These long-haired fluff balls are the aristocrats of the feline world, established as one of the first pedigree breeds in the US and beloved by the likes of Queen Victoria and Marilyn Monroe.
Don’t be misled by the grumpy, squishy face, but look into its large, beguiling eyes – because this is one of the sweetest, kindest cats on the planet and can be easily enticed with one of the best cat treats. And while their personalities are laid-back and gentle, it’s their glamorous looks for which they are famed. Their long coats in myriad stunning colors, their dazzling wide-set eyes in vivid blues, coppers, and greens, and their cute button noses have captivated cat fanciers for generations.
They might not be the cleverest cats in town – but mercifully they do not need to be streetwise. This is an indoor cat through and through, who loves nothing more than basking on a sunny spot in the home, bringing joy and affection to their human companions. Let’s take a look at some of the many reasons to love Persian cats.
32 reasons to love Persian cats
1. The best of lapcats
Not being given to sudden activity and boisterous movement, the Persian cat loves nothing better than curling up in your lap and whiling away the day in your company. It takes a lot of beauty sleep to look quite this good. This also makes them one of the best low energy cat breeds for owners who just want to chill.
2. “Furniture with fur”
Some call it lazy, others call it conserving energy, but one thing’s for sure, a Persian cat loves to lie peacefully for most of the day. This immobility has earned them the moniker “furniture with fur” because they double up as a decorative element in your home!
3. Super sweet
We know most people fall for the Persian cat’s alluring looks, but they aren’t just a pretty face. Most cat breeds tend to be friendly on their terms, but Persians seem to genuinely like human company, being dependably sweet and gentle. Many a cat will suddenly get frisky and scratch or bite, but not a Persian. Their laid-back and mellow personality means they’re almost never aggressive (or, at least, they can’t be bothered to be).
4. Home sweet home
The Persian cat is highly domesticated, having been prized by royalty through the centuries. They are true homebodies, and while they may benefit from occasional trips into the backyard, they are in no way an outdoor cats.
Their natural survival instincts are non-existent, and they thrive on a laid-back lifestyle with no threats. They are also sensitive, fragile, and susceptible to various respiratory issues and other infections – and they’re certainly not street-smart.
So no need to worry about the risks of the great outdoors, with the hazards of fighting, traffic, and cat thieves, a Persian cat is happiest at home.
5. Glamour cats
A Persian cat’s luxuriant coat, affectionate personality, and smoochy face make them the feline favorites of plenty of celebs, including the likes of Marilyn Munroe, Jennifer Lopez, and Kim Kardashian – and even Queen Victoria and Florence Nightingale!
6. Bundles of fluff
Humans instinctively love fluffy things, which means by default that we love Persian cats. Their dense, fluffy coat is not only a visual joy to behold, but it’s wonderfully comforting and warm to bury our hands in. They are blessed with two layers: a short thick undercoat, and a long, silky top coat.
Stroking fur releases the hormone serotonin, which makes us feel happy and is just one of the ways having a pet may lower your stress levels. Step in the Persian cat!
7. Rainbow of coat colors
It’s not just the texture of the Persian cat’s coat that is fabulous. It comes in n enormous range of hundreds of dazzling color and pattern combinations. If a simple black or cream is too straightforward, choose from the exciting “lilac smoke” or “blue chinchilla silver”. Perhaps the adventurous “cameo tabby” or “flame lynx point” is more up your street – it’s like choosing paint for your living room!
8. Silver screen success
Who can forget the image of Blofeld’s omnipresent, blue-eyed white Persian cat in the James Bond movies? The unnamed feline star featured in six movies from 1963 (From Russia with Love) to Spectre in 2015. Like Blofeld himself, the cat was played by multiple actors over the years.
9. Cool, calm and collected
This laid-back breed tends to be calm, all for an easy life. However, this chilled-out temperament also means that they can cope with an energetic household because they will be happy basking on a sunny window ledge while the busyness happens all around them. They’d just rather not get involved with all that hyperactivity. No skittish, nervy scaredy-cat here – just a calm, fluffy friend seeking a quiet life.
