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Interested in having a persian cat

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3.7K views 15 replies 13 participants last post by  OrientalSlave  
#1 ·
Hello, newbie here :eek: I've been recommended to this forum and wondered if there any owners of Persian cats on here please, that I may ask your advice please?

I am thinking about adopting a Persian cat, from a Persian rescue home.

I am an experienced cat owner, and currently have 1 cat (from the RSPCA and non-pedigree) but I have no experience of Persians.

I’ve been researching about the breed online, but there is nothing like having advice from people who actually have them of course!

Could anyone give me their personal insight on their general temperament please? are they chatty, lazy, playful? Any medical conditions that are common to the breed? Do they generally take to other cats like my own who are non-persian? I would like to adopt an older cat, rather than a kitten.

We are out the house about 9 hours a day Mon-Fri, although my son is around a bit more as he’s at college and doesn’t go in every day. Would that be a problem, as I know some cats are more human ‘needy’ than others.

I would be grateful for your thoughts please, thanking you in advance
 
#2 ·
Hi! Welcome to the forum :) There are a few Persian owners here. I have moggies so can't help you regarding caring for one personally but just wanted to reply to your thread just to welcome you and say hi!

Lots of people recommend if you have an exotic breed to keep them as house cats and of course a Persian needs regular grooming to keep their magnificent coat in tip top condition :)
 
#4 ·
Hi! Welcome to the forum :) There are a few Persian owners here. I have moggies so can't help you regarding caring for one personally but just wanted to reply to your thread just to welcome you and say hi!

Lots of people recommend if you have an exotic breed to keep them as house cats and of course a Persian needs regular grooming to keep their magnificent coat in tip top condition :)
Thank you :)
 
#6 ·
Hello and welcome to the forum :)

I have two persians and they are like chalk and cheese :lol:

Chatty, lazy, playful? They can be all those things!

Molly ...... a typical naughty tortie! She loves a cuddle, she also likes to bite given half a chance :rolleyes: Is a very quiet cat, has the most pitiful meow. She loves to cause trouble, knocks things off the side, just because she can :D She makes us laugh on a daily basis! Useless at climbing!

Manny ..... wouldn't know how to get in trouble if he tried. Very cuddly, doesn't like strangers, talks for England! Likes to climb, latest trick is to balance on top of a door given half the chance :eek:

Both need grooming, Manny's fur is very soft so is very easy to maintain and he loves to be groomed! Molly's fur is quite course and gets knotted very easy, and she hates it! So wish it was the other way round :lol:

Persian eyes need to be well looked after, but again it's quite easy to do.

They really do need to be indoor cats as they tend not to be streetwise! They are a bit stupid!

Molly was an only cat, and at the time, me and the OH worked full time and tbh she was quite happy. Now we have Manny, we work different shifts and they are very rarely alone. I think this is what made Manny a bit clingy and wary of other people :eek:

For more in depth persian knowledge Manny's breeder Carly is a member here, and she knows a lot more than me! :D Hopefully she will post when she sees this thread.
 
#7 ·
Hi there

Is your existing cat indoors-only or do they go out? Do they use a cat flap? Because a Persian really needs to be indoors only, unless you have a garden which is totally secured with cat-proof netting on top of the fence... they can get stolen and also easily run over, they are quite docile and lazy and also their long fur would get awfully matted every day with all the leaves and dirt from outdoors in it!

I know from experience it is difficult having an outdoor cat AND indoor cats, but can be done if your garden is secure or you have a cat run. I wouldn't let a Persian out to roam though, far too risky.

They do need daily grooming or they can get painful matts.

They can be prone to PKD kidney disease but they should be screened for this by their breeder. The ones with flatter faces can have problems with runny eyes which need cleaning quite often.

If you definitely still want a Persian, carly87 breeds them or Rushden Persian Rescue rescues adult Persians... :)
 
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#8 ·
Sorry if there is an obvious answer but why is that?
Pedigree cats are really prone to theft. Lately I was seeing on the local Gumtree type equivalent, someone selling two Siamese cats, seemingly unrelated, for a fairly cheap price (150 euro each) with no information about them at all, not even gender, just one photo of each. They had all the other "warning" signs - a brand new account, no information but a mobile number - and the only other things they were selling were a few random loose car stereos and a couple of satnavs. I actually found this because I was looking for a replacement car stereo, and had been warned against these type of users! :eek:

Have to say there is also a disproportionate number of "missing" signs up for Bengals around here. It's crazy but when you see a missing cat poster it's more than half the time a Bengal. I don't know if it's because they wander and get hit by cars or are big targets of theft - or both.

Anyway, welcome to the forums Bagpussbear! I hope you find the right Persian for you, or discover a similar breed/cat you'll love. :thumbup1:
 
#10 ·
I thought I had a Persian...turns out I've got maybe a birman/ragdoll/Persian cross........ but as I partly OWN one cat - She's the biggest baby in the world. Thinks she's human, snuggles under the quilt and lays on the pillow like she's human, chats all day long to you and purrs consistantly even if she's sleeping....

She has a nice habit of getting food all down her gorgeous lovely long coat which I now groom and clean on a daily basis.

