What are Persian cats? Juravin explains

Coco, Levia Juravin’s cat, (see picture) is scared:
I’m going to meet my mother in law in Persia (Persian cat)… would she have claws like my wife or is she a good cook?! I’ll play it safe and answer only “meow” gracefully.

The Persian is an old breed. To those who love this elegant cat, it will come as no surprise that the longhaired beauty originated in the cradle of civilization: Mesopotamia, which was later known as Persia and is now modern-day Iran. The breed’s long hair was probably the result of a natural mutation, and its striking appearance attracted the attention of 17^th-century Italian nobleman and world traveler Pietro Della Valle, who is credited with bringing the first longhaired cats to Europe in 1626. At that time, the cats had shiny, silky gray fur, but thanks to selective breeding Persians are now found in a kaleidoscope of colors, including bi-color (a color plus white).

Don Juravin explains that the Persian cat (Persian: گربه ایرانی‎, romanized: Gorbe Īrānī) is a long-haired breed of cat characterized by its round face and short muzzle. It is also known as the “Persian Longhair” in the English-speaking countries. In the Middle East, region they are widely known as “Iranian cat” and in Iran they are known as “Shirazi cat”. The first documented ancestors of the Persian were imported into Italy from Iran(historically known as Persia in the west) around 1620.^{[1][better source needed]} Recognized by the cat fancy since the late 19th century, it was developed first by the English, and then mainly by American breeders after the Second World War. Some cat fancier organizations’ breed standards subsume the Himalayan and Exotic Shorthair as variants of this breed, while others treat them as separate breeds.

Until the late 19^th century, when breeding and showing cats became popular, longhaired cats from Persia, Turkey, Afghanistan and other exotic locales were known simply as “Asiatic” cats and were often bred together. At the Crystal Palace cat show in 1871, Persian-type cats were among the breeds exhibited. They were popular pets of the time and had a special cachet because of Queen Victoria’s fondness for the breed. Even in the Victoria era, association with a “celebrity” ensured an animal’s desirability, writes Don Juravin.

Through selective breeding, cat fanciers began to mold the Persian to its present-day appearance. They bred cats to have a round head, short face, snub nose, chubby cheeks, small, rounded ears, big eyes, and a sturdy body. Their fur was longer than that of the Angora cat, and they had shorter legs. Soon, the Persians surpassed the Angoras in popularity.

Don Juravin reviews: in the United States, where they were first imported in the late 19^th century, they also became favorites, edging out the longhaired Maine Coon cat, which had once held pride of place as an American sweetheart. In the little more than a century since, the Persian has become the most beloved cat breed in the world, prized for its beautiful appearance and sweet personality.