10. Affectionate, not needy
Known for their sweet and gentle disposition, Persian cats love attention from their favorite humans, and will happily curl up on your lap or beside you on the couch for a stroke. But they rarely pester and irritate you, demanding attention. They are simply confident in their own (very fluffy) skin.
11. An aristocratic pedigree
When the Cat Fanciers’ Association was formed in the US in 1906, Persian cats were among the first pedigree breeds to be registered. Persian cats were one of a handful of early cat breeds that featured in the first documented cat show to judge felines on their aesthetic value – at Crystal Palace, London, back in 1871.
12. A popular choice
Persian cats have long been one of the most popular pedigree cats in the world – in 2023 they were featured in the top five most popular breeds in the US, according to the Cat Fanciers’ Association.
They are also very numerous, representing a majority of pedigree cats registered in the US at around with up to 20,000 registrations a year, out of around 40,000 total registrations.
13. Expressive eyes
Persian cats have large, round, wide-set eyes which are incredibly expressive, and much of their allure lies in these “windows to their souls”. They can convey a range of emotions from curiosity to contentment – even almost smiling.
Large eyes make the face seem more endearing, according to research done by Frontiers in Psychology, into how eye size affects cuteness. The Persians’ large eyes in proportion to their face appeal to the human instinct to protect and nurture, because it gives the cat a neonatal look.
14. An ancient breed – possibly
Persian cats, as their name suggests, are believed to have their origins in Persia, then called Mesopotamia, now modern-day Iran, but their early history is very hazy. Legend has it they were carried on camels carrying spices and jewels across the desert. There are hieroglyphic references to domestic cats dating way back to 1684 BC, but they may have little genetic bearing on the modern Persian. They might not even come from Persia!
More accurate records of these long-haired beauties go back to the 17th century when an Italian traveler is said to have brought this sort of cat over to Europe. They went on to get the royal seal of approval from Queen Victoria. The breed was only imported into the US in 1875 but was quickly established and rocketed in popularity.
15. The princess look
Big, beguiling eyes, a cute button nose, and gorgeous locks – are we talking about princesses or Persian cats? The Disney princesses have these traits for a reason – they’re beautiful and appeal to us humans with this look of baby-faced innocence and congeniality. What works for princesses works for cats, evidently.
16. Who needs a feline brainbox?
Cats are smart, so we’re told. But Persian cats are known to be more limited in the academic stakes than other breeds, being slow on the uptake to reach training milestones and generally not being as quick-witted as other felines. But who cares? You don’t need your cat to sort out Pythagoras calculations or even learn to sit and stay (which, by the way, is their modus operandi without needing to be taught). Instead, you have a devoted companion who isn’t interested in contradicting you, debating, Houdini-style escapes, or trying to catch you out. We’ll call that a definite plus.
17. A long life
Providing the cat does not suffer from any genetic conditions, Persian cats can hope for a long and peaceful life. They typically have a great lifespan of 15–18 years, if you’re lucky even over 20. Being an indoor cat, they don’t face the risks and threats of the outside world.
Polycystic kidney disease is the most common genetic condition cutting short the lifespan of Persians, although this is being limited due to genetic testing eliminating the gene from breeding stock.
18. Eye colors
From deep copper to vivid blue, also encompassing jewel-like greens from emerald and turquoise to hazel, a Persian cat’s eye color is mesmerizing. Some even have each eye a different color, enhancing their mystical powers.
19. Grooming skills
You’ve always wanted to be a hairdresser, haven’t you? A Persian cat will give you no choice but to learn all the ins and outs of brushing cats. Although they are low-maintenance in some ways, when it comes to their bouffant, this needs plenty of attention.
Persian cats typically need their luxuriant double coats combed daily, to get rid of any mats – a plastic brush will cause static, so choose steel combs as one of the best cat brushes. They also need bathing with appropriate shampoo for long-haired cats every four weeks, and their eyes cleaned daily.
