Videos Himalayan Breed Information
The Himalayan, also called colorpoint
Persian and colloquially referred to as
Himmy, is a breed of cat
with extremely long, fluffy fur, and the blue eyes and the points of a Siamese. Himalayan is the American
term, while in Europe they are referred to as colorpoint
Persians.
They were bred from Siamese (for the markings) and Persians (for coat-length and
temperament), and share the characteristics of both breeds.
Himalayans are now considered the same breed for cat registries
(CFA), (TICA) as the modern Persian show cat since they have the exact same
conformation with a pointed coat.
The body of a Himalayan is white or cream, but the points come
in many different colors: blue, brown, lilac, chocolate, flame, red
and cream. The points can also be tabby or tortoiseshell-patterned.
Both the chocolate and lilac point Himalayan are the most difficult
to produce. These color traits are autosomal recessive, meaning
both parents must possess the gene in order for any offspring to
express the trait.
These cats are sweet-tempered, intelligent, very social and good
companions. Because of their heritage from the Siamese cats they
tend to be more active than ordinary Persians. They are more prone
to hairballs than other breeds. Due to the amount of inbreeding
involved in breeding these cats commercially, they are prone to
genetic deformities and have a greater likelihood for developing
inherited problems such as joint problems, organ abnormalities, and
particularly Polycystic
kidney disease among other diseases.
Like many long-haired cats, Himalayans need to be brushed daily
to keep their coats looking their best and healthiest. In addition,
they may need their face wiped daily, depending on the cat. Bathing
a Himalayan is also recommended by some breeders, to help reduce
the amount of oil on the cats fur and skin.
1. Himalayan Cats In The Media
* Mr. Jinx was the pet Himalayan cat of Robert DeNiro in the
movies Meet the Parents
(2000) and Meet the
Fockers (2004).
* In the movies Homeward Bound:
The Incredible Journey (1993) and Homeward Bound II: Lost in San
Francisco (1996), one of the main characters is a
Himalayan cat named Sassy (voiced by Sally Field).
* In the spoof film, Date Movie
(2006) Mr. Jinxers is a parody of his Meet the Parents
counterpart.
* The main character of the anime/manga Prince of Tennis, Ryoma Echizen, owns a playful, mischievous
and surprisingly smart Himalayan cat named Karupin (or Kalpin in
the english translation), to whom he's very attached.
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".
Taken or modified, in whole or part, from Wikipedia.org
