Advise please from Yola, CJ, CS & Kay

[blackcatlover]

Hi,

Some of you know that I'm looking into getting a persian, so I have some questions for you:

Are they anymore/less sociable than moggies
What sex should I get, Slinky's 12 & a bit of a diva
What age
Special dietary requirements
Grooming requirements
Indoor or outdoor best for them
What is their general outlook on life

Sorry to bombard you with questions is that I want to make absolutely sure I'm doing the right thing. I've heard too many horror stories of people getting Persians cause they're fasionable

[yola]

Are they anymore/less sociable than moggies
I have one that's very aloof (although friendly on her terms), one who's nervous but is very friendly when not scared and one (my rescue) who's the biggest, soppiest lap cat ever!

What sex should I get, Slinky's 12 & a bit of a diva
I would suggest male. I have 2 boys and 1 girl and the boys seem more open and friendly and tend to be more easy-going

What age
I would usually recommend a rescue - just personal preference as there are so many persians needed understanding homes. However buying a kitten from a breeder is absolutely OK if you use a good breeder who breeds for temperament as well as looks and cares about the households their cats go to (a kitten shouldn't go to a new hoe before 12 weeks old). Age is less important than the cat's personality, but remember persians tend to have shorter life-spans than mogs.

Special dietary requirements
I woudl recommend feeding furball formula dry food (I use Royal Canin, but there are several good ones out there. They do cost more than standard food though). Persians have delicate stomachs and can be prone to kidney problems in later life so dry food ensures they will be drinking plenty!

Grooming requirements
You'll need a metal comb and a round-tipped metal brush for fur. It's important to groom the 'undercoat' too as this can get matted quickly. You'll also need small cotton wool pads for wiping their eyes. Frequency of grooming will depend on type of coat, but with a kitten I'd do it quite often (every 2 or so days) to get them used to it. Also get some talc . . . very useful when cleaning claggy waggies (persians with the runs can leave unwanted chocolate kisses all over your house) and the talc eases the brushing out of any residual poo (TMI . . . )

Indoor or outdoor best for them
Personally again, indoor but with occasional outdoor under supervision. I started mine off on harnesses and trained them not to go under the gate and out of the garden. They still need monitoring but tend to make a bid for freedom less and less. The rescue still has wanderlust and I have a harness on order for him

What is their general outlook on life
Persians are quite laid back; can be vocal and usually just sit around and look gorgeous. They tend to have shortish legs so are not brilliant jumpers (although there are exceptions)!!!


Hope that's enough info for you - my fingers hurt from typing so excuse typos!!! I'd recommend getting a book about the breed - it helped me immensly in the 1st few months to have reference material available.

[CJK]

arghhhhhhhhh i typed in tonnes nad it vanished!

but pretty much same as yola.
My boy is an exotic ( shorthair persian) and requires less grooming than my longhaired. the boy si far more cuddlier, but may be cos we havent had the girl long,and we think she was mistreated before.


i use a metal tooth comb, with teeth that twist if they hit a knot so they dont pull the fur.
I have also bathed my girl twice, as she was very mucky, but some people never bathe thier persians.

[CJK]

oh sorry, forgot to say both my posh cats afe far more lap cats than my moggies. not to say there arent cuddly moggies aorund, but persians do tend to be more people cats.
I would try a resuce too if possible, some goregous ones about.

[Hreow]

[I don't have persians, but I tend to stick my oar in where I can - sorry. : / ]

If you have requirements and wishes - needs to be indoor, preferrably laid-back, needs to be considerate to older cat - ask your breeder/rescue person. If they are good, they can at least tell you which cat *not* to get. My breeder gave me a good grilling about how I envisioned Rover's life, just so we'd match up properly. She had an idea which of the kittens would suit me and my life-style, and when I showed up for inspection, that kitten picked me. Five months down the line, I'm even more convinced they were right.

Getting a new cat is a *great* excuse to go visit all sorts of places. Is there a cat-show in your neighbourhood? You could have a look, talk to many breeders (without the extra complication of a litter of irresistable kittens milling about), get recommended a good rescue-place, find a breeder you like, just get to know the breed better by asking all the questions you can think of.

[CJK]

oh and one thing i dont think mentioend THE EYES
they need bathing everyday or they get sticky and eventually get sore too.
it's normal for perisans to get runny eyes at times, but you do need to be prepared for daily grooming and eye washing, it's all worth it when they look all celan and fluffy thoguh

[blackcatlover]

Thanks girls a great help

Where best to start my search, I assume you must be registered to breed so there must be some kind of place I can search? I don't want to buy from someone who just fancies breeding

[Bengal Babe]

I'd love to bathe my Seb (Sebastian) my spotty bengal - but I like my throat

[Hreow]

There are three(?) showing instances. GCCF, CA (FIFE) and one I can't remember...senility... : / I'd assume they have all got registers of at least somewhat serious breeders.
There *must* be a British Persian club surely?
FAB might be of some help as well for the care/choice/etc.

*long-haired* bengal? This I have to see... Rover would eviscerate me as well, but he's groomed enough with his own attempts and "hand-grooming".

[blackcatlover]

Thanks Hreow will google it tomorrow