20. Photogenic
Persian cats make the perfect model. Not only are they cherished for their stunning looks, their silky coats and beguiling eyes, but they sure know how to strike a pose for the camera. They aren’t skittish, and are happy to sit still for as long as you need – in fact they’d rather not move at all. An Instagrammer’s dream.
21. Prize winners
A Persian cat won the very first “best in show” award at the inaugural cat show, held at Crystal Palace in London in 1871. The Persian beat off some 170 other exhibits to win the prize, in front of around 20,000 feline fans. Though on British soil, it was organized by an American, Harrison Weir, and heralded the start of cat fancying as we know it. Soon after this, the popularity of Persian cats took off in the US.
22. An artist’s muse
“As pretty as a picture,” you might say of a Persian cat, and you’d be right. A famous work of art, “My Wife’s Lovers”, painted by Austrian artist Carl Kahler, features 42 Persians and Turkish Angora cats.
It was sold at Sotheby’s for $826,000 in 2015.
23. Doll face darlings
Persian cats are known for their distinctive flat faces, but these pug-like features with a pushed-in button nose haven’t always been so dramatic. During World War II, thanks to a brachycephalic mutation this look became popular, and breeders bred selectively to get this “peke-faced” look. However, there are downsides health-wise, such as respiratory problems due to the small and narrow nasal passages.
Conversely, some breeders have made efforts to reverse the trend, favouring the traditional Persian cat – also called the doll face Persian – which has a longer muzzle and more pronounced silhouette.
24. Well grounded
If you’re fed up with pogo-felines jumping up onto high places, kitchen islands, shelves and the like, the Persian cat offers the antidote. With their short stocky legs, less than aerodynamic physique and laid-back temperament, all that skittish jumping around looks too much like hard work.
Though they wouldn’t pass up a turn on one of the best cat scratching posts.
25. Royal seal of approval
Queen Victoria was a fan of the breed, and owned several blue-point Persians. This helped boost the popularity of the breed in Britain in the 19th century. Across the Channel in France, Persians were the cat of choice among the upper-class Parisians and kings such as Louis XV were said to have encouraged them to breed freely in the grounds of Versailles.
26. Showtime
If you’re into competitive showing, a Persian cat will give you plenty of opportunity to dress up and show off its aesthetic charms. The expert showing cat fanciers even sculpt their Persian’s head to show them off to the utmost – not advisable for novices!
There are seven divisions for competing Persian cats, depending on their coat colors and patterns: solid, silver/golden, smoke/shaded, tabby, parti-color, calico/bi-color and Himalayan.
27. Partial to a bath
They say that cats hate water, but Persian cats prove that’s not always true. Most cats don’t need baths, but because a Persian’s dense and fluffy coat means they need to be bathed from a young age once a month, and you’ll definitely want to invest in the best cat shampoo !
28. Looks can deceive
The scrunched-up, grumpy face is one of the Persian cat’s most endearing qualities. While he may look mischievous, the Persian is typically the sweetest, mellowest and most docile breed around.
29. Great for seniors
A Persian cat’s naturally calm demeanor makes them ideal companions for senior citizens. While they might find kids a touch rambunctious, the slower pace of an older person’s lifestyle suits them to a T.
30. Kitten cuteness
All kittens are adorable but a teeny-tiny puffball of a Persian cat takes cuteness to a whole new level. The words “bundle of fluff” was made for Persian kittens.
31. Long locks
If you like long hair, the Persian cat is the ideal match. They are characterized by a very long coat, with individual hairs of around four to six inches long. No wonder they need daily combing.
32. Pet friendly
Because Persian cats are typically easy-going, laid-back characters, they tend to get along with other pets in the home, including cat-friendly dogs. As they aren’t naturally aggressive, they are unlikely to initiate a fight, and so if the early introductions go smoothly, you will have a happy menagerie.
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