Himalayan
Himalayan History
- Himalayan cats owe their origins to responsible breeders who carefully crossbred two popular breeds: Persians to Siamese to create a new hybrid breed with Siamese point coloring and a Persian's long hair.
- A British breeder named Brian Sterling-Webb devoted 10 years to create a longhaired color point cat and earned breed recognition from the Governing Council of Cat Fancy in 1955. Two years later, Marguerita Goforth, a California breeder, successfully petitioned the Cat Fanciers Association to recognize the Himalayan as a new breed. CFA recognized four Himalayan colors - seal point, chocolate point, blue point and lilac point.
- In 1966, the first Himalayan earned a CFA grand championship title.
- In 1984, the CFA combined the Himalayan and Persian breeds, making the Himalayan a separate division of the Persian breed, which ranks No. 1 in popularity among its 41 recognized breeds.
Himalayan Behavior Concerns
- This gentle, quiet, sweet-tempered breed is a little more active than Persians and a little less active than Siamese. They welcome playtime, but also enjoy warming laps.
- Himalayans are intelligent and polite, especially when meeting houseguests.
- They are not overly vocal, but speak more in a melodious tone than a demanding meow.
- This breed, when properly introduced, co-exists nicely with other cats and dogs.
- Himalayans prefer being "four on the floor" type cats rather than climbing up on high places or leaping.
Look of Himalayans
- This breed's head features a round face, big, round blue eyes, small, round-tipped ears, short, snub nose and a well-developed chin.
- The cobby type body is heavily boned with sturdy, short thick legs, round paws and a short tail that is in proportion to its body length.
- The long, fluffy coat is thick and of fine texture. The body is white or cream, however the points come in a wide range of solid colors or tabby or tortoiseshell patterns. Flame points and tortoiseshell points rank as them most popular Himalayan looks.
Grooming Himalayan Cats
- Himalayans require daily brushing to keep their longhaired coats from developing tangles and mats.
- You also need to wipe the face daily with a damp washcloth to prevent eye tear staining.
Suggested Nutritional Needs for Himalayan
- This breed has no special nutritional needs, but benefits by being fed high-quality commercial diets.
Fun Facts of Himalayans
- A Himalayan named Mr. Jinx was the feline star in the movies, Meet the Parents and Meet the Fockers that starred Robert DeNiro and Ben Stiller. This breed is a popular choice in many other Hollywood flicks, including Date Movie, Homeward Bound and Prince of Tennis.
- Martha Stewart owns seven Himalayan cats, all named after famous composers.
- Also known as colorpoint Persians in Europe and affectionately as "Himmy" worldwide.
