Believe it or not, Persians and Himalayan cats come in two different face forms. They are all flat faced, but some breeds may be more smashed than others. The traditional Persians are also known as Doll Faced. I for one, have a doll face Himalayan! Show cat breeders look for and want a more smashed in look, for whatever reason I don’t know. The smashed faces cause health problems and sight problems for the cats.
A show-quality Persian has an extremely long thick coat, short legs, a wide head with the ears set far apart, large eyes, and an extremely foreshortened muzzle.
Persian have been the most popular cat breed in the world for quite a long time.
The first documented ancestors of the Persian were imported from Persia into Italy in 1620 by Pietro della Valle, and from Turkey into France by Nicholas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc at around the same time. From France they soon reached Britain. The longhaired cats from Persia were interbred with Turkish Angoras. Their appearance then differed greatly from today’s standard. Hundreds of years of selective breeding made Persians cobbier cats with drastically shorter muzzle.
This poor show Persian looks like it would rather be elsewhere!
“Draw me like one of your French girls..”
Here is my lil’ traditional doll faced Himalayan posing provocatively.
Ghost Shrimp 