| A shorthair house cat, Exotic Shorthair was | | | | musculoskeletal frame. Body is low-set with strong |
| developed in United States during the middle of | | | | chest and shoulders and short powerful legs. Head is |
| twentieth century by mating longhair Persian cats | | | | broad with well developed jaws and chin. Ears are |
| with certain shorthair breeds. The idea was to create | | | | short and widely set. Big bright eyes occur in a |
| a cat that had all the adorable external features of | | | | number of colors, varying with the coat. The coat |
| the Persian apart from its long hair. For this purpose | | | | itself is short and plush, not requiring frequent |
| American and British Shorthairs, Burmese and even | | | | grooming and combing. For this reason, Exotic |
| Russian Blues were used to create the perfect | | | | Shorthairs are often referred to as the 'lazy man's |
| shorthaired Persian. The resulting cat had a distinct | | | | persian'. The tail is short and thick and paws are big |
| exotic look about it and owing to its short hair, was | | | | and round. |
| named thus. Formal recognition came in the sixties | | | | Like their ancestor Persians, the Exotic are subject to |
| when it was accepted by major registration bodies. | | | | similar health problems owing to their short flat nose |
| Today the Exotics resemble Persians more than the | | | | and overly broad jaws. Nasolacrimal duct, that allows |
| shorthair breeds that were used in their initial | | | | tear drainage, gets compressed leading to watery |
| creation, in temperament and appearance. Indeed | | | | eyes that require daily wiping. There are ensuing eye |
| Persian is the only breed with which occasional | | | | and sinus problems. Disproportionate jaws lead to |
| outcrosses of the Exotic are currently permitted. | | | | biting trouble, hindering the cat's eating ability and |
| A shorthaired feline, Exotic is a muscular cobby cat | | | | leading to frequent dental problems in some lines. |
| that mimics the Persian in its heavily built | | | | |