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 Named
after similarly marked Himalayan rabbits, Himalayan cats have the
best of both worlds: the striking pointed markings of the Siamese
and the long, luxurious coat, cobby body, trademark short nose,
large round eyes and small ears of the Persian. With blue eyes
gorgeous enough to make any copper-eyed Persian jealous, they are
truly a sight to behold. The
Himalayan has the stocky body type, long hair, and placid
temperament of the Persian, but has the pointed pattern of the
Siamese. The breed started in the 1930s when breeders wanted to
blend the body type of the Persian cat with the striking
colorpoint markings of the Siamese.
Breed Description
Head: very
large and round head
Eyes: deep
vivid blue eyes
Neck: short,
strong neck.
Body: large
chunky build with lots of short features thus Himalayans have
short, well-rounded cobby bodies
Paw: short,
thick legs.
Tail: short,
bushy tail
Coat: longhaired
cat with a long, flowing coat sometimes measuring six to seven
inches long. The breed is said to be easier to groom than its
Persian cousins. With a topcoat inclined to silkiness, and an
undercoat somewhat not as woolly, the Himalayan coat is much less
prone to matting.
History
Known
for their affable personality, Himalayans are truly a 20th-century
phenomenon. Genetic researchers in Sweden in the 1920s and later
Dr. Clyde Keeler at Harvard University in the 1930s conducted
experiments to determine whether the pointed pattern of the
Siamese could be genetically passed to a longhaired cat, the
Persian.
"It took two generations of breeding; [Dr. Keeler]
produced a male and female from a Siamese bred to a Persian. These
two unrelated cats (color-point carriers) were then bred and
produced the first longhair, color-pointed offspring," Betz says.
Because the pointed gene is a recessive trait, both parents must
carry it to produce a color point, Betz continues. Even then,
there is only a one-in-four chance of producing a color-pointed
cat.
This new breed came to the attention of Virginia Cobb of Newton
Cattery in Newton, Mass., and Marguerita Goforth, a CFA judge and
artist in California, who both helped establish the Himalayan in
the United States during the mid-1950s. Meanwhile, Mrs. S. M.
Harding of Ming Chiu Cattery and Brian Sterling-Webb helped
establish the Persian/Siamese in Great Britain. Known there as the
Colorpoint Longhair, it was accepted as a breed in 1955.
Behavior
In
personality, the Himalayan is a friendly, affectionate and
mischievous cat. Easy going, gentle and friendly with humans and
other pet animals, a Himalayan makes an adaptable pet. They are
extremely playful cats always in the middle of all their human's
activities, and express themselves with a wonderful melodious
voice. Their quiet disposition, sweet pansy-faced expression and
appealing blue eyes have make the Himalayan one of the most
beloved of all pedigree cats. Himalayan owners find the breed
irresistible and usually have more than one Himmie in their
household.
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