rescued persians

i have agreed to take on 2 persians. the lady who has them was a breeder but has had to give up due to ill health and is having to move to a smaller house.
just wondered if anyone can offer me any advice where persians are concerned. i know they need pretty much 24/7 attention where grooming etc is concerned but is there anything else i need to know. or can any one give me suggestions on the best persian books/websites etc. Oh im excited i get them next week!!!!!!

Are they extremely flat faced or not so extreme?

Mine is extremely flat faced. If yours are, then you will have to wipe their tears and keep their eyes clean. There are products you can by from Petsmart for instance or you can just use warm water. Depends how bad they are. Sometimes their tears are slightly reddish brown. This is normal.

As far as grooming goes, pretty much an everyday thing. It depends how quickley they become matted and where the matts are. Mine get matted under the armpits and on the belly. Some people opt to shave their persians with a little lion haircut for the spring and summer, I don't find that necessary. Mine was shaved when I just rescued him because his matts were horrible. Sometimes I shave his belly and armpits because he isn't too fond of me grooming and picking knots out of that area.

Since yours are from a breeder, they SHOULD be used to plenty of grooming and fussing. If they were shown as well, then this is even more true. How old are they? I hope she fixed them before passing them onto you. Otherwise, that is the first thing you will need to do.

Sorry, I forgot I was posting in the breeders forum. I don't usually post here but the persian topic caught my interest. If you are intending on breeding them, then as long as ya know what u r doing, then obviously, disregard my comment about fixing them.

there is the whole website dedicated to persians, www.persian-cats.com
Basically, persians are laid back and quiet, and love to eat and sleep. I got two of them, and they do play together, but they are not high energy breed, at least mine are not. They also aren't climbers, like some other breeds. Mine are also very quiet and rarely meow. Actually, one never meows, I am not sure he even knows how. The other one does mewo sometimes.
Like already said before me, if they are flat faced, you would need to take care of their eyes by using a little water on a cotton ball. They might also need flat food dishes to eat from. Also, their hair needs brushing. Otherwise, they are just like any other cat.

hi thanks for the info. The cats are not to extremely flat faced i suppose. im so used to the "cominal garden" house cat that its difficult to say! They havent been fixed she is letting me have a male/female pair. they are around 18months old. from what i can remember (i was in a bit of a daze!) She is only letting my mother and myself have breeding pairs as we are used to kittens. my mum has been breeding cats for 6 years. my cats are pretty much house cats apart from going out and doing the usual outside. Is it best to have an outside run for the persians or are they better kept inside 24/7? i have a dining room that we dont use as the lounge doubles up. we were considering making that into the "cat" area during the night. mainly because my cats look at me in disgust if i put a litter tray down! they hate the rain but would rather go out than use a tray!
I shall have a look at the website. im very keen to get stuck in. it was mainly the flat faced thing that was worrying me, dont want to hurt them when i clean them etc.
cheers

I would keep them in 24/7.. But that's my opinion. I feel that ALL cats are safer inside..

Persians are indoor cats. They cannot be outside with such long thick fur. It will get tangled quicker, things get caught in it, the fur itself can get caught in things outside. Also with the faces, they are more prone to get respiratory problems and things like that. They really cannot be kept outdoors. Now, I do occationally let my little old man persian sit in the sun with me on the back patio, but he DOES NOT go anywhere ever.

I would think that if you are going to breed them, it would be pretty irresponsible to let them out of doors on their own. They really cannot go outdoors if they are not fixed, that is just common sense. You could build them an enclosure outside like you suggested, that would be a very good idea. If they have never been outside though, why encourage it? Don't get them started.

Originally Posted by Jen

Persians are indoor cats. They cannot be outside with such long thick fur. It will get tangled quicker, things get caught in it, the fur itself can get caught in things outside. Also with the faces, they are more prone to get respiratory problems and things like that. They really cannot be kept outdoors. Now, I do occationally let my little old man persian sit in the sun with me on the back patio, but he DOES NOT go anywhere ever.

I would think that if you are going to breed them, it would be pretty irresponsible to let them out of doors on their own. They really cannot go outdoors if they are not fixed, that is just common sense. You could build them an enclosure outside like you suggested, that would be a very good idea. If they have never been outside though, why encourage it? Don't get them started.

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Exactly. I don't think any breeder lets their cats outside, as you couldn't even guaranty the paternity of the kittens if you do. Clearly, if you let your purebred breeding cats outside, the kittens they might produce very well could be mixed and not purebred at all.

Laidback? Persians, yeah right!

How long now till you get them? If you have any specific questions - feel free to ask me. I breed Persians and I'm only a PM away.