Exotic Shorthair

The Exotic Shorthair is often described as the "lazy man's Persian" a description that is simultaneously reductive and entirely accurate. It was created by crossing Persian cats with American Shorthairs and other shorthaired breeds specifically to produce a cat with the Persian's distinctive rounded face, plush body and gentle temperament, but with a coat that requires a fraction of the grooming commitment.

The strategy succeeded completely, and since CFA recognition in 1967 the Exotic Shorthair has grown to become one of the most popular pedigree cat breeds in the world.

The appeal is self-evident: a face that is broadly considered among the most appealing in domestic cat breeding, a temperament that is calm and affectionate, a coat that can be maintained with regular weekly combing instead of daily combing, and, crucially, the same sweet expression without the daily grooming labor that keeps many prospective Persian owners from making the commitment.

For those who love the Persian aesthetic but lead busy lives, the Exotic Shorthair presents a compelling alternative.

The trade-off is that the Exotic Shorthair shares all of the Persian's health concerns, and understanding those concerns, particularly brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome, polycystic kidney disease and ocular issues, is essential for anyone considering this breed.

Origin and Development

The Exotic Shorthair came about through deliberate crossing in the 1950s and 1960s by American breeders who admired the Persian's conformation but wanted a shorthaired alternative. The most significant early crosses were between Persian cats and American Shorthairs, with the intent of introducing the Persian's round head and cobby body into the American Shorthair frame while retaining the shorthaired coat.

The shorthair gene proved dominant, so the crosses produced shorthaired kittens, but with Persian-type heads, eyes and bodies, and the resulting cats looked considerably more Persian than American Shorthair. The round face and plush body persisted even with one Persian parent. Breeders continued refining the type, and by the time CFA recognized the breed in 1967, it was established as a distinct breed rather than simply a shorthaired variant of the Persian.

CFA first named the breed the Exotic Shorthair, many of the early cats were shaded silver or chinchilla, colours then found in no shorthair breed. The word "Shorthair" caused confusion and was eventually dropped, and CFA now calls the breed simply the Exotic. The CFA now considers the Exotic Shorthair and the Persian to be closely related breeds with the same standard applied to everything except coat length and texture.

Longhaired kittens still appear in some Exotic litters: a kitten that inherits two copies of the recessive longhair gene grows a Persian-length coat.

Physical Characteristics

The Exotic Shorthair is a medium to large cat with a distinctive cobby body type, short-legged, broad-chested, and compact, sitting low to the ground. The overall impression is of a round, plush, cushion-like cat with a flat face, large eyes, and a notably short nose.

Characteristic	Details
Weight	3.2-6.4 kg
Build	Cobby, broad, low-slung
Head	Round, large, flat-faced (brachycephalic)
Nose	Very short, pushed in
Eyes	Large, round, prominent
Coat	Short, dense, plush, stands away from body
Coat texture	Distinctly different from American Shorthair
Lifespan	12-15 years
CFA recognition	1967

The head is round and large with full cheeks, a broad skull and a nose that is set deep between the eyes. The CFA standard calls for a short, snub, broad nose with open nostrils and a break centered between the eyes.

The eyes are round, large and set wide apart. The prominent, globular eye shape contributes to the breed's appeal but also to its vulnerability to corneal damage, chronic epiphora (tearing), and the staining that results when tear overflow tracks down the face grooves.

The coat is the breed-defining feature that separates the Exotic from the Persian. It is short, much shorter than the Persian, but it is not flat and close-lying like the American Shorthair coat. Instead, it is dense and plush, standing away from the body and giving the cat a noticeably padded, rounded appearance. This coat texture is unique to the Exotic Shorthair among shorthaired breeds and is evaluated as a key breed feature in the show ring.

Are male Exotic Shorthairs bigger than females?

Yes. The Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF) gives a typical weight of 7 to 12 lb (about 3.2 to 5.4 kg) for a female Exotic and 12 to 14 lb (about 5.4 to 6.4 kg) for a male. Both sexes share the heavily boned, massive build the GCCF describes for the breed, and the CFA judges them against one standard that treats quality, not size, as the deciding factor.

Brachycephaly and Health Implications

The Exotic Shorthair's flat face is its most distinctive feature and its most significant health liability. Brachycephaly, the shortening of the facial bones that creates the flat profile, compresses the anatomy of the upper respiratory tract in ways that can cause lifelong breathing difficulties and related complications.

Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome (BOAS) in cats, as in dogs, encompasses a combination of anatomical abnormalities that restrict airflow: narrowed nostrils (stenotic nares), an elongated soft palate that partially blocks the airway, and a relatively small trachea. Cats with severe BOAS show noisy breathing, snoring, exercise intolerance, difficulty eating and in extreme cases respiratory distress.