Her eyes always get cr@p in them within a few days, so reguarly clean her eyes for her every few days too and trim her claws when they need doing

Persians are gorgeous cats, so you go rescue one :) :thumbup1:

Whatever you do...don't let it out. They really aren't streetwise, Bugsy attempted a go in the rain yesterday and it scared her so much she run in the house and under the bed for hours ~:lol: x
 
#11 · (Edited)
Hi, welcome to the forum :D

In my experience Persians are friendly gentle cats. They do chat but they voices tend to be high pitched more of a squeak really.

They are a very playful breed, this is what surprised me most because I had assumed that they snootily laid around looking elegant and do very little else ... how wrong I was. They are the first to come forward if you pick up a toy and they are more willing to be active at any time of the day than my other cats who look at me as if I've lost the plot if I try to play in the afternoon. Also whenever anything living comes into the house it is fair game and will be caught and killed. My Persians leap to fantastic heights to down a fly.

You must buy a Persian that comes from PKD tested negative lines and ask to see the clearance certificates. I received copies of the certificates when I bought my Persians. PKD is Polycystic Kidney Disease, and it is a killer. All responsible Persian breeders test for this and only breed from negative parents. This could be an issue when getting one from rescue though as chances are you won't know the cats breeding or history.

My Persians took instantly to my non Persian cats and in fact have never caused a squabble, bullied or fought with any of the other cats, however each cat is different of course, and both of mine were kittens when they arrived so it was easier to integrate them.

Persians are indoor cats. You will end up with a matted mess if they go outside. If they get damp, they will matt, if they pick up a small leaf they will matt ... you see the issues. I do allow my Persians into my cat proofed garden on bone-dry days and run a comb over them when they come back in.

That coat ... it must be groomed every day, however it only takes about 5 minutes. I first comb with a metal comb (sometimes called a greyhound comb) and then with a slicker brush (sometimes called a pin brush). Persians can be naughty to groom, but if they are taught by they breeders from an early age it is a lot easier. You will also find that you will need to wash your Persian from time to time, I was told to wash mine once a month, although I don't do it that often.

Persians can have a sensitive tummy but I have found that feeding top quality food such as Grau and Animonda Carny helps to prevent this. They will end up with soaking wet faces and bibs if you let them drink from a normal water bowl, I bought a Water-Well dog travel bowl and this stopped this problem in it tracks.

Unless you buy an open faced Persian you will need to clean the eyes because Persians tend to tear a lot and this stains the fur. I wipe the eyes with eye wipes every day and use a product such as Eye Envy to help keep the area stain free. Some Persians have worse tearing than others so you will have to play it by ear.

Phew!! That's all I can think of right now. I wish you luck with your new feline friend.
 
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#12 ·
Oops, sorry! Didn't see this!

Persians are like any other cat in that they have different personalities and characters. For instance, I have one who lies around like a lazy big flump, one who isn't happy unless they are cuddled into a person, one who won't sit on a lap when you want them to, but will when they want to, one who charges around the place like a naughty kid fired up on E numbers, and one who loves everybody and everything even when it doesn't love them back, and purrs as soon as you look in their general direction. They do love to play, but won't pester you for it like some cats will, and don't get particularly naughty if you ask them to wait until you're ready to play, rather than doing it on command.

Some tend to be messy eaters, particularly those with a bigger coat. I have found that elevating their food bowls on a feeding station cuts right down on the amount of food they can smear on themselves. As someone else has mentioned, they aren't the brightest of cats, and that really is putting it politely. They must not be allowed out under any circumstances as they just don't have the street smarts to survive even in a quiet area (mine would quite happily go home with any random stranger, and do try and cosy up to dogs).

Even the open faced Persians will have eye staining, but it's much more obvious on the reds, creams and whites than most other colours. It's easily managed with twice daily cleaning. The coat will need a daily groom, but I find that the better the diet you feed, the less intense the grooming needs to be. Even my biggest coated girl just gets a quick going over and she's done, but when she was fed on dry, it was a daily 15 minute job to keep her knot free.

PKD is a prevalent condition in the breed, and I would not be taking on a cat who wasn't DNA PKD clear, as it will only lead to heartache.
 
#13 ·
My persian Mr Fuzzy is a rescue :) here he is



:001_wub: :001_wub: :001_wub:

He is a very loving boy .......at night :D and snuggles in the bed with me :) he doesn't like being picked up though sadly which is a shame as I'd love to cuddle him in my arms.

His eyes never need cleaning :) he's black as you can see but it's not that you can't see any staining, he just doesn't have any :)

His coat is a lot of work in the winter when it's at its biggest but that's because he has access to the garden which he loves ( secure cat run ) he loves being groomed except on his tummy :eek: so every 6 months or so he goes to a groomer for them to deal with any tummy tangles :)
 
#15 ·
Hi! Greetings, and welcome to the forum :) There are a few Persian property owners in this area. I have moggies, so I can't advise you on how to care for one, but I just wanted to say hello and welcome you to the forum!

Many people advise keeping exotic breeds as house cats, and a Persian, of course, need regular brushing to keep their gorgeous hair in tip-top shape.
 
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