Exotic Shorthair Cat Breed

This breed was developed in the mid-1960s by crossing Persians with American and other shorthaired cats. The result is a shorthaired cat with a softer, fluffier coat and a rounder, shorter head with a Persian face. As a result, Exotic Shorthairs can have some of the defects of Persians such as a tendency to blocked tear ducts and dental problems. However, they also share the Persian's gentle nature.

Exotics are placid, docile cats with a soft, pleasant voice that they rarely use. They usually get along well with other cats and have no problems with dogs, either. They are very good with children. These cats are extremely adaptable and are perfectly happy Being lively and friendly by nature, Exotic Shorthirs are growing rapidly in popularity. Their coats are also easy to groom. Generally speaking you can brush the coat once a week with a soft pig-bristle brush and comb it through with a coarse comb. Go about this gently to avoid damaging the coat. When the cat sis shedding heavily you can use a rubber brush, which quickly and easily removes all of the loose hair. Be careful, however, as it is all too easy to pull out healthy new hair growth if you overdo it.

Pedigree cats must have only Exotic Shorthair, Persian, or Manx lineage. The show standard is identical to that for Persians except for the coat. This breed is a good choice for people who like cats of the Persian type but are not prepared to put in significant amount of time that is essential in caring for a Persian's coat.

Fur Colors and Patterns

All of the colors found in Persian occur in the Exotic shorthair and these breeds are frequently crossed. Because Exotics are still cross-bred with Persians. most litters contain some longhaired and some short-haired individuals.

Self-colored Exotics can be white, black, blue, red, cream, chocolate and lilac. exotic with these colors have orange eyes, the darker the better, although White exotics may also have blue eyes or odd eyes. The self-colored exotics may not have any white markings. Kittens often have ghost markings, and in some cases this faint tabby patterning remains visible when they become adults.

Particolors are colored cats with white areas in the coat. There are various versions, each with its own name depending on the amount of white in the coat and the type of markings.

Vans are Exotics that are prodominantly white with two spots of color on the head and a colored tail. Harlequins are very similar to Vans but they also have 1 or more color spots on the body.

The Bi-color alsways has a self-colored coat and the white ares do not cover more than a third of the body. The markins shoul dbe as symmetrical as possible and an inverted white V on the forehead is always a plus. The same applies to Tri-colors, but instead of a single basic color plus white they have two basic colors forming large, regular patches that do not blur into one another. If the main color of a tri-color is black, it is also sometimes referred to as Black Tortie and White, and if the main color is blue, the color can be called Blue Tortie and White. Particolors always have ornage eyes.

Tortoiseshell or Tortie cats have different colored patches in their coats, but no white markings. UNlike the tortie and White cats, which have large, clearly defined areas of color, the patches in Torti cats should be small and evenly intemingled, with no white, creating a marbled effect. The main color of a Tortie is always black or a derivative of it, such as blue, chocolate and lilac. When the main color is black, the other color is always red. When the main color is blue, chocolate or lilac, the other color is cream. Tortoiseshell cats with a silver undercoat are called Smoke.

An Exotic's tear ducts may sometimes become blocked. It is therefore important to keep the hair around the eyes, the corners of the eyes and the creases in the face as clean as possible. Special lotions have been developed for the purpose. The lotion should be applied with a soft tissue and then carefully patted or wiped off again with a dry tissue.

Use a special ear cleaner to keep the ears clean and trim off the sharp points of the claws regularly using good clippers.

Exotic Shorthair Breeders

If you would like to be listed here as an Exotic Shorthair Breeder or a member of an Exotic Shorthair rescue organization, please send us and email