From: collene@unisql.UUCP (Collene Pearce)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Personality -> Exotic Shorthair, Maine Coon
Date: 18 Aug 92 17:43:04 GMT
Reply-To: collene@unisql.UUCP (Collene Pearce)
Distribution: usa
Organization: UniSQL, Inc., Austin, Texas, USA

In article <1992Aug17.180534.632@thyme.jpl.nasa.gov> hope@thyme.jpl.nasa.gov (Sharon Hope) writes:
>Does anyone have any experience with Exotic Shorthair (look just like
>a medium-length coated Persian) or Maine Coon?  I would like to know
>what type of personalities they have.  Are they good with children (who
>are good with cats)?  Are they friendly toward the family dogs (who are
>good with cats)?
>I have always loved the Persian temperament, calm loving & quiet.  How
>do these 2 breeds compare?

I have experience with persians and maine coons and have only been
"around" the exotic shorthairs.   The exotics that I have been around
seem to have the same personality as the standard persian - quiet, 
sweet, loving, gentle, loyal, playful, clean, tidy, dainty, adorable
(I'm really fond of persians.  ;-) ).    For this reason, when I get
a playmate for Tamora, I intend to locate an exotic shorthair.  

Most of the exotics I have seen do not have medium length fur.  The ones
I have seen have had a "short plush" coat.  Wonderful, dense, fine, soft
fur.  However, I know they do have "long haired exotics", as I saw one at
the last cat show here.  I honestly couldn't tell much difference between
it and a "non-show quality" persian.  ;-)  I'm sure the breeder wouldn't
have appreciated that.

The maine coons I have known were all very nice cats also.  My mother
has a 25pounder lap cat.    IMHO, they tend to be more playful and
active than a persian, but have the same sweetness and gentleness 
(unless playing - it's hard for somthing that big to be gentle ;-) ).
They also tend to be larger, on the average.  However, I don't believe
they are generally as tidy as persians, but it may just be that the 
MC's I have known were less tidy than average.  Cromwell can throw
litter at least 10feet in the air without really trying.

In my opinion, either the MC or the exotic will have a more gentle
disposition than the leaner, lankier, more shorthaired breeds.  They 
should also be more quiet, less active and less vocal.

Persian/Exotic Trivia:
I had my own opinion about why the exotic is so much like the persian
and a breeder recently substantiated it for me.  It is because they are 
primarily persians.  I was told recently that the original exotics were
a cross between and american shorthair and a persian.  Then they started
to alternately breed the exotics back to persians and to am shorthairs,
alternately.  Then finally, the breeders were no longer allowed to put
anything other than exotics into the line.  So, for at least 6 years, 
you have been able to only breed exotics to exotics.  However, at the
time this rule was made, the breed was already more than 50% persian.


-- 

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* A. Collene Pearce (512-343-7372, x114) * Organization: UniSQL, Inc.  *
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