Exotic Shorthair

The history of the Exotic Shorthair
The Exotic Shorthair originally comes from the USA. Some American Short-haired breeders (the American shorthair can be compared with our British shorthair) wanted to breed better silvers. Besides, the American Shorthair could use a more solid bone structure. The solution was quickly found: silver Persians were bred in the lines. Out of the combination between a Persian and an American short-hair nice short-haired kittens were born with the figure and the type of a Persian. Firstly, kittens were selected which resembled the American Shorthair type the most. Together with these kittens the breeders continued breeding with American short-haired cats. Some breeders were however attracted to the “short-haired little Persians” which were born out of that combination and they decided to make a breeding program for this “new breed”.  Their name became “Exotic Shorthair”. The objective was to breed a cat which resembled the Persian qua type and figure, but with a short fur.    

In order to achieve this, the short-haired kittens were crossed with Persians. In Holland an identical breeding program was developed. British short-haired cats were crossed with Persians.
 

The first results were British short-haired kittens with a thicker fur. Only after many generations of breeding with Persians, in which a short stocky type and fur was only selected, they succeeded. Since the Exotic Shorthair doesn’t have a long fur which can hide possible shortcomings in the bones structure, a good figure must be selected even more than with the Persian. The Exotic also misses the long hairs on and around the head, which can possibly gloss over a narrow head shape and a high ear location with the Persian. The short-hair gene is dominant.

A combination between a homozygote short-haired and a Persian (always homozygote for the long-hair) always brings short-haired kittens. These F1 kittens are always heterozygote for the long-hair factor.
A combination between a heterozygote short-haired (with long-hair factor) and a Persian brings 50% short-haired kittens (heterozygote) and 50% long-haired kittens.

The combination Persian x Exotic is executed almost always. Of course it is possible to cross two Exotics, especially if they are perfect as it comes to type, figure and fur. In practice however it is a fact that, if a crossing Exotic x Exotic is executed during some generations, the fur structure will loose quality. The fur gets smoother and smoother and less thick. The Persian kittens which are born out of this combination however remain consistent as it comes to figure, type and fur. (Note: in case of a crossing Exotic x Exotic it is theoretically possible to breed a homozygote Exotic Shorthair. As far as we know, the fur difference between this homozygote Exotic shorthair and the heterozygote Exotic hasn’t been researched. Only if all breed characteristics are preserved in case of crossings of homozygote animals, we talk about a separate breed. As long as the Exotic still needs the Persian to preserve the breed characteristics, we talk about a short-haired Persian).    

Since the Exotic is crossed with Persians all colors which occur with Persian are also allowed with Exotics. On shows the Exotics are approved by long-hair inspectors.

It isn’t always easy to check if the kittens of an Exotic x Persian nest are long- or short-haired. Experienced breeders say that you can see the difference just after birth, when the fur is still wet. The fur of long-haired kittens is located smoothly against the skin. The fur of short-haired kittens is straggly. Only after about 4 or 5 weeks the fur of the little Persians will start growing, which enables you to see the difference. The Exotic Shorthair looks like a Persian when it comes to type and figure. The breeding standard is similar concerning these points. Only the fur differs. They have a thick, softer, luxuriant fur.

The tight undercoat must be well-developed. If you touch the fur, it should feel “springy”. The fur may not be smooth on the skin but should be located square to the skin. The fur needs less care than the fur of a Persian cat. Brushing once per week (pig’s bristles brush) and combing with a rough comb should be enough. With cats which have a very thick fur you might need to pluck the fur. In this way dead hairs (often with a dull color) will be removed. Before a show the cat is washed and groomed well.

From the yearbook 2001/2002 of the Dutch Cat Breeder Association.

Now the experience of a breeder of Exotics and Persians I have been breeding both Exotics and Persians for 12 years now. Both the Exotic and the Persian has his own charm. The Exotic indeed needs less care than the Persian and the long fur of the Persian gives him the haughty a Persian can have. Like: “Watch me being beautiful”! An Exotic doesn’t have this, is a more robust cat which loves playing. My black white 6 years old Exotic still loves to play around. She runs through the living room and especially now in spring she is so crazy now and then that she is completely at a loose end.

That characterizes an Exotic. But my 4 years old Persian sits on the couch and doesn’t move. This concerns a Persian which only has Persians in his lines and not an Exotic. A Persian with Exotic in the lines can act just as crazy as an Exotic, since Exotic blood runs through his veins. This is only an example to explain the difference between an Exotic and a Persian. Exotics of course can also sit and don’t move when they don’t want to. Concerning care: Both a Persian and an Exotic need to be brushed. For a Persian it is better to brush him daily, in order to prevent tangles. I comb an Exotic almost daily with a hook brush and I clean his eyes.

If you touch your cat daily you can better judge whether he is healthy or not. My cats are washed and blow-dried almost every two months. If you purchase your cat with a good breeder, the cat will be used to being washed and you can continue doing this. It is really good for his fur to do this regularly. All the dirt which a Persian or Exotic cannot wash out himself, can be removed by washing him. In this way you can brush your cat easier and the cat remains healthy and happy because of his clean fur. A dirty fur itches, cannot be brushed easily and the cat doesn’t look as beautiful as on the day you purchased him. Blow-drying an Exotic takes a lot of time! The cat is dry and you place him on the ground, and 15-30 minutes later he is completely wet again.  

This is caused by the undercoat, which lets damp through every time. Does an Exotic need less care? Definitely when it comes to brushing, but not when it comes to blow-drying. Good food is also important. Exotics and Persians need good food, since their fur can only be beautiful if it is combed regularly but the fur also needs good food. You can compare it to yourself: Eating junk food every day or eating healthy things like potatoes, vegetables, fruit and meat. You will notice the difference. Only eating junk food doesn’t make you feel ok. Good food isn’t cheap and you purchase it at the pet shop but it is worth it since the cat loves it and there will be less waste in the cat box.  

Breebinformation & pictures provided by cattery Mormèlge.