Persian cats are smart, agreeable, kind and eagerly play with children, doesn't scratch or bite them, polite and communicative. When a kitten comes in one's house it develops a sense of responsibility for the pussy in children; love to animals appears and remains from early years that is why many people want to keep a cat at home, for their family. Others have a great interest for selection work; they wish to conduct pedigree breeding of "Persians". In any case before get an animal one should understand what for does he do this, because just pure-bred cats and valuable cats for selection differ much in price and exterior.
Nevertheless in both cases everybody certainly wants to take home nice and first of all healthy animal. Therefore we'd like to caution the reader from purchasing animal on Arbat on Pet Market. And the thing is not that often they sale animals with counterfeit documents, half-blooded or with no pedigree at all instead of purebred ones, but that there's a risk to get there an ill kitten.
Many kittens are far from being able to bear many hours at the open air, especially in winter. Afterwards, there's a real opportunity that they were brought already sick, and customers, going by and striking each animal may infect neighbors that are healthy. You admire funny, little and looking trustfully kittens, and it may happen so that unwittingly you'll take one of them and, thinking that you'll bring joy to your house, in fact will deliver a great disaster, if your animal occurs to be ill. Little kittens are very difficult to be cured and some diseases, such as ringworm, toxoplasmosis and echinococcosis are dangerous for children too.
To escape from troubles and get am absolutely healthy and nice pure-bred animal one should turn to a club where an experienced expert will help you acquire a kitten. However such clubs exist not in all towns and cat-fanciers have to rely on their knowledge only. Those that remember the following rules will be lucky.
1. One should get an animal from house where mother-cat lives. Thus you may be sure if that this cat is healthy, if its' kittens are accustomed to toilet and find out if kittens have had any contacts with other animals. Club animals are supplied with a certain certificate of birth or a pedigree.
2. One should take an animal when it is more than two months old; in earlier age a kitten may be ill for long after leaving its' mother. It is very important to make sure that a kitten is taught to eat on one's own. Those who get a kitten for selection should know that a type of breed becomes prominent at three-four months, the very age when all defects and drawbacks show themselves.
3. Before one makes a purchase he should make sure that there's no apparent signs of disease: eyes don't suppurate, nose doesn't run, ears are clear, no bold spots and scrubs on the body, the belly is not inflated, and there's a hair around anus, make sure there's no bad odor in kitten mouth.
4. If you quire a kitten for selection, then make sure it has no any genetic defects: touch tail vertebrae, they must be absolutely straight without any nodules and bents. The bite must be correct, and snout symmetrical. Check that male-kitten has both testicles.
5. A selective animal should agree with the standard. Complicated colorings, such as chinchilla, color-point, smoky are not recommended to buy without advice of an expert.
A pure-bred Persian cat should have big round eyes, small widely placed ears, covered with hair, small nose, very up-turned, with very prominent "stop" - deepening between forehead and nose. A muzzle is necessarily round, nose forehead and chin should be almost in one line. Limbs and tail are short, but it should be mentioned that during growth this proportions might change considerably, though holders should not worry because after some time everything will be restored. Hair should be long, thick and fluffy. The biggest drawback is a small head with muzzle pointed down.
Translated by Tatiana Karpova (Moscow)
(MSU, Biology faculture, Dep. zoology and ecology).