How much is that kitty in the window?

By Maria Kegel

JAKARTA (JP): The last thing garment entrepreneur Dhanny Dahlan expected after a restful weekend with her husband in Bandung last month was to come home to an empty house -- a very empty house.

Two recently hired servants, a husband and wife, cleaned out the entire contents of her home, including the sound system, TV and even the air-conditioners.

But what hurt the former fashion model most was that the couple stole two of her prized Persian cats, Mocha and Champagne.

"I was sad, stunned and confused, and I didn't want to tell my mother as she really loves the cats, but she found out anyway by reading a Kompas article about it," Dhanny said from her home in Tebet Timur Dalam, South Jakarta.

Her servants only took what was valuable, and Persian cats in Indonesia are worthwhile to take when you consider the current market prices for adults and kittens.

Yulian Susanty, the president of the Cat Fanciers of Indonesia (CFI), said, "A good Persian cat could cost about Rp 7 million from a breeder, while a kitten can set you back Rp 1 million."

However, considering that Persian cats can earn owners prestige and prizes from cat shows, one could call their purchase price a sound investment.

Persians are by no means fragile cats. They are short and stocky with massive boning.

Their heads are large and round, and their faces have big round eyes, small ears, a domed forehead and a snub nose. Their most distinguishing feature, though, is a long plush coat of, most commonly, blue, white or black fur from their head to tail, with a distinctive ruff and frills between their front legs.

CFI, the local association for cat enthusiasts, was started in 1996 by Santy, who owns two Persians and a Siamese. It now boasts a membership of 123 cat owners in Jakarta, Bogor, Bandung, Bali and Kalimantan. Members have Persian, Birman and Siamese cats, with Persians being the most popular.

The association, which is affiliated with the European Federation of International Felines (FIF), has 10 people working on the national breeding committee, the judging committee and the show committee.

"We hold six cat shows a year and our next one is in Surabaya on Aug. 18," Santy said. The next cat show nearest Jakarta will be at Hotel Horizon in Bandung on Sept. 3.

With a Rp 25,000 entry fee, owners can enter their favorite feline at a show, whether they are members or nonmembers of the association, but the cats need to meet several requirements.

Judges study the cat's body, fur, the color of the fur and its face.

"For Persians, judges check if they have a big nose, small ears and bright eyes, among other things. However, if their fur is not long, or they do not have bright eyes or small ears, it goes against them in the competition," she said.

Apart from hosting cat shows, the association also issues licenses to catteries.

There are five licensed breeders in Jakarta and 10 in Bandung.

Santy recommended that prospective buyers of Persians buy directly from a breeder, "because they have the true breed (of Persian)".

She also suggested buying kittens that were a minimum of three months old and had had all their vaccinations.

Halimah Pratomo, who has been a breeder of Persian cats in Jakarta since 1989, started in the lucrative breeding business after her daughter brought home three cats from the UK and left them in her care.

Her daughter, Lia, said originally her mother did not want her to bring back any cats because of the extra care Persians required.

But it was hard for Lia to resist the ones she found in the UK, two red Persians and a chinchilla cat, which is a Persian but with more notable features, including silver-tipped white fur.

"Because I was so busy at work, my mother looked after them, and then one thing led to another and word got around that she was breeding them," Lia said.

At the moment, Halimah has 15 adult cats and three kittens, but she is taking a break from selling.

Halimah said Persians were the most popular cats in Indonesia, and only some people bought them as pets, while most intended to show them in competitions.

Prospective buyers first looked for good fur, then they checked for specific facial features, Halimah said from her cattery in Tebet.

"The most important things that buyers care about is if the cat has a broad face and broad nose, as they can differ greatly from cat to cat."

Another local breeder, Rini Sanyoto, said she had 25 cats and six kittens after starting with two she imported from Rome and another two she took from the hands of an owner who neglected them.

All her cats are "raised under feet," a term in the breeding industry which means they grow up around an owner's feet and have never been caged. "Sometimes the toms are caged as they fight with each other," she added.

Rini, who is also a lecturer at the London School of Public Relations, said she prefers black Persians, and if the mothers have black kittens, "I keep them for myself".

Rini makes sure she screens any prospective buyers, asking them if they have owned a cat before, what animals are in the house, if the yard is properly fenced, ensuring they are aware of the costs involved and that the cat will be taken care of by a responsible person.

She finds most buyers are looking for a Persian to cuddle, or sometimes specifically for a female or male.

"Each buyer has their likes or dislikes when choosing a cat, some go for color, with some wanting only a dark color. Other buyers want a Persian with a short nose, as they are the most beautiful in that sense. However, Persians tend to shed tears when they have a short nose. So some buyers specifically don't want a Persian with a short nose as they'll be busy wiping away tears all the time," said the owner of Furr Purr cattery.

Rini's 25 cats are sometimes entered in local cat shows. Once, her Italian male, Midnight, won first place in the prestigious "Best Opposite Sex" category.

Midnight has black fur, as one can guess, and glowing amber eyes.

"Midnight massages my head with his paws. When I take a bath, he's next to me, and when I tell him to, he'll jump up and massage my head. He understands me."

Health problems

With Persians' abundance of fur, this popular breed of feline has specific health problems in this tropical climate.

Local veterinarian Dr. Gunadi Setiadarma said there were a couple problems associated with long-haired cats.

"A skin problem in the form of an itchy rash can develop, because there is dirt is in its long fur. This leads to scratching, which can break the skin allowing bacteria to get in. By brushing a Persian's fur every day, the problem can be prevented."

Long-haired cats were also prone to hairballs, Dr. Gunadi added.

Ear mites were a particular concern, and Rini said ear mite drops, which are not available in Indonesia, were not enough to cure the ailment.

An injection of Ivomac, for internal and external parasites, was also needed, she added.

Along with persistent ear mite trouble, Persians and other breeds with small noses are also susceptible to the flu, or feline viral rhinotracheitis.

Rini said when Persians were moved from a cool place to a hot climate, it affected their coat.

"They shed if they are exposed to heat, and their new fur grows in shorter. That's why breeders in Bandung are the most successful."

Another veterinarian, Dr. Ina Purborini Messakh, said it was good to check a cat's health before buying it.

"If it's expensive, that does not always mean it's a healthy cat," Dr. Ina said.