BREED STANDARDS

STANDARDS SHOW QUALITY PERSIANS

GENERAL: the ideal Persian should present an impression of a heavily boned, well-balanced cat with a sweet expression and soft, round lines. The large round eyes set wide apart in a large round head contribute to the overall look and expression. The long thick coat softens the lines of the cat and accentuates the roundness in appearance.

HEAD: round and massive, with great breadth of skull. Round face with round underlying bone structure. Well set on a short, thick neck. Skull structure to be smooth and round to the touch and not unduly exaggerated from where the forehead begins at the top of the break to the back of the head, as well as across the breadth between the ears. When viewed in profile, the prominence of the eyes is appar- ent and the forehead, nose, and chin appear to be in vertical align- ment.

NOSE: short, snub, and broad, with “break” centered between the eyes.

CHEEKS: full. Muzzle not overly pronounced, smoothing nicely into the cheeks.

JAWS: broad and powerful.

CHIN: full, well-developed, and firmly rounded, reflecting a proper bite.

EARS: small, round tipped, tilted forward, and not unduly open at the base. Set far apart, and low on the head, fitting into (without dis- torting) the rounded contour of the head.

EYES: brilliant in color, large, round, and full. Set level and far apart, giving a sweet expression to the face.

BODY: of cobby type, low on the legs, broad and deep through the chest, equally massive across the shoulders and rump, with a well- rounded mid-section and level back. Good muscle tone with no evi- dence of obesity. Large or medium in size. Quality the determining consideration rather than size.

LEGS: short, thick, and strong. Forelegs straight. Hind legs are straight when viewed from behind.

PAWS: large, round, and firm. Toes carried close, five in front and four behind .

TAIL: short, but in proportion to body length. Carried without a curve and at an angle lower than the back.

COAT: long and thick, standing off from the body. Of fine texture, glossy and full of life. Long all over the body, including the shoul- ders. The ruff immense and continuing in a deep frill between the front legs. Ear and toe tufts long.