Surgical correction of narrowed nostrils and shortened soft palate is possible and improves quality of life significantly in affected individuals.

The flat face also creates the ocular issues associated with the Persian and Exotic. The shallow eye sockets provide less protection to the prominent eyes, increasing risk of corneal injuries and exposure keratitis. The facial folds that develop around the nose in some individuals can trap moisture and create conditions for skin fold dermatitis. Regular cleaning of the face folds and inner eye corners is necessary maintenance.

Polycystic Kidney Disease

Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is a hereditary condition in the Persian breed and its derivatives, including the Exotic Shorthair, Himalayan and other Persian-derived breeds, that has historically affected large proportions of these populations. PKD causes the progressive formation of fluid-filled cysts in kidney tissue, reducing functional kidney mass over time and eventually leading to chronic kidney failure.

A DNA test for the specific PKD1 mutation found in Persian-derived breeds is available and is used by responsible breeders to eliminate the mutation from their breeding programs. Breeding only PKD1-negative animals to other PKD1-negative animals produces litters guaranteed to be free of this specific mutation.

Before DNA testing became widespread, prevalence estimates of PKD in Persian and Exotic Shorthair populations reached 40% or higher in some studies. In responsibly managed breeding programs using DNA testing, this prevalence has fallen dramatically. When purchasing an Exotic Shorthair, buyers should ask for documentation of PKD1 testing on both parents.

Health Concern	Details	Testing Available
Polycystic kidney disease (PKD)	Hereditary; PKD1 mutation	DNA test, ask for results
BOAS	Brachycephalic airway syndrome	Clinical assessment
HCM	Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy	Echocardiogram
Epiphora	Chronic tear overflow, facial staining	Clinical management
Skin fold dermatitis	Moisture-trapping facial folds	Regular cleaning

Temperament

The Exotic Shorthair has inherited the Persian's calm, affectionate and gentle temperament, with a slight increase in playfulness attributed to the American Shorthair influence. These are quiet cats that enjoy being in the presence of their owners without being demanding or highly vocal. They tend to find a comfortable spot in the home's activity center and participate in family life from that vantage point.

Exotics are less sedentary than the modern Persian, they show more interest in interactive play and are willing to engage with toys and games. They are not hyperactive or athletic, but they have a moderate energy level that keeps them engaged without creating management challenges. Play sessions with wand toys or feather toys are enjoyed and provide useful physical and mental stimulation.

The breed is well-suited to apartment living. The low activity level, minimal vocalization and adaptability to calm domestic environments make the Exotic Shorthair well suited to people in apartments or smaller living spaces. For more on this see Best Cats for Apartments: Breeds That Thrive in Small Spaces .

Grooming the Exotic Shorthair Coat

The coat needs regular combing with a steel or metal comb, usually weekly for most of the year and more often during heavy seasonal shedding. The dense, plush texture does not mat as readily as a Persian coat, but it does accumulate loose hair and can develop small tangles in the densest areas if neglected. Regular combing removes loose hair, prevents tangles and distributes skin oils through the coat.

Face cleaning is a daily requirement. The facial folds, inner eye corners and the area around the nose leather accumulate tear staining and debris. Daily gentle wiping with a moistened cotton pad removes the buildup before it hardens into dark, difficult-to-remove staining. The Exotic's face can look pristine or look neglected depending entirely on how consistently this daily cleaning is performed.

Comparison with the Persian

The Exotic Shorthair and the Persian are evaluated against the same breed standard in every respect except coat. The Persian's coat is long, flowing and requires daily combing to prevent the severe matting that develops rapidly in a neglected Persian coat. The Exotic's coat is short enough to be managed with far less frequent attention.

Everything else, the round head, flat face, cobby body, gentle temperament, PKD risk, BOAS vulnerability, eye tearing issues, is the same. Buyers choosing between them are essentially choosing how much grooming commitment they want to take on, not a fundamentally different cat.

For comparison, see the Persian Cat Care and Characteristics and British Shorthair Cat guides.

How is the Exotic Shorthair different from the Scottish Fold?

The two breeds come from very different starting points. The Exotic was created deliberately in the 1950s, when West Coast Persian breeders in the United States crossed their cats with American Shorthairs, and its CFA standard is identical to the Persian's except for the coat. The Scottish Fold traces back to a single cat, Susie, a copper-eyed white female with folded ears found on a farm in the Tayside region of Scotland in 1961.

The Fold's ears come from a dominant gene. A 2016 study in Osteoarthritis and Cartilage linked the folded ear, and the inherited bone and cartilage disorder osteochondrodysplasia, to a dominant variant of the TRPV4 gene. For that reason the CFA advises breeding fold-eared cats only to straight-eared cats. In temperament the CFA describes the Exotic as sweet, affectionate and quiet and the Fold as a charming homebody that enjoys, but does not crave, human interaction.

Illustration.