Exotic Shorthair#Longhair Exotics

In the late 1950s, the Persian was used as an outcross by some American Shorthair breeders. This was done in secret in order to improve their body type, and crosses were also made with the Russian Blue and the Burmese. The crossbreed look gained recognition in the show ring, but unhappy American Shorthair breeders successfully produced a new breed standard that would disqualify American Shorthairs that showed signs of crossbreeding. One American Shorthair breeder{{Who|date=September 2024}} who saw the potential of the Persian/American Shorthair cross proposed and eventually got the Cat Fanciers' Association judge and American Shorthair breeder Jane Martinke to recognize them as a new breed in 1966, under the name Exotic Shorthair. In 1987, the Cat Fanciers' Association closed the Exotic to shorthair outcrosses, leaving Persian as the only allowable outcross breed.{{cite web |last=Helgren |first=J. Anne. |date=2006 |title=Cat Breed Detail: Exotic Shorthair |url=http://www.iams.com/iams/en_US/jsp/IAMS_Page.jsp?pageID=CBD&breedPage=exotshor.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081119193040/http://www.iams.com/iams/en_US/jsp/IAMS_Page.jsp?pageID=CBD&breedPage=exotshor.html |archive-date=November 19, 2008 |access-date=July 9, 2015 |work=Iams.com |publisher=Telemark Productions / Procter & Gamble}}

File:Noidankattilan Bellatrix Exotic shorthair.JPG

The Exotic Shorthair is a medium to large sized breed just like the Persian. The head of the Exotic Shorthair is round and large. The ears are small with a well rounded tip that face low on the head. The cheeks are full and rounded. The eyes are large and round. The tail is short compared to the length of the body. Just like the British Shorthair and the Persian the Exotic Shorthair comes in all different colour variations.{{cite web |title=Exotic Shorthair Standard |url=https://www.gccfcats.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Exotic.SOP_.Template.pdf |website=Governing Council of the Cat Fancy |access-date=13 January 2024}}{{cite web |title=Exotic Shorthair |url=https://www.gccfcats.org/getting-a-cat/choosing/cat-breeds/exotic-shorthair/ |website=Governing Council of the Cat Fancy |access-date=13 January 2024 |ref=GCCF}}

Because of the regular use of Persian as outcrosses, some Exotics may carry a copy of the recessive longhair gene. When two such cats mate, there is a 1 in 4 chance of each offspring being longhaired. Longhaired Exotics are not considered Persians by the Cat Fanciers' Association, although The International Cat Association accepts them as Persians. Other associations like the American Cat Fanciers Association register them as a separate Exotic Longhair breed.

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{{see also|Persian cat#Health|label 1=Persian cat health}}

Like the Persian the Exotic Shorthair is a brachycephalic breed, meaning that it has problems as a result of having the nose and eyes in close proximity to each other, giving the appearance of a pushed-in face.{{cite web |title=Brachycephalic Airway Syndrome in Cats |url=https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/brachycephalic-airway-syndrome-in-cats |website=VCA Hospital |access-date=13 January 2024}} Some conditions common in the Exotic Shorthair are listed below.

