Himalayan

The Himalayan is what happens when you give a Persian the colouring of a Siamese: a dense, long, pale coat with darker points on the face, ears, legs and tail, and blue eyes that are part of the breed standard rather than a happy accident. Some registries treat it as a Persian variety rather than a separate breed, which tells you most of what you need to know about how it behaves. This is a Persian in temperament, with all that implies.

Living with one is quiet work. Himalayans are among the calmest cats we cover. They are affectionate without being clingy, they rarely make much noise, and they are content to spend the afternoon on a cushion in a patch of sun and the evening pressed against your leg. They play, but in short, gentle bursts, usually on the floor rather than at height. If you want a cat who patrols the top of the bookcase, look elsewhere. If you want a companion who is simply there, this is a good choice.

The coat is the commitment, and it should be stated plainly. A Himalayan coat is long, dense and soft, which is exactly the combination that mats. Ten minutes of combing every day keeps it in order. Three days off, particularly behind the ears, under the arms, along the belly and around the trousers of the hind legs, and you will find felted lumps that cannot be brushed out. Mats pull on the skin, cause sores, and generally end in a trip to a groomer or vet for clipping under sedation. The daily habit is much easier than the alternative, and most cats come to accept it if you start in kittenhood and keep sessions short.

The face needs its own routine. A shortened muzzle changes the drainage of the tear ducts, so tears run down the face rather than away, staining the fur and irritating the skin in the folds below the eyes. A daily wipe with damp cotton, moving away from the eye, handles it. While you are there, notice whether the eyes are clear and the breathing is quiet. Snuffling, open-mouth breathing after mild activity, or noisy sleep are not charming quirks. They are signs that the airway is too compromised, and they are worth a conversation with a vet.

Heat is the other practical issue. A dense double coat plus a shortened airway means a cat who struggles to cool down. In a hot climate, plan for shade, good ventilation, cool floors to lie on and plenty of water. Never leave a Himalayan in a warm car or a conservatory, and be alert in summer to panting, which in cats is always worth taking seriously.

Health beyond that centres on two things. Polycystic kidney disease has historically been common in Persian lines, and a genetic test exists, so there is no excuse for a breeder who cannot show clear results for both parents. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is also seen, and a breeder who screens hearts by ultrasound is telling you something about their standards. Dental crowding is a third, less discussed consequence of the shortened jaw: teeth sit closer together, tartar accumulates faster, and dental disease arrives earlier than in a long-muzzled cat. Daily brushing, if you can establish it, pays for itself.

There is a choice worth making at the point of purchase. Himalayans are bred along a spectrum from a moderate, older-style face with a visible muzzle, to a very flat modern one. The moderate face breathes better, drains tears better and chews better. We would choose it every time, and we would be wary of any breeder who treats extreme flatness as the goal rather than a risk.

Who suits this cat? A calm household with a predictable rhythm, someone at home for part of the day, and a person who finds the grooming pleasant rather than a chore. Families with very young children are a poorer match, not because the cat is snappy, but because a Himalayan will usually withdraw rather than object, and a cat who withdraws from a busy home is not a happy cat. Given the right home, they are among the most rewarding companions there are: undemanding, affectionate and entirely uninterested in your shelves.