White Chinchilla Persian

White Chinchilla Persian

This cat is named for the chinchilla, a South American rodent sought after for its intensely soft fur. The Chinchilla Longhair sports a similarly soft and sparklingly white coat, but, while the chinchilla has a darker undercoat tipped with white, the fur of its namesake cat is white tipped with black. The tipping occurs most noticeably in the face, at the ears, and along the back.

When the tipping extends a little further down each hair, producing a silver-grey effect over a while undercoat, the variety is known as the Shaded Silver.

The thin bone structure and finely tipped fur give the Chinchilla Persian the appearance of quite a delicate creature, but it is nevertheless generally a healthy and robust cat.

The breed is a “manmade” Persian, having first appeared in various cross-breedings of Persians in the early 1900s and then being selectively bred to enhance the special characteristics.

Like most Persians, it is an able mouser, although perfectly suited for totally indoor existence. It forms strong attachments to people who show it some affection and it can become fairly demanding of frequent attention. The Chinchilla Persian has a generally calm disposition and is quite sociable towards other cats. It is content to spend a great deal of its time at rest.

The fur is thick and dense, but quite silky. It gives the entire head and body a singular round appearance. The body is cobby, like most Persians, but with a slightly thinner bone structure. The legs are short and thick with rounded, large paws and the tail is short and bushy. The rounded, broad head has full cheeks and chin, and a short nose. The eyes are large and rounded: green or blue-green in the White Chinchilla Longhair and green in the shaded silver variety. The ears are rounded at the tip and small.

Daily brushing with a very soft bristle brush is needed to prevent the matting of the fur.

Standard faults are off-color fur, inadequate tipping, and too delicate a bone structure.

See more: Himalayan Persian