appear sweet and unique. These are basic qualities you must look for in a blue Persian cat.
The maintenance and care for blue Persian cat is another concern for pet owners. Due to its long hairs, it cannot care for its coat on its own and it is therefore important that pet owners undergo them in regular grooming routine. If you want to maintain the beauty and allure of this beautiful cat breed, then you might want to invest a bit of time and effort to care for them. Focus on the tail and tips of its hair when grooming for more accentuation. Daily washing and brushing of its long hairs can be a good way to maintain the beauty of its furs.
The beauty and unique features of the blue Persian cat is one of the reasons why it is sought after. On the other hand, there is also a huge responsibility involved when it comes to caring for it to ensure that the beauty of the coat is preserved and maintains the standard of the breed.
Related Articles
Persian Cats: The most popular breed of all in the U.S . , the Persian is prized for its luxurious flowing coat, neat, pretty little face and [...]
Siberian Cat: A magnificent, wild looking cat, the Siberian is an excellent hunter and is well adapted to surviving in a climate of extreme temperatures. Little is [...]- Colorpoint Himalayan Persian Cat: The entire selection of Persian longhaired cats until this point has been based on a solid color cat modified by the introduction of the tabby [...]
- Pewter Persian Cat: Breeding from Tortie Cameos produced cats with black rather than red, cream or tortoiseshell tipping. These cats are a relatively recent development and have their [...]
- Cameo Persian Cat: The Cameo was regarded as a delicious accident for a great many years, but towards the end of the 1950s, the breed was formally registered [...]
- Smoke Persian Cat: Smoke Persians are the result of cross breeding Chinchilla, Blue and Black. The traditional Smoke colors are Black and Blue, but the introduction of the [...]
- Shaded Silver Persian Cats: The Shaded Silver is largely the product of Chinchilla matings to self colored longhairs in attempts to improve size and type. The general effect of [...]
- Golden Persian Cats: Golden cats may well have occurred as an offshoot of Chinchilla breeding in the 1920s. However, the modern breed became established following an explosion of [...]
- Chinchilla Persian Cat: In 1882, a fine boned, silver Angora type female cat with no markings was mated with a similarly colored, non pedigreed male. Their daughter became [...]
- Tabby Persian Cat: If Tabby Persians were groomed in the exaggerated bouffant style applied to other varieties, the impact of their rich markings would be diminished. Even though [...]
- Tortoiseshell And White Persian Cat: The classic Tortoiseshell’s black and red (or its dilute colors) are offset by patches of dazzling white, as long as the cat is well and [...]
- Bi-Color Persian Cat: In the early days of pedigree breeding, any longhaired cat with a patch of white was regarded with horror. However, there were so few animals [...]
- Tortoiseshell Persian Cat: The classic Tortoiseshell Persian coloring is a striking blend of black, red and pale red. The exact configuration of colors is very much influenced by [...]
- Cream Persian Cat: The Cream Persian is a dilute Red, with probable input from the white Angoras that were cross bred with Persians in the 1800s. Then, as [...]
- Red Persian Cat: Only a few decades ago, the Red Persian was one of the rarest of all feline varieties. This was largely because of the need to [...]
- Chocolate Persian Cat: There is an element of Siamese in the Chocolate Persian, which may account for a certain sauciness in its nature. The Chocolate Point Siamese was [...]
- White Persian Cats: The White Persian owes its purity of coat color to the native Angora cat from Turkey. Although quite distinct from the modern Angora breeds, the [...]
- Black Persian Cat: The fur of longhair cats can be up to ten times longer than that of a shorthair. Most pedigreed cats are the various types of [...]
- Lilac Persian Cat: The Lilac Persian, or Lavender Kashmir was, like the Chocolate, an offshoot from the breeding program for Colorpoint longhairs. It is a dilute form of [...]