Exotic

A number of breeders were sufficiently attacted to these kittens to develop a breeding programme to establish them as a new breed. So, in 1983 the Exotic Cat Club was formed and in 1995 they were awarded Championship status by the GCCF and have since been highly successful in all-breed competition. Like the Persian, there is a wide range of colours that is permitted in the Exotic.

With the denser, shorter coat, the Exotic Shorthair breed is less of a grooming challenge than the Persian, hence the nickname, "Persians for lazy people." This breed is great for those who love the look and personality of the Persian but hate the daily grooming the breed requires.

Exotic Shorthair (Shorthair Persian) - Current Breed - Developed from Persian x Shorthair crosses. Persian type cat with short, very plush coat. Ultra-typing (Extreme typing) is beginning to occur in this breed.

Second only to the Siamese among the shorthaired breeds and fourth most popular breed overall, the exotic has seen a steady rise in numbers and popularity in the last decade. But is the exotic just a shorthaired version of America's most popular breed? No, say fanciers. The exotic has its own history, personality and growing group of devoted fans that swear by the plush, cherub-faced, solid-as-a-brick feline.

Exotics offer the best of both worlds to the cat lover - the exotic looks and quiet, affectionate, loyal and playful temperament of the Persian - and a short, dense coat that is easier to care for than the labor-intensive grooming regime required for it's long-haired relatives. Exotic Shorthair cats make excellent family pets. Not much bothers them, and they love to be around people - without being too demanding. They keep their kitten-like playfulness throughout their lives, and offer plenty of entertainment and companionship.

Persians require daily grooming to maintain their beautiful coat. For busy people who like the look of a Persian but don't have time for the daily grooming demands, the Exotics are the best kept secret of the cat fancy. They are bred to meet the Persian standard in every way with one very special exception: the coat has a thick, dense, plush, short coat. The Exotic coat is unique to the breed and gives them a soft, rounded, teddy bear look. Their wonderful coat requires much less combing than a Persian's and will not mat or tangle. Because of the ease of grooming for this special breed, Exotics are sometimes affectionately referred to as the lazy man's Persian.

What is it like living with an Exotic? Are they like Persians, or do they resemble their shorthaired ancestors? Over the years, as the type and coat have changed, so has the personality of the Exotic. As the Exotic's line of Persian ancestors became longer and longer, their temperament has become more and more Persian like. Indeed, there is no longer much difference in the temperament of the two breeds. Exotics have a quiet, endearing nature. Their voices are seldom heard. The Exotic is an ideal breed that produces a quiet, sweet, peaceful and loyal companion. They are easy going and not much seems to disturb them. In general, they are extremely affectionate. They quietly beg for your attention by just sitting in front of you with an irresistible look focused on your eyes. They will jump in your lap to curl up for a nap or push their wet nose right into your face. Some like to sit on your shoulder and hug you when you pet them. They may or may not sleep with you as some prefer cooler places like the bricks on the hearth or the tiled floor.

The Exotic Shorthair was first accepted for Championship status by the CFA in 1967. CFA breeders were then allowed to shift their American Shorthair/Persian hybrids into the newly formed Exotic Shorthair classification.

Few breeders chose to transfer their cats to the new class, however, and the breeders who did decide to work with the Exotic had a long road ahead of them. Because of the initial resistance to the new breed and because few Persian breeders would allow their cats to be used in the Exotic breeding programs, progress was very slow.

At first, Exotic breeders used Burmese and Russian Blues in addition to American Shorthairs to introduce the shorthair gene. The breeders used the shorthaired breeds just often enough to keep the shorthair gene in the bloodline.

As the breed began to gain in popularity, and as the gene pool grew larger, the CFA began limiting the outcrosses. In 1987 the CFA closed the Exotic to shorthair outcrosses altogether, leaving the Persian as the CFA's only allowable outcross.

Even with the slow start, the Exotic made steady progress with the help of the devoted advocates of the breed who saw that a Persian in a Shorthair's clothing would make a valuable addition to the cat fancy. In 1971 the first Exotic Shorthair achieved the status of Grand Champion. In 1991, an Exotic was the CFA's Cat of the Year, and in 1992 the CFA's Best Kitten was also an Exotic. Today, the Exotic has a large following among cat fanciers.

