Exotic Shorthair Cat
Origin and History

The Exotic Shorthair Cat happened quite by accident, and what a glorious 'accident' it was!

In the 1950's cat breeders of the American Shorthair started introducing the magnificent longhaired Persian cat into the American Shorthair bloodlines. The aim or the purpose of this crossbreeding program was twofold:

• To introduce the stunning green eyes and silver coat of the Chinchilla into the American Shorthair bloodlines
• To improve the American Shorthair body-type, by making it a heavier more robust cat.

The result of these matings, did not achieve what the American Shorthair Cat Breeders had originally set out to achieve. Whilst the coat-type was achieved, the body-type and certainly the face shape and type were far from ideal. Despite this, the offspring of these domestic cats were very handsome.

The Persian cat and American Shorthair cat breeders were, to say the least, not happy with what they called an 'illicit' crossbreeding program. In the 1960's it was agreed that the offspring of the breeding program should be recognized as a separate breed and thus came about the Exotic Shorthair cat breed.

Over the years, breeders utilized a number of breeds to further develop the Exotic. The Russian Blue cat and Burmese cat were commonly used. As the intention of the breeding program was to eventually align the breed standard of the Exotic with the Persian Cat breed standard, breeders were careful not to introduce any Oriental-type bloodlines.

During the 1970's the Exotic Shorthair breed standard was amended. Today, the breed standard corresponds with the Persian cat breed standard in every way except for coat length. The Exotic is considered a shorthaired cat and the Persian a longhaired cat. Since 1987, the only allowable outcross is the Persian - Russian Blue cats and Burmese cats are no longer permitted.

Interestingly, a mating between two Exotics does occasionally produce longhaired kittens. Some Cat registries class these offspring as Persians, whilst others deem them to be pets. The CFA refer to them as Longhaired Exotics whilst FiFe call them Persians. The GCCF in the United Kingdom, do in fact class the Exotic with the Persian Longhair.

These 'Exotic Persian Cats', as they are called by some, have become exceptionally popular - in some instances, at the expense of the Persian cat. They are fairly common in the United States and the United Kingdom and are slowly conquering the hearts of breeders and cat lovers in Europe. The Exotic cat is considered one of the top 10 most popular cat breeds.

Related Cat Pages:

Exotic Cat - valuable cat facts and information

Exotic Short Hair Cat Breeders - international breeder's directory

Exotic Cat Photos - beautiful pictures of cute cats and kittens