Persian Cat for sale — Mumbai
I am fascinated with the sale of Persian cats in Mumbai, India. It is probably because it is an unknown market for people in the west (primarily America and Europe) who are involved in the cat fancy or cat world. It is a market place that is developing it seems to me.
I hope my internet pen pal, Rudolph, will forgive me for writing about this. It is not meant as a criticism; more an observation. And I am open to being corrected.
There are a lot of Persian cats for sale in the internet, on a very successful Indian seller-meets-buyer website: OLX.in.
The cat above, in the picture, is a said to be a flat-faced Persian cat for sale. The advertiser says that the fur has been trimmed and it was more bushy.
The advertiser's phone number is -- Phone: 9819702903
What do you think; the public?
Look at this cat..What do you think when you see this cat? I think: unhappy cat. I see a neglected cat with a coat in poor condition that is dirty and a cat with tear staining, which is typical of the Persian. Tear staining is the dark fur below the eyes where tears overspill the tear ducts because the tear ducts are not able to carry away the tears adequately due to being deformed. Eyes are constantly producing liquid to keep the eyes lubricated. We don't notice normally, until the liquid cannot be drained away properly.
Technically, this is not a flat-faced Persian, either. This is a doll face or traditional Persian cat.
The asking price is RS15,000. In USD that is $290. In sterling (GBP) it is: £182. That is about half the price that is asked in America and Europe but a lot of money in India - probably several months salary for some people. The advertiser has done almost nothing to convince the buyer that he is doing the right thing.
In addition this cat is not registered so there is no evidence that the cat is purebred.
My advice to Indians living in Mumbai, who wish to buy a purebred cat, is to try and find a really caring and sensible breeder who thinks about the cats' welfare first and foremost. Also to know that technically these are not Persian cats.
Ironically, however, they are probably more purebred than the American Persian cats. The American Persian has been selectively bred away from its origins. India is near the source of the original Persian cat.
