By Stacy N. Hackett
Blue. Black. Cream. Red. The colors of a sports uniform? No ... just a few of the simple, stunning colors of the Solid Persian.
"Today there is also chocolate and lilac," says Debbie Lapeyrouse, listing the colors accepted by the Cat Fanciers' Association. Lapeyrouse, a breeder from San Antonio, who also breeds Himalayans, prefers to work with the blue Solid Persian. "The blue
Persian was made very popular by Queen Victoria, who was partial to them."
Cat lovers have been partial to the Persian for hundreds of years. Legend holds that the breed traveled by caravan throughout the Sahara desert as the pampered pet of spice merchants. Records show that the Persian was one of the first breeds registered with the CFA and that it appeared in the first cat show at the Crystal Palace in London in 1871.
As the Persian grew in popularity through the years, so did the dazzling array of colors and patterns that graced the cat's trademark fur. Today, CFA categorizes the breed in seven divisions: solid color, silver/golden, shaded/smoke, tabby, parti-color, bicolor/calico and Himalayan.
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