This illustration caught my eye. It addresses what I have called the geometry of the flat-faced Persian and the super-slender Siamese. These are both high-profile cat breeds, bred to extremes and therefore their geometry is of interest to people who want to know a bit more about the cat breeds. What I particularly like about it is that it breaks down the anatomy of these two popular cats into strict dimensions. It is the first time that I have seen this. Please note that there are traditional variants of these breeds: the doll face Persian and the old-style Siamese or the Thai cat.
I have taken the liberty again of publishing an image without the express permission of the author but I think they will allow me to do it in the interests of education (I argue fair use). And this book was in a library (it was sold to me) and little read currently as it was published in 1991. Time changes everything and although the book is still very relevant, it is probable that certain parts of it aren’t.
It does bring up some questions, however. Do judges bring out a ruler and measure the faces of the cats that they are judging? I think not. Therefore they rely entirely on their ability to assess measurements. I wonder too whether all the judges nowadays rely on these sorts of measurements. This illustration is from Richard H Gebhart’s book, The Complete Book. It was published in 1991 and Mr Gebhart knows his stuff because he was the president of the Cat Fanciers’ Association from 1968 to 1980 and a Member of the Board Of Directors from 1962 to 1981. These are just two of his many accomplishments including a committee member of the Feline Symposium for the University of Pennsylvania Veterinary School.
HERE IS SOME MORE ON THE SIAMESE CAT:
