WHAT IS AN EXOTIC ? For people who are looking for what I would consider the perfect cat - the Exotic may be the breed for you! If you are looking for a cat that has all the wonderful qualities of a Persian without the work involved with grooming daily, then the Exotic is also perfect for you. The Exotic cat has to conform to the standard of a Persian cat which is as follows:- Short cobby body Massive head sitting right on the body The head should have tiny well placed ears, huge round eyes set wide apart, short nose , broad nose leather with large open nostrils, broad muzzle, firm chin and beautiful round face with sweet expression. The legs should be short and heavily boned with large paws The tail should be short and thick The coat must be plush and if rubbed up the wrong way should fall exactly back into place PET EXOTICS I can't stress strongly enough to people to only buy from a registered breeder. Most kittens from pet shops are of equal price if not more than from a registered breeder and you will not be able to view parents, check the kitten is from a clean environment or get advise on how to care for that baby properly. Also beware of buying from what is called "a backyard breeder", one who is not registered with a cat council as they are generally breeding their kittens to try to make a bit of "pocket money", often with little knowledge of what is required. Buying a kitten from a registered breeder will usually ensure that the babies are healthy, vaccinated, wormed, toilet trained and easy to bathe for their new owners. A breeder will often give you a photocopy of the pedigree of parents of the kitten for you to keep and probably you will find there are many champion and grand champion cats in your kittens pedigree. You may ask yourself what is the difference betweena pet kitten and a show quality kitten. Quite often - NOT A LOT. The kitten that is sold as a pet may just have not quite the correct coat for showing or , believe it or not, the legs may be just that little bit longer than a show quality kitten.   SHOW QUALITY KITTEN The first thing to realise is that a 'show quality' kitten will cost quite a lot more than a pet kitten. If you are interested in starting to show a kitten a responsible breeder will advise you on which kitten is best for you. Also I cannot stress enough that a good breeder will guide you along the path to showing with spending the time in showing you how to present that kitten at the show to be a good advertisement of their cattery. I know it is difficult if you don't live close to the breeder, but information should be given on grooming the exhibit so the breeder is also proud of seeing that cat on the showbench.Many people start their showing career by having a desexed or spayed kitten to give them time to learn a lot more about what is involved with going to a cat show. There are of course pros and cons with showing a cat of any breed, but I can honestly say that the friends you make and the excitement of showing far outweights the negatives.   WHAT ABOUT EXOTIC CATS? Exotics come in all the colours of the Persian cat including of course all the solid colours with a wonderful array of colours including tabbies, bi-colours and silvers. You may ask about their personality - well they sure have one!! In my opinion they are what I would call "sticky beak cats" as they have to know at all times what is going on around the house. They will follow you wherever you go (even to the bathroom) and just wait until you move and they will move. They are most happy when they are part of the family and will love playing with the children or just sitting on grandma's knee. The Exotic is happy living in the house, flat or apartment as long as they are with you. They are extremely easy to look after as their coat will just need a brush very occasionally. I also find in general that they are very good eaters and have been told a couple of times at cat shows that one or two of my Exotics should attend Jenny Craig which is of course is a sign of a cat who enjoys their food. Finally if you are not sure that the Exotic is the cat for you, take the time to go along to a cat show and speak to breeders and see the cats for yourself. You can get a list of shows for the year from the NSW Cat Fanciers Association or I am sure if you get in touch with the governing body in your state they will help you.