The Himalayan (short for Himalayan Persian, or Colourpoint Persian as it is commonly referred to in Europe), is a breed or sub-breed of long-haired cat similar in type to the Persian, with the exception of its blue eyes and its point colouration, which were derived from crossing the Persian with the Siamese. Some registries may classify the Himalayan as a long-haired sub-breed of Siamese, or a colorpoint sub-breed of Persian. The World Cat Federation has merged them with the Colorpoint Shorthair and Javanese into a single breed, the Colorpoint.
| Himalayan | |
|---|---|
A red-point peke-faced Himalayan
| |
| Other names | Himalayan Persian Colourpoint Persian Longhaired Colourpoint (obsolete) Siamese–Persian (obsolete) |
| Common nicknames | Himmy |
| Origin |  United States
 Thailand |
| Breed standards | |
| CFA | standard |
| TICA | standard |
| ACFA/CAA | standard |
| CCA-AFC | standard |
| Other | https://web.archive.org/web/20060610032029/http://aaceinc.org/pages/breeds/him.htm |
| Notes | |
Recognized only as a variant of Persian by some organizations, not as a separate breed. | |
| Domestic cat (Felis catus) | |
Work to formally establish a breed with combined Persian and Siamese traits, explicitly for the cat fancy, began in the United States in the 1930s at Harvard University, under the term Siamese–Persian, and the results were published in the Journal of Heredity in 1936,[1] but were not adopted as a recognized breed by any major fancier groups at the time. Brian Sterling-Webb independently developed the cross-breed over a period of ten years in the UK, and in 1955 it was recognized there as the Longhaired Colourpoint by the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF).[2]
California cat breeder Jean Mill took a series of graduate classes in genetics at the University of California, Davis. By 1948, she was one of three breeders independently crossing the Persian and Siamese to create the Himalayan cat.[3]
Separate US-based breeding efforts had begun around 1950,[2] and a breeder known to sources simply as Mrs. Goforth received breed recognition from the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) near the end of 1957 for the Himalayan.[2] Early breeders were mostly interested in adding Siamese colouration to long-haired cats, and therefore reinforced the stock by outbreeding to Persians only to retain the Persian trait dominance.[2] However, by the 1960s, some were re-introducing Siamese stock and producing less "Persian-style" cats,[2] In the 1980s, a concerted effort to re-establish the breed along more formally Persian lines ultimately caused the breed to be merged into Persian as a variant in some registries (e.g. in 1984 by CFA), and a decline in the "old" or Siamese-like specimens.[2]
The Himalayan is considered a colour variant of the Persian and not a separate breed by the Cat Fanciers' Association and the GCCF.[4][5] The Himalayan is considered a separate breed by the American Cat Fanciers Association and The International Cat Association.[6][7]
The Himalayan resembles the Persian in type, conformation, and coat length and texture. The Himalayan does not resemble the Siamese in type.[8]
The Himalayan is medium to large in size with a cobby body and low legs.[8]
The Himalayan's head is round and massive with a round face and a thick neck. The nose is snubbed and pushed in.[8]
The ears of the Himalayan are small and round tipped and slightly pointed forward.[8]
The eyes are large and round and spread well apart. Pointed Himalayans have blue eyes, non-pointed Himalayans have copper eyes except for the silver and golden tabby which have green eyes.[8]
The Himalayan has a long and thick coat all over the body including the tail and ear and toe tufts.[8]
The Himalayan comes in most colours with prohibited colours being mink and sepia.[8]
Like the Persian, the Himalayan is a brachycephalic breed which predisposes it to health issues such as respiratory infections, epiphora, corneal abrasions, ulcers, and corneal sequestration.[9] Himalayans are also suspecitible to polycystic kidney disease, a hereditary condition that results in cysts growing in the kidney.[9] Himalayans have a higher incidence of feline asthma.[9] In a review of over 5,000 cases of urate urolithiasis the Himalayan was under-represented, with an odds ratio of 0.37.[10] A study of cats presented to the University of Missouri-Columbia Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital that underwent radiography found 4 Himalayans out of a population of 16 to have hip dysplasia, higher than the 6.6% average for all cats.[11]
Himalayans are predisposed to dermatophytosis (ringworm).[12]
The Himalayan is predisposed to urticaria pigmentosa, a type of benign mast cell disorder.[13]
Idiopathic facial dermatitis, also known as facial dermatitis of the Persian and Himalayan cat is a type of dermatitis only observed in the Persian and Himalayan cat. It's characterised by greasy skin, debris adhering to the folds of the face and nose, ceruminous otitis externa, secondary bacterial folliculitis and Malassezia dermatitis, and pruritus. Onset is at 10 months to 6 years.[14]
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