Personality

Some folks who don't appreciate that laid-back, mellow personality label Persians and their relatives "furniture with fur," but in truth Exotics are playful and enjoy a good game of catching the catnip mouse between bouts of catching a few ZZZs. Because of the American Shorthair influence, Exotics are reported to be livelier than Persians, although some breeders say that the two breeds are very similar in temperament.

Undoubtedly, the Exotic personality is, if not identical, very much like the Persian's-quiet, loyal, sweet, and affectionate. They want to be involved in their favorite humans' lives and will quietly follow them from room to room just to see what they are doing. They also enjoy hugs and cuddles, and lavish their humans with purrs and licks of affection until the thick coat drives them away to lounge on cool kitchen linoleum or cold fireplace bricks. Fanciers point out that because of the short coat, they can spend more time playing with their Exotics than grooming them.

The Exotic Shorthair breed is generally known for a gentle and calm personality. Known as quiet cats who rarely meow, Exotic Shorthairs tend to show more affection than most breeds. They are also known to make excellent lap cats.

When people call for a pet kitten, they almost always ask for a female, thinking that a girl will be sweeter and more loving. Many also believe that males will be more aggressive and prone to spray. However, neither assumption is correct. Male Exotics are, in general, more affectionate than females. Females can be somewhat more aloof. They always seem to have more important things to do than cuddle with their owner. Exotics mature later than most other breeds, and since all pets should be neutered and spayed at an early age, problems related to spraying and other adult urges need never be a concern. Exotic kittens exhibit the same level of activity as do Persian kittens. Some breeders say that the Exotic kittens do everything first: open their eyes, climb out of the box, start eating, etc. Adult Exotics enjoy simple pleasures, like watching water drip from a faucet or chasing paper balls around the house.

The easy going nature of the Exotic allows it to fit into your home at any age. Exotics stay playful as adults and bring pleasure for many years. All things considered, the Exotic is a wonderful addition to any family. Adorable to look at, peaceful and clean, what more could you ask for the perfect pet. The Exotic is really the "best of two worlds."

Dubbed "a Persian in its pajamas," the exotic is a solid, rounded, stocky cat. The body style is called cobby, a cat fancy term that means the cat has a short compact body with broad shoulders and rump. The eyes are large, round and set far apart, and the cheeks and whisker pads are rounded, contributing to the sweet expression so prized in this breed. Small, rounded ears set wide apart on the broad head add to the impression of roundness. The cobby body style is easier to see on the exotic because the cat lacks the long coat that tends to soften the body's lines.

Not everyone likes the extremely broad, flat face of the show exotic, however. Those who favor the traditional or doll face Persian, which has a less flattened facial type than the extreme Persian, will like the traditional exotic. Recently accepted by the Traditional Cat Association, Inc. (TCA), the traditional exotic possesses the less extreme facial type of the traditional Persian. Since the traditional doesn't have the extremely flattened face and very short muzzle, fanciers report fewer breathing and tear duct difficulties. The extreme exotic, however, is favored in the show ring.

Conformation

To maintain the Persian body type, coat, and diversified gene pool, it is necessary to breed back to the Persian. Roughly 50 percent of kittens from Exotic/Persian matings will have long hair if the Exotic parent carries the recessive longhair gene. Even when Exotic is bred to Exotic, the litters can contain longhairs if the longhair gene is present in both parents. This slows the process of reproducing Exotics and can be disappointing, because in the CFA Exotics with long hair cannot be shown as either Exotics or Persians. However, a movement is currently underway among breeders and fanciers to have longhaired Exotics accepted in the CFA, although it's not certain if it will succeed. Some fanciers favor creating a new shorthaired Persian division, and others favor a longhaired and shorthaired division for Exotics.

(Other associations handle the longhaired Exotics differently. For example, TICA allows them to be shown as Persians, ACFA recognizes them as Long-haired Exotics, and UFO, CFF, AACE, and CCA recognize them as Exotic Longhairs.)