Hi,
I'm wanting a kitten and have seen a fantastic persian but I'm not hugely familiar with the breed as yet and want to make sure that I could look after him properly.
I realise that they need grooming daily, no problem with brushing and combing as I'm at home all day, everyday.
What I'm wondering is, do they manage to keep themselves clean ok?
I'm disabled and the last thing I need is to wash its backside every day and it wouldn't be fair on the cat if I couldn't.
Please could someone advise me? I'd really love this cat and can cope with brushing and combing no problem but I don't know if that's enough... thankyou!

Hiya and welcome
Im afraid i dont know much about this breed but im sure someone with more knowledge will be along to offer you some advice.

Thanks Freespirit.

Another question to add to my first; would a persian get along with 2 tonkinese please? The tonks are super loving, laze around a fair bit but do have the occasional play-fight and tear around the house.

I have a Persian, and they do require alot of care yes, they need to be groomed everyday, and there eyes need to be cleaned as well. My cat does some time get a dirty bum i just wipe her down with a baby wipe (fragrance free one though). I also have a black moggie rescue cat who is 1 year older and they get on fine. Hope this helps. xx

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35 days until christmas day

I wonder why you want a persian, Is it the long coat you like. You could look at colourpoints they do have a slightly shorter coat for a persian and may be easier Also if you feed dry biscuit food you have less chance of fur staining at the rear. I feed my persian on half biscuit and half chicken or fish and this seems to work. Do a bit more research on th breed on the net first to be sure before you buy and buy off a reputable breeder to obtain full protection on purchase. Good luck.

Sorry but I have to disagree with the colourpoint thing, the coat length is no different than any other Persian. I have seen some colourpoints at shows with longer coats than two of mine put together. Also they are higher maintenance due to staining on the lighter coloured coat. Persian coats can also vary in length at different times of the year. Mine at the moment are a nightmare as most are in full winter coat, Summertime some look more like exotics. Easier colours to maintain are the blacks, torties and brown tabbies but all will matt if not kept on top of.

There's a thing - if the poster likes the Persian type but may find difficult to bath etc. what about an exotic. Like somebody else said you sometimes only need to use fragrance free baby wipes on a mucky bum, and a full bum bath isnt always necessary. C.x.

If you like a cat with a longer coat you could think about the turkish van cat there meant to be very loving. Also there coat is not so long more just there tails and more around the face area they would be easier to care for. Ive owned 2 persians in my life and yes they do require alot more in there care than a cat of normal length hair. And although you may want to brush and comb your pet unfortunatly they dont always want to accept it. My rescue persian was a living nightmare to groom and even though i was very gentle and did small short sessions i had to wear cloves for my own protection. But generally she was a very affectionant cat. My second persian was a cream point and he had a thicker coat than the chinchilla. He also suffered from tear staining and his eyes had to be bathed each day twice a day. They are very lovely cats and have gorg personalitys but are harder work to care for. And yes its not pleasent when they have a softish pooh as they do require a bit of bathing some times.

I bred colourpoint for 15 years and they were easier to maintain the coat than other persian but I agree with you on darker colours

I've actually bred and shown both. Started out with colourpoints now just on with the bicolours/vans

Thankyou for all your help. So what happens if I do happen to be out when the persian gets a dirty backside and can't wipe it straight away, does the tail shield it or might I come home to find my furniture plastered with poo?

I've spent all day today reading up on the breed and apart from the poo worry, I've decided that I'd love a persian.

What grooming equipment is recommended for a persian please?