Persian kitty question

[filfilksq]

Thanks everyone! You know, at first I was hesitant because of the long hair, but it hasn't been a huge a chore as I had feared. In fact, I find it kind of therapeutic myself to brush/tend her.

I had looked for a comb both at the stores and the vet, but to no avail. We're in a smaller town over here, I may need to have someone bring one from the States. Are the matt combs I've read about (the ones with the small blades down on the tines) particularly helpful? Any other tools I should look into getting?

Thanks again!

Kate

[filfilksq]

Can I also ask a possibly stupid question -- how do you tell the difference between blue and gray in a cat? I looked at the Blue Persian Cat Society website, and they had some pics in there that looked a lot like my kitty -- even some with similar ear hair!

http://www.bluepersiancatsociety.co.uk/

[WellingtonCats]

Originally Posted by otto

She's gorgeous. Yes I would definitely say she has other breed in her though the name that give her that unusual look escapes me at the moment.

You may not be the one who initially rescued her but you gave her a forever home and that counts as rescue.

She is clearly living the good life. Looks like you keep her coat well groomed. Do your children help you brush her? How much does she weigh? I'm wondering how much is fur and how much is cat!

Coming from the only active Persian breeder on this website, yup she's definitely a Persian!

We love ear fluff!!

Originally Posted by filfilksq

Can I also ask a possibly stupid question -- how do you tell the difference between blue and gray in a cat? I looked at the Blue Persian Cat Society website, and they had some pics in there that looked a lot like my kitty -- even some with similar ear hair!

http://www.bluepersiancatsociety.co.uk/

Gray is a slang term for Blue cats

[GoldenKitty45]

The common term for Blue is grey - most people that really are not into cats use grey for Blue and orange for Red colors.

Another is tan for Cream

Don't worry - if you stay in here long enough we'll "correct" you Especially me! I'm big on using the correct color terms on cats.

[filfilksq]

So I was looking on a Persian cat website (I think it was a breeder site) and they talked about blue persians and silver persians. Now I would have thought gray would be slang for silver, apparently not, lol. So how do you tell the difference between blue and silver, and do the taupe/tan (wait, that would be "cream", right?) markings on my kitty provide any help with determining her color?

Thanks for bearing with me, I'm feeling rather dense...

[otto]

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

The common term for Blue is grey - most people that really are not into cats use grey for Blue and orange for Red colors.

Another is tan for Cream

Don't worry - if you stay in here long enough we'll "correct" you Especially me! I'm big on using the correct color terms on cats.

Yes, me too. It drives me crazy when people call Red Cats "orange"! LOL!

[otto]

Originally Posted by filfilksq

So I was looking on a Persian cat website (I think it was a breeder site) and they talked about blue persians and silver persians. Now I would have thought gray would be slang for silver, apparently not, lol. So how do you tell the difference between blue and silver, and do the taupe/tan (wait, that would be "cream", right?) markings on my kitty provide any help with determining her color?

Thanks for bearing with me, I'm feeling rather dense...

I would call your Natasha blue with cream. Silver IS silver, there is a distinct difference.

[Bunnelina]

It's a little hard to see her pretty face in the photos, but it looks like she has a "real" nose, so she might be a Doll-Face Persian. These Persians look more like the very earliest examples of the breed, before the peke-faced look with the totally flat profile became the breed standard. Her ears look like my cats' ears.

I have two Doll Face Persians, and they are fabulous! They are both playful and talkative teenagers, and as charming as they are beautiful.

Congratulations!

[otto]

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

I don't think she's really mixed - she's a Persian.

Originally Posted by FerrisCat

I agree with GK, I don't see anything that would indicate she's a mix.

Originally Posted by WellingtonCats

Coming from the only active Persian breeder on this website, yup she's definitely a Persian!

I stand corrected!

Originally Posted by Bunnelina

It's a little hard to see her pretty face in the photos, but it looks like she has a "real" nose, so she might be a Doll-Face Persian. These Persians look more like the very earliest examples of the breed, before the peke-faced look with the totally flat profile became the breed standard. Her ears look like my cats' ears.

I have two Doll Face Persians, and they are fabulous! They are both playful and talkative teenagers, and as charming as they are beautiful.

Congratulations!

Perhaps that's what threw me off. I didn't think her face was all that "smushed". In fact I thought I saw some oriental in her. My tiny little Ootay (rb 5/09), I was told many times, had some Persian in her judging by her pushed in face, I never saw it myself. I know someone who has adopted five and fosters other rescued persians and they all have the "smushed" faces, at least, all the ones she's rescued so far..

Very interesting thread!

[filfilksq]

I'm really not one to judge about the nose, if I can I'll try to get a shot of her face and post it. She did have her neck hair trimmed to remove some small matts, which I think has given her whole face a different look. I mean, before you couldn't see her chin at all and now she has a little chin with some fuzz on it. Her nose is a lot flatter than the typical American shorthair cat (the only other kind I've owned), but I'm not sure if it's the "right" flatness, kwim?

[GoldenKitty45]

She would be a "pet quality" Persian with the longer nose. I really hate the term "doll-faced" - some market pet Persians as that so they can get high prices - its not the standard for the Persian, but not all Persians will have the extreme face for the show ring. There are pet quality Persians born in reputable breeders cats.

The cream patches mixed in her coat make her a Blue-Cream (some call it Dilute Tortoiseshell which is the same color). A Silver is white with black tipping on the ends of the hair. Those are known as Shaded Silvers. You also can have a Silver Tabby in Persians which is silver/white coat with black tabby markings.

Here is a picture of a Shaded Silver and a Silver Tabby Persian.

http://www.hugostar.com/female-info.asp?ID=3
This is actual a Silver Tabby Exotic SH (the shorthair version of a Persian)

Shaded Silvers - some are more of a Chinchilla with very little tipping - the shaded have darker tipping on the coats.

http://www.wyndcreste.com/franciscan..._silvers.shtml

[NorthernGlow]

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

A Silver is white with black tipping on the ends of the hair. Those are known as Shaded Silvers. You also can have a Silver Tabby in Persians which is silver/white coat with black tabby markings.

You can also have other than black silvers, i.e. blue silvers, red silvers, well actually any color+silver. You can tell the difference from solid color to silver when you look at the roots of the cats fur. In silvers there's clearly visible part where the tipping ends and the rest of the hair looks like pure white.