Cats
a female Black Persian was imported direct from the Shah of Persia himself.
EARLY LONGHAIRED CATS: ANGORAS AND PERSIANS
Longhaired cats were first seen in Europe in the 1500s, first in Italy (1521) and then in
France. They were named after the Turkish city of Angora (Ankhara). The first documented
ancestors of the Persian were imported from Persia into Italy in 1620 by Pietro della Valle,
and from Turkey into France by Nicholas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc at around the same time.
From France they soon reached Britain. The longhaired cats from Persia were interbred with
Turkish Angoras. A tabby Angora cat is depicted in Buffon’s "Natural History" (1756). Its
head length and conformation are generally similar to the Turkish Angora except that its ears
are set lower on the head.
The first longhairs in Britain were variously
annaabi.ee 
