Гималайская порода кошек

Breed of cat

The Himalayan (short for Himalayan Persian, or Colourpoint Persian as it is commonly referred to in Europe), is a breed or sub breed of long haired cat similar in type to the Persian, with the exception of its blue eyes and its point colouration, which were derived from crossing the Persian with the Siamese. Some registries may classify the Himalayan as a long haired sub breed of Siamese, or a colorpoint sub breed of Persian. The World Cat Federation has merged them with the Colorpoint Shorthair and Javanese into a single breed, the Colorpoint.

Work to formally establish a breed with combined Persian and Siamese traits, explicitly for the cat fancy, began in the United States in the 1930s at Harvard University, under the term Siamese–Persian, and the results were published in the Journal of Heredity in 1936, but were not adopted as a recognized breed by any major fancier groups at the time. Brian Sterling Webb independently developed the cross breed over a period of ten years in the UK, and in 1955 it was recognized there as the Longhaired Colourpoint by the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF). California cat breeder Jean Mill took a series of graduate classes in genetics at the University of California, Davis. By 1948, she was one of three breeders independently crossing the Persian and Siamese to create the Himalayan cat. Separate US based breeding efforts had begun around 1950, The Himalayan is considered a separate breed by the American Cat Fanciers Association and The International Cat Association.

The Himalayan resembles the Persian in type, conformation, and coat length and texture. The Himalayan does not resemble the Siamese in type.

The Himalayan is medium to large in size with a cobby body and low legs. Himalayans are also suspecitible to polycystic kidney disease, a hereditary condition that results in cysts growing in the kidney. A study of cats presented to the University of Missouri Columbia Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital that underwent radiography found 4 Himalayans out of a population of 16 to have hip dysplasia, higher than the 6.6% average for all cats. Himalayans are predisposed to dermatophytosis (ringworm). The Himalayan is predisposed to urticaria pigmentosa, a type of benign mast cell disorder. Idiopathic facial dermatitis, also known as facial dermatitis of the Persian and Himalayan cat is a type of dermatitis only observed in the Persian and Himalayan cat. It's characterised by greasy skin, debris adhering to the folds of the face and nose, ceruminous otitis externa, secondary bacterial folliculitis and Malassezia dermatitis, and pruritus. Onset is at 10 months to 6 years.

In the CBS television detective series "Tucker's Witch" (1982), a Himalayan cat named Dickens is the familiar to witch Amanda Tucker. Amanda Tucker has a telepathic link with Dickens, who provides her and her husband with clairvoyant clues to help them solve mysteries. Dickens is featured prominently in the show's opening and closing credits. In the spoof film Date Movie (2006), Mr. Jinxers is a parody of his Meet the Parents counterpart. In the movies Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993) and Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco (1996), one of the main characters is a Himalayan cat named Sassy (voiced by Sally Field). The main character of the anime/manga Prince of Tennis, Ryoma Echizen, owns a Himalayan cat named Karupin (or Kalpin in the English translation). Martha Stewart owns three Himalayans, named after composers: Beethoven, Mozart and Bartók. The cats have been featured in her commercials for Kmart, on her television show, Martha Stewart Living, and in her magazine, such as the cover of the February 1999 issue. A Himalayan named Luna The Fashion Kitty became a social media phenomenon in 2011 with a popular Facebook page, a website, and several media references. A Himalayan Persian named Colonel Meow became an Internet celebrity in 2012, and entered Guinness World Records 2014 as the cat with the longest fur. Mr. Jinx (also known as Jinxy, or simply just Jinx) from the Meet the Parents trilogy is a seal point peke faced Himalayan with an all black tail. The "narrator" of David Michie's series of books that begins with "The Dalai Lama's Cat" is a Himalayan cat.