Cat Information index - covering cat insurance for every breed and cat breeding and showing information

LONG-HAIRED CATS

BREEDS
Black
White (Blue Eyes)
White (Orange Eyes)
White (Odd Eyes)
Blue
Red Self
Cream
Smoke
Silver Tabby
Brown Tabby
Red Tabby
Chinchilla
Tortoiseshell
Tortoiseshell-and-White
Bi-Coloured
Blue Cream
Any Other Colour
Colourpoint
Birman
Turkish

In most of the early legends and tales about cats, they are nearly always referred to as being short in coat. In Europe it was not until the end of the sixteenth century that long-haired cats began to make their appearance, although they are supposed to have been known in Persia for some time before that. It is claimed that Nicholas Claude Fabri de Peirese, a naturalist, scientist and archaeologist, introduced the first Angora to France about this time, and it is presumed that the cat actually came from Angora. It is from the Angoras, and now from the early Persians, now referred to as Long-hairs, that by selective breeding the many coloured and beautifully typed varieties of today have evolved.
Although not so numerous in this country as the short-haired, the long-haired cats are very popular, and opinions are always divided as to which are the more attractive. The different varieties have a large following and are much admired at shows.
The coat colourings may be different, but the standards call for all long-hairs to have long flowing silky coats, without woolliness. One distinctive feature is the full ruff or frill. This is the long hair around the head, which is brushed up away from the body and neck until it forms a perfect frame for the round broad head. The ears must be small, set well apart and tufted. The eyes may be of different colours according to the varieties, but they must be large, round, wide-awake eyes, not deep-set. The nose must be short and broad, almost snub-like, with a distinct stop. The body should be low and cobby, with short, thick legs, and the tail or brush short and very full.
They are in no way delicate and need no special upbringing. Their long coats call for constant attention but their owners are adequately repaid for their labours, for a well-groomed long-haired cat invariably attracts much admiration.