Persian Cats - The Color Divisions

By Connie Limon

The Persian cat is the number one breed in popularity. They are sweet and gentle in temperament and blend into most households. They probably feel more at home in an environment of security and serenity, however, with love and reassurance, the Persian cat can easily adapt to the most boisterous households.

The long flowing coat of a Persian cat requires housing indoors. Persian cats come in a number of colors that are divided into seven color divisions for purposes of competition. The color divisions are:

• Solid Color

• Silver and Golden

• Shaded and Smoke

• Tabby

• Particolor

• Calico and Bicolor

• Himalayan

Solid Color Division

Three different eye colors are unique only to the pristine white Persian cats. These eye colors are:

• Brilliant copper

• Deep blue

• Combination of one blue and one copper eye of equal intensity

The other solid colored Persian cats have brilliant copper eyes.

This coat color should be sound to the roots and free from markings or shadings.

Blue Persian cats have been interbred with other colors to produce a more uniform type. The pale silver-blue coats that result is most beautiful when viewed in natural lighting. Black Persian cats have a glossy patent finish that glistens with intensity. Pale milk-colored creams are the dilute of the deep vibrant glowing reds. Chocolates and lilacs are rarely seen. These are produced through the combination of Persian and Himalayan. The chocolate Persian cat demonstrates a warm chocolate-brown color. The lilac is warm lavender with a pinkish tone.

Silver and Golden Division

The chinchilla and shaded silvers and goldens are in this division. Exquisite silvers are considered the most ethereal of all Persians. The Chinchilla is a sparkling white cat with black tipping scattered as evenly and lightly on the face, legs, tail and body. Shadeds show a mantle of black on the back that shades evenly down the sides. Tipping on the legs and face should match and is darker than the chinchilla. Goldens are either chinchilla or shaded. Their ground color is rich, warm and cream tipped with black. Silvers and goldens have green or blue-green eyes rimmed with black, black paw pads and brick red or rose nose leather.

Shaded and Smoke Division

This color division includes the shell and shaded cameos that have red tipping with a white undercoat. The cream shell and shaded cameos demonstrate a white undercoat tipped with cream. The shell and shaded tortoiseshells have a mantle of black tipping with well-defined patches of red tipped hairs while the shell and shaded blue-creams have blue tipping with well-defined patches of cream tipped hair.

There are six separate colors in the smoke Persian patterns. They are:

• Black

• Blue

• Cream

• Cameo (red)

• Smoke tortoiseshell

• Blue-cream

All colors should have the characteristic white ruff and ear tufts. In motion, the coat should break open, giving glimpses of a startling white undercoat.

Tabby Division

This division consists of three patterns:

• Classic

• Mackerel

• Patched tabby

The patched tabby may show either the classic or mackerel pattern with the addition of patches of red. The classic tabby is identified by the bull's eye markings on the side of the body while the mackerel pattern is characterized by narrow penciling encircling the body. Facial markings give the tabbies a zesty added appeal. Recognized colors are:

• Silver

• Blue silver

• Red

• Brown

• Blue

• Cream

• Cameo

• Cream cameo

There are no patched tabby patterns in red, cream and cameo. The silver varieties may have green or hazel eyes, whereas, all others in the tabby division have copper eyes.

Parti Color Division

This division consists of the tortoiseshell, blue-cream, chocolate tortoiseshell and lilac-cream. The tortoiseshell is a black cat dispersed with great patches of red. There is a dividing blaze of color on the face. The blue-cream is a solid blue cat patched with cream. All colors have copper eyes.

Calico and Bi-Color Division

This division consists of calicos, bi-colors, smoke and whites and tabby and whites. The Calicos have white coats splashed with vivid patches of red and black. 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.

The Himalayan

Himalayan is the most popular of all Persians. The Himalayan is shown in the following colors:

• Chocolate

• Seal

• Lilac

• Blue

• Red

• Cream tortie

• Blue-cream

• Chocolate-torite

• Lilac-cream

• Seal lynx

• Blue lynx

• Red lynx

• Cream lynx

• Tortie lynx

• Blue-cream lynx

• Chocolate lynx

• Lilac lynx

• Chocolate-tortie lynx

• Lilac-cream lynx

Himalayans were created by breeding Persians to Siamese to combine the Siamese point coloring with the Persian type. All must have deep vivid blue eyes. Any other color of eyes is a disqualification.

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Written by: Connie Limon For more information about Persian cats visit: http://smalldogs2.com/PersianCats For a variety of FREE reprint articles visit Camelot Articles at http://www.camelotarticles.com