The Himalayan Cat

Personality: Affectionate, calm, easy going, gentle
Suits: Families with older children, experienced cat owners
Other: Coat needs grooming daily, face needs washing regularly. Flat face may give rise to breathing problems and watery eyes. Not very vocal

Breed Information

1) What are they like as pets?

They have lovely, gentle, affectionate personalities. They're calm, easy going, not particularly active and fairly quiet.

They are good with other pets, but prefer environments that aren't too noisy or lively. For this reason, they're better with older children if they are living with a family.

Their fur is very prone to matting, and must be combed on a daily basis. Some with longer fur may need regular bathing to keep it in good condition.

These cats can sometimes suffer from watery eyes and breathing problems because of their flat faces. The breed is also more prone to cat kidney failure than most other breeds.

Whilst their lovely personalities mean they make wonderful pets, they are only suitable for people who have the time to comb them every day, wash their faces and bath them.

2) Looks, build, colors and markings

These cats have cute, flat faces, thick, long hair and big paws. They come in a wide variety of "point colors," similar to Siamese cats. Their eyes are blue.

3) History

The Himalayan cat breed was created in the 1930s by crossing a Persian cat with a Siamese cat. Hence, the breed has Persian hair, body and character traits, but Siamese colors.

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