How much is that kitty in the window?

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.