The original grumpy cat is not Grumpy Cat but the modern Persian. The modern Persian cat is the forerunner of celebrity Grumpy Cat.
The contemporary, flat-faced Persian cat, as championed by the world’s biggest cat registry and the most important cat association in the US, the Cat Fanciers’ Association, is meant to have a sweet expression. That is an important part of the objectives in breeding this cat.
The CFA breed standard (extract Dec. 2013):
The ideal Persian should present an impression of a heavily boned, well balanced cat with a sweet expression and soft, round lines.
Yet, so often we see Mr Grumpy Cat in the face of this very popular cat breed, the most registered cat breed for many years in the USA. It is very noticeable. What happened? Well, the answer has to be breeding too far and to an extreme while losing sight of the what cat caretaking is all about. The breed standard, I would say, creates a tendency for the Persian to look grumpy. It is about bone structure. The breed standard indirectly creates this bone structure. Grumpy Cat got her grumpy expression accidentally. The Persian was given hers by breeders.
By contrast the traditional Persian has always retained that oh-so-important sweet expression. It comes naturally. I don’t have to write anymore on this. The conclusions are obvious.
Here is Crystalline a trad. Persian in Holland:
I wonder if one reason why they look grumpy is because they can’t breath properly because their noses are so distorted?
I feel sorry for the flat faced Persian bred like that with all those health issues because people like to look upon that squashed face that poor little cat 🙁
Totally agree. Sadly some breeders in authority thought they could refine nature’s work. Anyone can see they failed.
Hi Caroline. It is a complete mystery to me why the CFA have gone done this path and now refuse to make changes. It is probably a combination of initial mistake followed by blood-minded stubbornness with a touch of stupidity.
I wish that more persians looked like Cristalline. What has happened to the judges’ forum on this?
PoC’ers, why has the CFA allowed such human-tweaked deformity and cruely into their ring? Brachycephaly and so forth causes all kinds of torments to the poor dear. Tear-ducts that weep constantly (how horrible for the cat, who is so fastidious in her grooming), problems eating, difficulty breathing esp. when asleep, nose pushed right btwn the eyes. The list is long, and I won’t go on because it tears me up.
It’s such a shame the traditional sweet looking Persian has been bred to the grumpy looking Persian, many with problems from being bred deformed.
Nature made animals perfect so why do people think they can improve on that?
They can NOT!