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• Brachycephalic airway obstructive syndrome. Also referred to as brachycephalic respiratory syndrome or congenital obstructive upper airway disease, this causes upper airway abnormalities ranging in severity. The syndrome can cause increased airway resistance, inflammation of structures in the airways, and increased strain on the heart.{{Cite web|url=http://www.vcahospitals.com/main/pet-health-information/article/animal-health/brachycephalic-airway-syndrome-in-cats/3732|title=Brachycephalic Airway Syndrome in Cats|website=VCA Animal Hospitals}} Treatment includes weight loss, surgery, and avoiding humid or hot conditions.
• Corneal sequestrum. A necrosis of the cornea of unknown origin.{{Cite book |title=Veterinary ophthalmology |date=2021 |editor=Kirk N. Gelatt |isbn=978-1-119-44181-6 |edition=Sixth |location=Hoboken, NJ |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |oclc=1143827380}}
• Dystocia. An abnormal labor due to large-domed skulls.{{Cite web|url=https://cat-world.com/dystocia-in-cats/|title=Dystocia (difficult birth) in Cats|website=Cat World|date=17 June 2017 }}
• Feline polycystic kidney disease (PKD). Exotic Shorthairs, as well as Persians and other Persian-derived cats, have a high chance of inheriting PKD, a disease that can lead to kidney failure. Several studies using ultrasound scan screening have shown that the prevalence of PKD in Exotics is between 40 and 50% in developed nations.{{Cite journal | last1 = Beck | first1 = C. | last2 = Lavelle | first2 = R. B. | doi = 10.1111/j.1751-0813.2001.tb14573.x | title = Feline polycystic kidney disease in Persian and other cats: A prospective study using ultrasonography | journal = Australian Veterinary Journal | volume = 79 | issue = 3 | pages = 181–184 | year = 2001 | pmid = 11301745}}{{Cite journal | last1 = Bonazzi | first1 = M. | last2 = Volta | first2 = A. | last3 = Gnudi | first3 = G. | last4 = Bottarelli | first4 = E. | last5 = Gazzola | first5 = M. | last6 = Bertoni | first6 = G. | doi = 10.1016/j.jfms.2007.03.004 | title = Prevalence of the polycystic kidney disease and renal and urinary bladder ultrasonographic abnormalities in Persian and Exotic Shorthair cats in Italy | journal = Journal of Feline Medicine & Surgery | volume = 9 | issue = 5 | pages = 387–391 | year = 2007 | pmid = 17498994 | s2cid = 7122987 | doi-access = free | pmc = 10832964 }}{{Cite journal|last1=Barthez|first1=P. Y.|last2=Rivier|first2=P.|last3=Begon|first3=D.|title=Prevalence of polycystic kidney disease in Persian and Persian related cats in France|journal=Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery|volume=5|issue=6|pages=345–347|year=2003|pmid=14623204|doi=10.1016/s1098-612x(03)00052-4|s2cid=26271964|pmc=10822557}} DNA screening for PKD is recommended for all Exotic cats used in breeding programs to reduce the incidence of kidney disease by spaying and neutering PKD positive cats.

In a review of over 5,000 cases of urate urolithiasis the Exotic Shorthair was significantly under-represented, with only one of the recorded cases belonging to an Exotic Shorthair.{{cite journal |last1=Albasan |first1=H. |last2=Osborne |first2=C. A. |last3=Lulich |first3=J. P. |last4=Lekcharoensuk |first4=C. |title=Risk factors for urate uroliths in cats. |journal=Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association |date=2012 |volume=240 |issue=7 |pages=842–847 |pmid=22443437 |doi=10.2460/javma.240.7.842 |pmc= |url= https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/elink.fcgi?dbfrom=pubmed&tool=sumsearch.org/cite&retmode=ref&cmd=prlinks&id=22443437}}

The Exotic has steadily gained popularity among cat fanciers with the help of the devoted advocates of the breed who saw the value in a Persian and Shorthair crossbreed.

• In 1967, the Exotic Shorthair was first accepted for Championship status by the Cat Fanciers' Association.
• In 1971, the first Exotic Shorthair achieved the status of Grand Champion.{{fact|date=February 2024}}
• In 1986, the Fédération Internationale Féline recognized the Exotic Shorthair.{{Cite web|url=https://fifeweb.org/cats/breeds/exotic/|title=Exotic|access-date=10 November 2024|website=Fédération Internationale Féline}}
• In 1991, an Exotic was the Cat Fanciers' Association's Cat of the Year.{{cite web|title=Exotic Shorthair|url=https://cfa.org/exotic-article/|access-date=10 November 2024|website=The Cat Fanciers' Association}}
• In 1992, the Cat Fanciers' Association's Best Kitten was an Exotic.{{Cite web|url=https://www.petfinder.com/cat-breeds/Exotic-Shorthair|title=Exotic Shorthair Cat|website=Pet Finder}}{{Dead link|date=June 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

{{reflist}}

• [https://exoticbc.org Cat Fanciers Association Exotic Breed Council]

{{Domestic cat}}

Category:Cat breeds

Category:Cat breeds originating in the United States