The Exotic Shorthair is a breed of cat developed to be a shorthaired version of the Persian. The Exotic Shorthair is similar to the Persian in many ways, including temperament and conformation, with the exception of the short dense coat. It has even inherited many of the Persian's health problems .The Persian was used as an outcross secretly by some American Shorthair (ASH) breeders in the late 1950s to "improve" their breed. The hybrid look gained recognition in the show ring but other breeders unhappy with the changes successfully pushed for new breed standards that would disqualify ASH that showed signs of hybridization. One ASH breeder who saw the potential of the Persian/ASH cross proposed and eventually managed to get the Cat Fanciers' Association to recognize them as a new breed in 1966, under the name Exotic Shorthair. During the breeding program, crosses were also made with the Russian Blue and the Burmese (cat). Since 1987, the only allowable outcross breed is the Persian. The Fédération Internationale Féline recognized the Exotic Shorthair in 1986. Because of the regular use of Persians as outcrosses, some Exotics may carry a copy of the recessive longhair gene. When two such cats mate, there is a one in four chance of each offspring being longhaired. Ironically, longhaired Exotics are not considered Persians by CFA, although The International Cat Association accepts them as Persians. Other associations register them as a separate Exotic Longhair breed.
Health
* Feline polycystic kidney disease (PKD). Exotic shorthairs as is the case of Persian (cat)s 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 40-50% in developed nations. DNA screening for PKD is recommended for all exotic shorthair cats used in breeding programs, to reduce the incidence of kidney disease, by spaying and neutering PKD positive cats.
In popular culture
- Calico, Mr. Tinkles' sidekick from the Cats & Dogs series.
- There has been a long argument that Garfield (character) might be an Exotic Shorthair because of his shape and his short and square build. However, Garfield's facial features don't resemble an Exotic Shorthair's, as Garfield has extended lips while Exotics have short lips.
- Ferguson from the American television show New Girl is an Exotic Shorthair tabby.
- Pudge the Cat, an internet-famous cat, is an Exotic Shorthair.
- Smoosh, another Internet feline sensation, is an Exotic Shorthair. Smoosh is a "boyfriend" of Lil Bub.
- Snoopybabe, another Internet feline sensation who is living in China, is an Exotic Shorthair.
- Pandorka The Cat, a new internet cat star, is an Exotic Shorthair.
- Bronte, a singing cat in an advert for a UK mobile phone network.
