I HAVE made a new friend called Polly and she is a beautiful Persian. Actually, she is the most beautiful Persian that I have laid my blue eyes on. A hairstylist’s dream and maybe mine too.

Maahh! I’m getting carried away and I am not sure you know what I am talking about. Time for detail.

Polly is our neighbour’s new cat. They got her from a friend’s friend who was going abroad and wanted to give pretty Polly to someone who loves cats. In her new home, Polly is still learning about her surroundings, getting used to new touch and feel (us cats are so ‘touchy-feely’), new people and new smells. We cats need a lot of time to adjust to change.

She sits royally in the window and looks at the birds or sometimes she comes out for a stroll in the garden. They say that if you want a cat which is undeniably beautiful, elegant and regal, plus a pet that is sweet, devoted, docile, affectionate and laidback.

Persians come in a variety of colours like solid, silver, golden, shaded, smoke, tabby, parti-colour, bicolour and Polly is silver. My human told me that if Polly was her cat, she would have called her silver.

When my human calls Polly a ‘baby doll’, it makes me so jealous! The closest I get to being called an affectionate term like that is when she calls me a teddy bear. Well, I don’t have blonde fur, like Polly does, nor her deep grey-blue eyes and the tiny, velvety, black nose.

Let me tell you a bit more about Persian cats. They have been around for a long time. They were first introduced by Roman travellers and caravans by Roman and ancient Greek caravans when they travelled from Persia (Iran in the olden days) to Europe; from where they were introduced to North America and then the rest of the world in one way or the other.

Did you know that Persians are perhaps the most popular cats? Why? Because of their looks and gentle nature. They are the best breed to have around with children or other pets in the family. People love them for their fur which is thick and soft and so much of it is there that it makes the Persian cat look round and fatter than they really are.

Some Persians have a more flat face than others. The rounded ears are set low on their heads and the eyes are wide and rounded.

If you think us cats are naturally lazy, you have a surprise waiting for you if you are getting a Persian cat for a pet. They are known as the couch-potatoes of the cat world. Even though they don’t play around as much as other breeds of cats, they do make the perfect companions as they are gentle and sweet-tempered. No wonder Polly just likes to hang around, lounging here then there with her human, then running all over the place. For them, its short periods of play and then plenty of resting time.

But they love attention and affection from humans. They love being petted and will purr to show you their happiness. If you like to cuddle your pets, Persians are the best and other cats like the Siamese for instance can be moody and cuddle only when they want to, otherwise they push themselves away from you with their paws, and run off to do what they think is the most important task at that time; which could be anything from chasing a paper ball to grooming oneself on the highest shelf on the bookcase!

The other quality that I like about Polly is her soft, pleasant voice. I heard her human tell my human that she doesn’t talk much but sometimes she softly mews and enjoys cuddling next to her human.

Persian cats need to be brushed and combed everyday as their long, thick fur can easily mat. Some might need a weekly or monthly trim where the fur has clumped with dirt or sticky stuff.

It is best to use waterless shampoo (available in the market) regularly to keep their fur feeling clean and fresh.

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