Persian vs Exotic Shorthair: which one suits you?
Choose a Persian if you will comb the cat every day and you want the long flowing coat. Choose an Exotic Shorthair if you want the identical face, build and calm temperament with two or three brushings a week instead. Everything else about the two breeds, including price, is close to identical.
Side by side
| Persian | Exotic Shorthair | |
|---|---|---|
| Coat | Long, dense double coat | Short, plush, dense double coat |
| Grooming | Comb daily, 5 to 10 minutes | Brush 2 to 3 times a week |
| Matting risk | High if skipped | Very low |
| Shedding | Year round, visible | Year round, less visible |
| Head type | Round, short muzzle | Round, short muzzle, identical standard |
| Temperament | Calm, quiet, affectionate | Calm, quiet, affectionate, slightly more playful |
| Energy | Low | Low to moderate |
| Tear staining | Common, daily wiping | Common, daily wiping |
| Typical lifespan | 12 to 16 years | 12 to 16 years |
| Our price range | $1,700 to $1,800 | $1,900 to $2,000 |
Where the two breeds came from
The Persian is one of the oldest recognized pedigree breeds, documented in Europe from the seventeenth century and standardized through the cat fancy in the late nineteenth. The Exotic Shorthair is much newer. American breeders in the 1950s crossed Persians with American Shorthairs, initially to improve the shorthair's coat. What they got was a Persian in a wash and wear coat. The CFA recognized it as its own breed in 1967.
Both breed standards are published by the registries. You can read the CFA and TICA standards directly, which is worth doing before you visit any breeder so you know what the head, ears, eyes and body are supposed to look like.
How much grooming time each one really takes
Budget five to ten minutes a day for a Persian and about fifteen minutes twice a week for an Exotic Shorthair. Over a year that is roughly forty hours of grooming for a Persian against about thirteen for an Exotic.
The Persian's undercoat is what causes the work. It is soft, dense and prone to felting into mats at friction points: behind the ears, under the front legs, in the britches at the back and around the base of the tail. A mat left alone tightens against the skin and can cause a sore. Once formed, it is a job for scissors in careful hands or, more sensibly, a groomer.
None of this is difficult, but it has to be habitual. Our full method is on the Persian grooming guide.
Temperament: are they really the same?
Close enough that most owners cannot tell them apart behaviorally. Both are quiet, undemanding, floor dwelling cats that want company without climbing on you. Neither is a talkative breed. Neither is a jumper, so bookshelves and countertops stay largely untouched.
If pushed, we would say Exotic Shorthairs are a shade more playful and a shade more likely to follow you room to room, which is often attributed to the American Shorthair in the background. It is a small difference and individual personality matters more than breed.
Health considerations for both
Both breeds share the same flat faced anatomy and therefore the same considerations: tear duct overflow, the need for a moderate rather than extreme muzzle, and the importance of buying from a breeder who screens their cats. Polycystic kidney disease has historically been present in Persian lines and is detectable by DNA test, so ask any breeder directly whether their cats are tested. Ours are, and they are negative. There is more on the kings and queens page.
So which should you buy?
- Buy a Persian if you genuinely enjoy grooming, you want the dramatic coat, and a daily five minute routine fits your life.
- Buy an Exotic Shorthair if you want the same cat with far less maintenance, you travel, or you have a busy household.
- Either works if you want a calm indoor cat that will sit with you rather than on top of the fridge.
Questions people ask about the two breeds
Is an Exotic Shorthair just a short haired Persian?
Effectively yes. The Exotic Shorthair was developed by crossing Persians with American Shorthairs, and both TICA and the CFA judge it to the Persian standard in everything except coat length. Same head, same body, same temperament, shorter coat.
Which breed sheds less?
Neither sheds noticeably less by weight, but Exotic Shorthair hair is short and drops less visibly, and it does not mat. A Persian that is not combed daily will mat, and mats are a grooming problem rather than a shedding one.
Do Exotic Shorthairs cost less than Persians?
Not usually. Both breeds sit in the same price band, and at our cattery Exotic Shorthair kittens are currently priced from $1,900 to $2,000 while Persian Longhair kittens run $1,700 to $1,800. Price tracks color and conformation more than coat length.
Can a Persian and an Exotic Shorthair come from the same litter?
Yes. Because the Exotic Shorthair carries the longhair gene, two Exotic Shorthairs or an Exotic crossed with a Persian can produce both short coated and long coated kittens in the same litter. That is exactly what happens in our litters.
Page last reviewed and updated on by Exotic Stars Cattery.
We breed both
Our current litters include Persian Longhair and Exotic Shorthair kittens from the same parents. Have a look at who is available.
