The persian is in my opinion is the most beautiful, glamorous cat in the cat world, they are so laid back, gentle and have the sweetest temperament making them the ideal indoor family pet, with a life span of between 12-15 years, having said that I have spoken to a lady whose Persian was 21,  they are a medium to large breed having a cobby body and can be quite heavy, all Persians have different coats some have a long silky coat which does not need as much grooming then you get the thick woolly coats that take a lot of grooming at least once a day the eye's need cleaning every day and ears checking at regular intervals, Persians are also indoor cats so you would need to have a litter tray indoors and would have to be careful with doors and windows so this does not make them the ideal pet for everyone you must think "do I have the time"  if you have you will be rewarded by being owned by a truly stunning cat.

Take time think what colour you like weather you want a male of female, it would be a good idea to do a bit of research there are some very good books about or why not visit a show and see the different colour combination and talk to some breeders you can get details of shows from the g.c.c.f web site  www.gccfcats.org  when looking for a kitten do not be shy about asking breeders questions most breeders prefer you to do so, ask about any health problems, make sure they are p.k.d (polycystic kidney disease) tested you will need to see proof of this, and kittens should be fully inoculated, wormed, all correct paper work, when viewing kittens they should be friendly, playful of good size and weight ( I always say they should look like little Tonka trucks) avoid any sickly looking kittens, make sure you see mum and possibly dad.

It is always a good idea to keep up your insurance for the sake of a few pound a month it is well worth it, it's not very often you get problems but as with most breeds of cats and dogs you do get them, I have mentioned p.k.d which is a very nasty disease in Persians, most reputable breeders are tested for this now, Persians do get runny eye's which is nothing to worry about this is why daily cleaning is a must, although I have recently found out about corneal sequestrum apparently this is due to the conformation of the cat, with them being flat faced and having quite big eye's it could possibly be due to eye lashes turning inwards, it starts as a pigment on the eye it is easily removed but quite an expensive procedure so it is worth when have your yearly check up getting the eye's checked too, it is very unlikely you would experience any problem most Persians have a long and healthy life.

THE SMOKE

The Smoke Persian is one of the most glamorous and has the most striking pattern of all the Persian colours, there are six separate colours Black, Blue, Red, Cream, Tortie & Blue/Cream in repose the Smoke appears to be a solid colour, in motion the coat will part giving glimpses of a startling white undercoat, all should have a silver ruff and ear tuffs, the perfect balance of undercoat to overcoat and overall colour balance can usually only be seen 6-8 week annually, this is probably the reason Smokes are so rare in this country, all Smokes have bright copper colour eye's