Persian cat: the history of colours

Today Persian breed is represented by whole bouquet of colour variations. Do you know the beginning of all this? English Queen Victoria got two blue Persians and took this breed under her protection, and Persian boom has begun. Coupling, which were accidentally till then, became more carefully thought out, and by that the foundation was laid for organized breeding. The fact that Persian cat came into the fashion made for it. Exactly English Persian cats are the ancetry of not only today's Persians, but of many other breeds. For the past hundred years the appearance of Persian fundamentally changed, the whole colour spectrum appeared - today it is more than 400 variants.

Originally, breed had only two colours - blue and white. Black colour was rare and considered to be difficult in breeding. This classic colours are the most widespreaded among Persian cats up to here.

The first standard with the description of Persian's colours was made by Harrison Weier at the end of XIX century. His enumeration didn't include not only Lilac and Chocolate colours, which is rare up to here, but didn't describe Cream, Red, Tortoiseshell colours, which are such popular now. But he described separately Blue and Grey colours. I think that it was meant not colour, but, most likely, tint of hair - dark and light. However, these variations genetically don't differ. But one version exists that Persian cats of that time had gene that was responsible for a special, light blue colour losted by breed in the process of selection and absentee in modern population of Persians. And one more version. Probably, H. Weier, when he composed a standard, meant modern colour of Blue Tabby, as Blue Tabby was described then like black picture against a blue background (is it modern Black Tabby on the silver?) Black Tabby Persians was very popular then, for who today is the time of the Renaissance. In the prosterity of Black Tabby Persians in the result of the mutation colour appeared, called Silver Chinchilla.

All our Persian Chinchillas, Silvers and Smokes dated from one ancetry, who was called Silver. This wonderful cat had a silver colour or , rather, silver shaded Chinchilla, lived for 17 years and left after himself a lot of issue. His stuffed animal is in the National Museum of Natural Sience in London till now.

Since 1880 Red and Red Tabby coloured became famous under the name of Orange, which were considered as one colour variation. Cream cats appeared in 1890. But in Britain this colour didn't become popular. Only in XX century american selectionists and owners began to work closely with this tender and smart colour.

In 1890 on the exhibitions first representatives of Tortoiseshell Persians were presented. They were reached as a result of interbreeding Red cats with cats of Black and blue colours. Cats of Blue-Cream colour were accepted greatly later - in 1930.

In 1901 the Englishmen confirmed Sable colour. It was described as a variety of Brown Tabby, but not having distinct picture and more tender sable colour. Probably, the colour was meant, which is analogous to modern GoldenChinchillas.

First Persian cats as their Angoras ancetry were white. And, for the most part, had blue eyes. By the way of interbreeding of these cats with one-coloured individuals the posterity with orange eye colour was recieved, and also individuals with eyes of different colour. They were officially accepted in 1938.

In 1934 the first cat of Cameo colour appeared, but this colour variation had to come long way to be generally recognized - in 1954 in America and in 1974 in Europe (FIFE).

In spite of bicolours (bi means two, colour is colour, that is cats of bicolored color) began to exhibit from the very first exhibitions, they didn't have their own standard for a long time and were exhibited as other colors. Cats with such color were borned not often - probably this clolor was depressed by white color. But piebald kitens appeared every time and owners paid an attention on them. Bicolors were officially confirmed in England in 1966, in Europe in 1969, in America in 1971. At that time Harlequin and Van were accepted.

The rarest for Persian breed color Chocolate was first achieved as a result of their interbreeding with eastern cats in 1971. But their official accepting came only in 1984.

About Persians with Color-point color I want to speak separately, because their many felinological associations distinguish into separate breed. First the interbreeding of Siameses with Persians for the recieving a rare color Color-point into the breed was realized in 1924 by Tiebbes in Sweden. At the same time the same experiments were made by K. Kiler in America. Systematically breeding of Persians with the color Color-point began only in the 40-ies of XX century in England and America. The name of the first, officially registered, cat of color Sil-point was Debutant. Himalayan Persians (so americans called Color-points of Persian breed) on the first phase of selection were behind the other in type, length of hair, massiveness of body and had genetical defects, typical for Siamese breed of that time ( naps on the tail and cross-eye ). It was very long to work over the eyes' color: iris of the eye was almost white or had green-yellow border. In Europe Persians with this color were accepted only in 1955. Today Himalayans keep step, and sometimes even leave behind Persians of traditional color in type and quality of hair.