History

History of the Himalayan Cat

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[Look at the picture below , and watch it slowly change color]

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What is a Himalayan?

A HIMALAYAN is a Blue Eyed, longhaired cat with Siamese color points, and has a Persian-type body and coat.

How did Himalayans evolve?

The first attempt to produce a Himalayan was made in 1924 by crossbreeding a Siamese cat with a longhaired cat. The cat still was very Siamese like in shape; it took many years of selective breeding to produce cats with the desired Persian body and Siamese coloring. It was not until 1935 that the first Himalayan was born.

The Modern Himalayan

The modern Himalayan is characterized by long cream colored fur over most of the body, with dark markings around the face (that looks like a mask), feet, and tail. They have a round, large head set on a short, thick neck. The nose has a pushed in (flat) look to it. The ears are small and tilted forward. They also have blue eyes (eyes other than blue, the cat is not considered Himalayan). They are large heavy cats that are built low to the ground. The Himalayan is one of the most popular of all Persians. Himalayans comes in most Siamese colors, including seal point, blue point, tortie-shell point, and lilac point. The kittens are born with almost all white coats and develop their color points over several weeks.

How did the Himalayan get it's name?

The name HIMALAYAN was selected for the modern Himalayan because the color of the Himalayan cat was very much the same as the color pattern found on rabbits and goats living in the Himalayan Mountains in Asia.