Caring For White Cats

White cats belong to the pure color division. According to the standard, their coat should be pure white - without shades, blotches and spots. In small kittens, marks of any color on the head are allowed, which disappear over time.

White with orange eyes (copper eyed white). Eye color - orange, hazel or cognac. The latter is preferred.

Disadvantages: Light eye color.

White with blue eyes (blue eyed white). White Persian cats with blue eyes are rare. They are very beautiful and highly regarded by experts. It is very difficult to get a show-class cat of this color. Unfortunately, blue-eyed cats are often deaf, as the blue-eyed gene is linked to the deafness gene. The color of the coat, like all white cats, is blue. Saturated eye color is more appreciated.

Disadvantages: Light eye color, blotches and rims on the irises. Deafness.

White with odd eyed white. This color is also very rare. Odd eyed - strange eyes. One eye is orange, the other blue exotic. Unfortunately, the likelihood of deafness, as in the previous case, in cats with different eyes, is high. Since these animals, as a rule, are domesticated and they are not threatened to fall under the wheels of a car, you can put up with this, given that the deafness gene is not always inherited.

Eye color - Both eyes must be of the same color intensity.

Disadvantages: Light eye color, blotches and rims on the irises. Deafness.

Breeding white cats. White kittens are born when one or both parents are white. Breeding white cats is very interesting, since it is quite difficult to calculate what color the offspring will be. In fact, a white cat is only white in appearance, and genetically it masks some color. Very often, colored markings on the head of small kittens can tell what color this animal is hiding. For example, if your kitten has gray marks on its head, then later this animal will give offspring of the same color. In the case when kittens are born entirely white, it is possible to predict the color of the future offspring only by studying the pedigree or by analyzing the mating options. White color is dominant, therefore, when mating, for example, a silver tabby cat and a white cat, some kittens are born white, and some are colored,according to the mother's pedigree. In this case, the colors in the pedigree of the father will not be revealed, but later the white offspring from this litter, possibly, will give a silver tabby kitten. If you mate a cat and a white cat, then statistically several kittens from the litter will be white, and the rest will be colored in accordance with the pedigrees of both parents.

If either parent is homozygous white, then the entire litter will be white.

Specificity of caring for white cats. Since Persian cats have a delicate, long, silky coat, they need regular grooming. At exhibitions, an animal in mats, with dirty eyes or ears is unlikely to have a chance to win, even if it has a magnificent exterior.

The white color is recognized as the most spectacular on the show, which entails more thorough care, since this color is also the most easily soiled. But with proper grooming, cats of a different color can hardly compete with them.

The path to success is pretty simple: try to get used to brushing your pet every day. Train your kitten to this procedure from early childhood, and then you will not have any problems. While combing, he will not scratch or bite you, but will gently rumble and insistently demand that you comb him again. Many owners complain that the cat is aggressive and does not allow itself to be combed at all. In fact, this is not so: the owner is lazy, initially "running" the animal.

It is almost impossible to comb the matted hair of a cat: try to pull out a strand of hair from yourself - it hurts enough! Therefore, the animal behaves so aggressively, and in this case only scissors can help you. So it's best not to be lazy. Comb the Persian cat with a combination comb with long, well-pointed teeth. The English Greyhound combs are ideal for this purpose, but you can find similar ones from other companies.

Professional breeders use three sizes of combs: large for long thick hair on the neck, back, belly and tail, medium for paws, and small for combing hair on the head, ears and fingers. The so-called "slicker" or "speaker" is best used only in preparation for the exhibition. Using it regularly, you risk ripping out all the fluff (undercoat) from your cat, and your animal will look thin and shabby. If you want to make your pet a superstar, then you need to pluck all the guard hairs (one at a time) on the animal's back. The procedure is long and, as a rule, does not fit into one day. After this procedure, the cat will grow overgrown for about a month (each animal is different), but it will have an incomparable downy coat, which guarantees you the favor of the judges.