The Persian cats are a breed all their own and the most popular cat in America. They have many special qualities and unique habits, which help to make them the most popular and beloved cat in America.

Cat owners around the world have discovered the many benefits of becoming friends to the furry feline.

Cats were probably not domesticated until approximately 5,000-8000 short years ago (this compares to 14,000 years of domestication for their canine counterparts). Cats first appeared some 35-40 million years ago according to fossil discoveries. In Egypt, cats were worshipped as goddesses. They felt the Goddess Bast controlled the heat of the sun. This was shown as a statue of a woman's body with a feline's head. The Egyptians also believed the cat was the daughter of Isis and the Goddess of the Sun and the Moon. The glow from cat's eyes held captive the light of the sun according to the Egyptians. Cats that belonged to the Egyptian pharaohs were mummified alongside them. This fact probably proved cats were held in great esteem by the Egyptians. They made carved wooden figurines, jewelry and furniture in the form of the fair feline. All these items have been found among the possessions of ancient Egyptians.

Cats were not only cherished for their extreme beauty. Humans found them to be very helpful in controlling rodent populations, which protected precious grain and food supplies. Cats proved to be an asset to almost every community in which humans settled. However, the world soon discovered not all cats are the same.

This mysterious creature comes in all shapes and sizes, colors and temperaments. Before the 1600's, the only cats appearing in Europe and the rest of the world all had short hair. You can just imagine the surprise and ultimate delight of those who came across the first luxurious longhaired cats.

It is difficult for cat historians to determine exactly when Persians first found their way into civilization. In fact, it is a general consensus among cat historians:

• We do not know the exact origins of the Persian
• We do not know how they came into existence
• We do not know where they were first developed

Persians are a mystery, and probably due mostly to people not keeping records.

Some facts historians can tell us about the Persian are:

• A man named Petro della Valle is accredited with introducing the first longhaired cats into Europe
• Della Valle brought several pairs from the land of Persia (known today as Iran) to Italy in approximately 1620
• The name "Persian" is derived from the area in which they were discovered
• For many years following the discovery of longhaired felines, Europeans referred to all longhaired cats as Persians or Angoras
• Angoras was brought to Turkey by a Frenchman named Nicholas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc
• There was a difference between these two types of cats: Persians and Angoras: the Persian cats had fuller, woollier coats and were stockier, while the Angoras from Turkey had a silkier coat of fur and a lighter frame
• Longhaired cats were the result of, or even a mutation of, cross-breeding between the furry European wild cat and the Steppe Cat, discovered by the German naturalist, Peter Simon Pallas
• The long, dense hair was necessary for these felines to protect themselves from the cold Asian environments of Persia and Angora

Source: Persian Cats by Sandra L. Toney, published by T.F.H., the world's largest and most respected publisher of pet literature

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