The *#@!& cat show the other night.

DW and I watched the Cat-Minster cat championships the other night. We noted that three of the ten finalists were Persians. We also heard something said about how rare it was for a shorthair to win. As an owner of both, I do not find this fair, and of course a Persian won. First let me say I have never given Persi a bath and he is two weeks shy of his first birthday. But what we were wondering is how in the world do they get those Persians to look like they have so much hair? I know they get all fluffed up with hair dryers and such but their hair looks so much longer than Persi's. How can this be? Persi is a CFA registered Persian with champion parents. So why does he not have hair as long as the three finalists appeared to have? Is this some type of optical illusion? And, if they really do have hair that long, what is the secret to making your cat have longer hair? Persi is the first and only longhaired I have had and I want his hair to be as long as possible. Is that possible? Also, I heard it said that their hair only counted for 10 out of 100 points. If this is true, then why do longhairs win so much? If it is not care and grooming then what is it? Persi has been down in the dumps since seeing that show.

Uhm...rogaine? Fur extensions?

i don't know but i think cat shows are rigged towards persians.

Its possible that Persi may have some exotic shorthairs in the background of his pedigree. Also some lines have longer hair. And its constant grooming to keep them that way.

I don't know if shaving them down would make it grow back longer. Pet quality persians/himi's would not have the full coat - that's why they are pets

I think its just the lines and how they mesh together more then anything.

I posted about the LH grooming site - perhaps you can email them and ask about the coat length.

Persi,

Some persians just have that WONDERFUL coat factor. It also takes a lot of work to keep them in that coat. Bathing needs to be done, at a minimum just for maintenance, once a month. This removes the skin oils (theirs and from our hands when petting them) and dead hair and keeps the coat healthy. When I do a show bath, it can take 3 hours, from start of bath to completely dry, just for one cat. There is no optical illusion to those coats. There are several points considered for the breed standard. You can find those on the CFA page under the persian breed standard.

You'll need to go to a show sometime and see them up close and in person. You can find the CFA show schedule on their webpage and visit one of the local shows. You might also find a show schedule in one of the cat magazines.

The cats are truly amazing, no matter what the breed.

Haha ... just some points to add...

1. Coat length - my Dum2 comes from Grand Ch lines, he has a ruff and a 4" coat - for him a 6"+ coat is genetically impossible.
2. Show persians are bathed at least weekly if not twice a week and it starts from almost birth!
3. Lynda is right - long coats touching ground is NOT an optical illusion, I've met cats with 8" coats before.
4. Personally speaking, my Dumdum gets a bath every week to 10 days. I only started this regime about 4 months ago and what a world of difference it has made to his coat!
5. Fluffy, cotton coats are dependent on the color of the cat. Cotton coats are expected on white or van persians. Cotton coats are NOT required for other colors.

I recall the COTY (Cat of the Year) Persian from a few years ago...the cat was white and was hand fed from birth to ensure that the coat was not stained. Until now the cat is STILL hand fed!



This kitten was bathed at birth. A quick dip in warm water. He was bathed weekly after that. He is now an adult and his coat touches the floor, you can't see his feet. He's also in DW ranking for CFA International Division Asia. Born and bred in hot and humid Malaysia!

Poor Persi. We still think you are a handsome kitty.

Adilah - An 8" coat?

Yup, 8" coats...scary and I wouldn't want to be the owner!!!

Here's a pic of an almost full coated Himi owned by a dear friend..



BTW, the above Himi is considered show but NOT Top show!

I don't want to upset anyone but I think Persi is more handsome than those top show cats. I think there's hair, and then there's way too much hair, and the top show ones come in the latter category! Just my personal taste and preference mind you. But tell Persi I think he's lovely just the way he is.

Why do you think a lot of us own SHORT hair cats

I read somewhere that baby powder is brushed through their fur to absorb oils and create more volume, too. But since talcum is now known to be toxic, I surely hope they're using cornstarch baby powder only!

It's certainly true that a very fluffy Persian is a beautiful creature -- but so is a cat like Persi, who has not lived the demanding life of a supermodel. And so is a scrawny little shorthaired kitty, for that matter! Cats just can't help being beautiful!

And I can barely muster up the will to do basic maintenance on my own dratted self every day... so it's a good thing my cats don't dream of medals and trophies!

Anyway, I'm sure we can all agree that it's not primarily about beauty -- it's about having happy, healthy kitties who enjoy their lives. For some kitties, the show regime may be a delight... for others, not so much. Each to his own.

And Persi -- you're fabulous!

I knew about the cornstarch powder from the persian people in the show halls. So whenever I mention about using powder on the cats, I do emphasize the cornstarch and say do not use "talc".

I was shocked when I saw that blue persian that won the show. He was like 80% fur!!!

Oh, and Persi, Duke wanted me to tell you that (being his longhaired twin) you're the most gorgeous longhaired cat in the world! (cant say I disagree with him either! )

Originally Posted by tiffanyjbt

I was shocked when I saw that blue persian that won the show. He was like 80% fur!!!

Oh, and Persi, Duke wanted me to tell you that (being his longhaired twin) you're the most gorgeous longhaired cat in the world! (cant say I disagree with him either!

)

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Persi feels much better now!

Persians have just been the most popular breed for ever. And not just in cat shows. As far as the long coat goes.... not every persian is going to have the long flowing coat. Even if they are full bred. And blow drying does amazing things to a long coat! I don't know all the rules of the cat shows but I know there are restrictions as far as what you can and can't put in a coat. Most do use a mixture of baby powder and corn starch to fluff the coat.

I have two persians and I am actually tired of the hair. I love longhair cats but this is too much.
My next cat is going to be short hair. Low maintance.

Originally Posted by Persi

Persi feels much better now!

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Persi is gorgeous.
I really love his photo.
Who am I kidding? My next cat is going to be longhair again.

I think its a matter of "you love them or hate them" - LH's are pretty to look at - just don't want the maintence of them. You get VERY spoiled if you own a rex cat on hair maintence

Maybe your cat just naturally has a shorter coat.

I agree with others that some of these persians have had weekly baths to keep the oils and other factors to keep the fur as light and fluffy as possible. Sometimes these baths can take 3 hours and include multiple shampoos, hot oils along with blow drying and brushing. Persians come in all shapes, sizes, to include hair length. We have 3 persians. All three of them do not have the same hair length. Maya's is about short-medium length, but she has that major fluff factor like most persians I've seen. It's just a matter of her getting brushed more and she loves it. Luna's hair is longer than Maya's, but is not very fluffy. Tedi's hair is the longest. I just had him shaved down because it is TOO long and gets knotted very fast and very easily. His hair is also the oiliest. He was having a hard time keeping himself clean. I'm hoping that with the new hair that comes in, I can wash him, keep him combed nicely and that it won't grow as long.
As far as the show being rigged, I have to disagree with that. Persians are the #1 breed in the world. That is only because of their gentle nature, but they are also the most common pure bred cat. Which is why you are more likely to see more persians in a cat show. http://www.petplace.com/cats/choosin...ian/page1.aspx
All pure bred cats, even within a specific breed, will not all look a like, act alike, or even behave alike. The descriptions of a specific pure breed will mostly describle a majority in that breed, but does not pertain to each single cat in that breed. We do not show any of our cats, but I would love to go to a local cat show one day just to experience it. I'm always amazed at the time and dedication a per owner will go through to show their cat.