When researching Persians, have you often wondered what it meant when they said "Dollfaced," "Baby doll faced," "traditional doll faced" or "extreme faced?"  What these terms are describing is the facial structure of the Persian cat or kitten.  The solid black kitten pictured to the right is an example of a dollfaced Persian, baby doll faced or traditional doll faced Persian. 

It has been speculated that over time the breedings have produced flatter and flatter faced Persians which are also known as flat faced or extreme faced.  The traditional dollfaced Persian, however very sweet looking are not what the Cat Fanciers, TICA (The International Cat Association) or ACFA (American Cat Fanciers Association) consider to be breed standard or of show quality.  According to breed standard, a kitten with a doll face could not obtain a chamionship title. 

For more specific details on breed standard and what makes a show quality Persian, please visit the Cat Fanciers Association website.  

Doll Face - When considering purchasing a Persisan kitten, it is best to first consider what type of facial structure you desire the most.  The traditional doll faced Persian is very popular among families looking for a wonderful Persian companion.  Traditional dollfaced Persians are still very affectionate, meet the description of the breed or breed standard with the exception of the facial structure. The darling red & white Persian kitten pictured to the right is another prime example of a dollfaced Persian with the longer nose.

Low Nose - When we define an extreme face, there are more than one facial structures that come to mind.  For example, the red & white kitten picutred to the right is an extreme faced Persian.  However, he is what we describe as a low nosed kitten.  As you can tell from the photograph, his nose sits a bit low on his face with regards to it's verticle placement on the face.  Although this Persian kitten is very darling and still flat faced, with regards to showing and breed standard, it would not be likely that this kitten or this type of facial structure could obtain a championship title. 

Flat Faced - The expression flat faced Persain describes a kitten with a flat face and a tiny little nose.  The black & white flat faced kitten pictured to the right is a great example of a kitten who has a flat face. However as you can tell from the photograph is still not the flattest facial structure seen in a Persian kitten.  The flat faced Persian meets the standard of the breed as described by CFA (Cat Fanciers Association) and TICA (The Internaitonal Cat Association).  With proper presentation this facial structure could easily obtain a championship status provided it presents no other disqualifying faults.

Extreme Faced - When a Persian facial structure is described as an extreme faced what they are referring to is the flatness of the face.  In the photo to the right, the kitten is described as an extreme faced, meaning extemely flat in structure.  This facial structure is the most common in the show halls of the Cat Fanciers Association and TICA (The International Cat Association) cat shows.  Due to the facial structure of an extreme faced Persian, there may be any of the following conditions present: eye drainage due to the placement of the eustacian tubes, sinus and noise coming from the nose, ie shorting and some sneezing.  All of these symptoms are very common for an extremed faced Persian.  In some cases a surgical laser procedure can be done to enlarge the nares (nostrils) (small nostrils on a cat is also knows as stenotic nares) of a cat to aid in easing the airflow of the nose.  Typically this is done only in rare cases. When considering this type of procedure it is best to do some research to make sure your veterinarian is experienced with this type of procedure.