Persians
The first documented ancestors of the Persian were imported from Persia into Italy in 1620 by Pietro della Valle, and from Turkey into France by Nicholas- laude Fabri de Peiresc at around the same time. From France, they soon reached Britain. The longhaired cats from Persia were interbred with Turkish Angoras. Their appearance then differed greatly from today's standard. Hundreds of years of selective breeding made Persians cobby cats with a drastically shorter muzzle. In general, it's not clear when longhaired cats first appeared, as there are no African Wildcats, who are believed to be ancestors of domesticated cats, with long fur. There are claims that the gene responsible for long hair was introduced through hybridization with Pallas cat. Recent research, however, refutes this theory.
|
Persian History
