Videos Exotic Shorthair Breed Information
Country of origin -
United States
Breed standards -
AACE CFA(*) TICA(*) FIFe(*)
Breeders crossed the American Shorthair with the Persian in the
United States around 1960. Thus were born shorthaired Persians,
called Exotic Shorthairs and recognized by the
C.F.A in 1966. During the breeding program, crosses were also made
with the Russian Blue and the Burmese. Since 1987, the only
allowable outcross breed is the Persian. The F.I.Fe. recognized the
Exotic Shorthair in 1986. They have nearly the
same body as the Persian, but a thick, dense short coat. They
appeal to people who like the personality of a Persian but do not
want the hassle of grooming a long-haired cat. They are also known
as "The Lazy Man's Persian"
1. Appearance
The Exotic has a compact, rounded, powerfully-built body with a
short, thick "linebacker"
neck. Its large round eyes, short snub nose, sweet facial
expression, and small ears give it a highly neotenic appearance that many people consider
cute.
2. Description
Head: Round, massive. Very broad skull. Rounded
forehead. Round, full cheeks. Short, broad, round muzzle. Short,
broad nose with pronounced stop. Strong chin. Broad, powerful
jaws.
Ears: Small, rounded at the tip, not too open
at the base. Widely spaced and well-furnished with hair on the
inside.
Eyes: Large, round, well-spaced. Pure, deep
color corresponding to that of the coat (gold to copper in most
varieties; green in the chinchilla and the golden; blue in the
white and the colorpoint).
Neck: Short and thick.
Body: Medium in size, cobby, low to the ground.
Broad chest. Massive shoulders. Large-boned, powerful muscles.
Weight: 3,5 - 6 kilogram.
Paw: Short, straight, and large. Round, large
paws. Tufts of hair between the toes are desirable.
Tail: Short, thick, carried low. Rounded
tip.
Coat: Shorthaired but slightly longer than that
of other shorthaired breeds. Dense, fluffy, erect hair. All Persian
colors are recognized.
3. Character
The Exotic Shorthair has a gentle and calm personality
reminiscent of the Persian, but it is livelier than his longhaired
ancestor. Curious and playful, it is friendly to other cats and
dogs. it rarely meows. it doesnt like being left alone, and needs
the presence of its owner (or of voices or smells reminiscent of
its master-such as a radio kept on). They tend to show more
affection and loyalty than most breeds and make excellent lap
cats. Their calm and steady nature makes them ideal apartment cats
for city dwellers. Nonetheless, Exotics retain some of the
energetic spark of their American Shorthair forbears and they are
often capable mouse hunters.
4. Care and grooming
Unlike the high-maintenance Persian, the Exotic is able to keep
its own fur tidy with little human
assistance, though weekly brushing and combing is recommended to
remove loose hair and reduce shedding and hairballs.
As with other flat-faced
animals, the Exotic's tears are prone
to overflowing the nasolacrimal
duct, dampening and staining the face. This can be relieved by
periodically wiping the cat's face with a cloth moistened with
water or one of the commercial preparations
made expressly for the purpose.
This robust and healthy breed does not reach maturity until
around two years of age and enters puberty fairly late. When two
Exotic Shorthairs are crossed, they may produce longhaired kittens
called Exotic Longhairs by the C.F.A. but considered Persian by
other registering bodies. Externally they look like Persians.
Copyright (c) 2008 Kitt Killion Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".
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