Basic Himalayan & Persian Cat Care

The Vet

After you bring your new Himalayan or Persian home, you will need to make an appointment with a veterinarian to have your cat examined. The health guarantee in your cat's purchase agreement probably has a time frame within which you must have this done. Make sure that your vet receives the vaccination record information, provided by your breeder, so that he/she can schedule all needed boosters and additional vaccinations for your cat. Your vet can also council you on an appropriate time for your pet cat to be spayed/neutered.

At Home

A new home can be a stressful situation. It is recommended that your Himalayan or Persian kitten be confined to a small area, at first, to familiarize him/her with the location of the litter box and to protect him/her from any hazards. Check your home for possible dangers, such as, household chemicals, house plants which may be poisonous, etc. Baby-proof your home.

Nutrition

Changing your Himalayan’s or Persian’s diet abruptly or overfeeding will cause diarrhea! If you intend to feed your cat something other than what it is accustom to, be sure to change gradually. Begin by mixing approximately one part new food to about five parts current food. Slowly increase the ratio of new food each day until you eventually are feeding nothing but the new food.

I don't recommend that you feed grocery store commercial cat foods unless they are of the "professional" type. Many grocery store cat foods are high in ash and may cause your cat dangerous urinary tract blockages later. These foods are also likely to be loaded with artificial coloring, and the like, which may cause your cat to react by vomiting frequently, or possibly cause other problems. I recommend that a "professional" cat food be fed such as Iams, Nutro Max, Science Diet, etc. You can find these foods at pet stores, feed stores, and sometimes at your vet's office. Feeding these foods is, of course, not always fool-proof, since any ingredient in the cat's diet could cause reactions, but in general I feel its your best bet.

Grooming

If your new kitty is a Himalayan or Persian, you now have some work ahead of you. It is recommended that you comb your Himalayan or Persian once a day and wash it well, at least every other week. Persians can become notoriously matted, especially on the belly, under the arm-pits, behind the ears, and under the tail. Pay close to these areas. You will need a metal long tooth comb and a gentle wire slicker brush. Soft bristled "cat brushes" do nothing for the Himalayan’s or Persian’s long coat. Be careful not to brush too hard and hurt your cat’s delicate skin, but be sure all the hair is combed down to the roots. Frequent grooming will be easier on you and your cat, and then probably you, will become cranky from pulling on matted fur.

If your Persian does become matted, it is recommended that a groomer shave off the matted areas with an electric grooming clipper. You should not try this yourself unless you're an experienced groomer. It is very easy to accidentally cut the cats skin. You may even want your groomer to shave your Persian's body, or maybe just its belly, to minimize your grooming task.

You will need to give your Persian or Himalayan a bath approximately every other week. Exotics can go much longer but bathing will remove loose hair. Bathing frequently will help greatly to keep your Persian from matting. Dirt and oil cause the coat to mat quickly and also cause a clumpy look to the coat. I recommend that you use shampoos designed to cut the grease and help make the coat fluffy. You may also use Dawn dish soap or LOC (Amway), which are favorites of most cat breeders, to cut the oils. I do not use a conditioner unless the coat is dry and damaged. Conditioners tend to weigh the hair down and make your Persian look droopy. It is probable that your kitten has been bathed several times before you got it, since kittens are always getting messy. The more you bathe and blow dry your Persian /Himalayan, the better he/she will behave during these grooming tasks.

As you probably know, cats groom themselves by licking their fur. Persians and Exotics all vary in their interest in personal hygene. Some may lick obsessively and ingest a lot of hair. Others may not lick themselves at all. Hair that is swallowed is expelled either through the feces or by vomiting occasionally. To help this process, give your cat a commercial hairball remedy. Follow the directions on the label. I prefer to tailor the frequency of the maintenance dosage on how much interest the cat takes in licking itself.

Remember to check and clean inside the ears gently with a cotton swab. If you notice that the insides start to become very dirty with a dark reddish-brown crusty matter, and the cat tries to scratch its ears and shake its head frequently, your cat probably has ear mites. It is important to treat this with a good ear mite medication, as ear mites can lead to infection and ear damage. Be sure to follow the directions on the bottle.

Trim the tips of the nails with a finger nail trimmer as needed. Watch for the vein inside. You can see it from the side of the nail. You don't want to cut too closely and make the nail bleed.

A Persian's eyes tear and become goopy. This occurs because of the Persian's short nose. Bacteria cause the discharge to become rust-brown and stain the face. You will need to wipe under and around the eyes with a clean warm wet paper towel or washcloth preferably twice a day. You may also use a commercial eye stain cleaner such as Diamond Eye for the hair directly below the eye. To see results from using an eye stain remover you must use it religiously, twice a day. You will notice improvement in two weeks.

Should you notice an unusual amount of redness or swelling of the inner eye lids, squinting, frequent rubbing or thick whitish discharge, see your vet.