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Exotic Shorthair Cats
Breed Rating (1 Reviews)
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History
The original goal for the Exotic Shorthair breed was to create a shorthaired version of the Persian. American Shorthair breeders bred American Shorthairs to Persians to obtain their lovely silver color and green eyes but the coat did not meet the American Shorthair type.
A breeder called Jane Martinke proposed that these cats could be a new breed, called the Sterling because of their silvery color. The aim was to create cats that looked just like Persians but with a short, dense, silver coat. The idea to keep the breed silver was scrapped and the breed was renamed the Exotic Shorthair and accepted a wide variety of colours. Outcrosses were made to short haired breeds like the Burmese and the Russian Blue to fully integrate the shorthair gene in the breed. This was easy enough due to the short coat gene being dominant and after these initial outcrosses the offspring were bred back to Persians.
Exotic Shorthair breeders had painfully slow progress due to Persian breeders initially refusing to provide their cats as breeding stock for this new emerging breed. Gradually the popularity of the Exotic Shorthair began to increase and so did the quality of the kittens being born. This led to an increasing number of Persian breeders being willing to help and even take on the Exotic Shorthair as a side project to their Persian breeding. The goal to produce a short haired Persian remained true so as Persian type changed so did Exotic Shorthair type.
The breed standards of the Exotic Shorthair and Persian are now identical except for coat length. The Exotic Shorthair gained championship recognition from TICA in June 1979.
Behaviour
Exotic Shorthair cats are easygoing and affectionate. These cats love comfort and are always on the look out for a warm lap to snuggle up in. They are really docile and will be very happy cats provided they are given enough treats and attention.
Varieties
Comes in a wide variety of colour variations.
Breed Details
- Status: Common
- Place of Origin: USA
- Rough date of Origin: 1960s
- Hair length: Shorthair
- Activity Level: Low
- Vocalness: Low
- Child friendly: Good with children
- Intelligence:
- Playfullness: Relaxed
- Grooming Requirements: Once a week
- Weight: 3.5 - 7.0kg
- Size: Medium
- House Cat or Outdoor Cat: House Cat
- Pet Compatibility:
- Social Needs:
More to love
Exotic Shorthair Pictures
Latest Reviews For Exotic Shorthair (1 of 1)
Fantastic breed - Marcus,
I cannot put into words how loveable these cats are. I've got two of them and they are the friendliest, coziest little guys. The are smart, but most of all; VERY vocal (in a good way). They tell you immediately if something is up, and I've never had cats with this level of communication, almost like having two dogs. They play a lot and they both love to cuddle. Only downside is major grooming, but totally worth it.