Himalayan Cat Names, Names for Himalayan Cats, Page 10

The Himalayan was engineered. In 1931 Virginia Cobb and Harvard geneticist Dr. Clyde Keeler began an experimental breeding programme at the Newton Cattery in Massachusetts to produce a cat that wore Persian body type and Siamese pointed coloration. The first kitten in the line was named Newton's Debutante. Brian Sterling-Webb continued the work in England, and in 1955 GCCF formally recognised the type as Colourpoint Longhair — the name UK fanciers still use. American associations adopted the name Himalayan in 1957, and in 1984 CFA reclassified the breed as a colour variation of the Persian rather than a separate breed.

The name does not come from the mountain range. It comes from the Himalayan rabbit — a rabbit breed with the same pointed coloration pattern, dark on extremities, light on the body. This is one of the most commonly mistaken etymologies in cat naming, so it's worth getting right before picking a mountain-themed name.

Under the coat, the Himalayan is a Persian. Same cobby body, same dome-shaped head, same brachycephalic muzzle, same daily-grooming requirement, same health profile — PKD risk, respiratory considerations, tear-duct issues. CFA places the Himalayan at sedate and "more talkative than Persians but far less vocal than Siamese" — which puts the Himalayan exactly between its two parent breeds on the noise scale, as the genetics would suggest.

Naming follows the cross's actual heritage. Newton, Debutante, Cobb, Keeler honour the 1931 founding programme. Sterling-Webb extends the lineage into the UK. Pointed colour names match the kitten's actual coat — Seal, Sienna, Sable for dark points; Lilac, Blue, Cream for dilute points. Calm-cat names — Honey, Marlow, Saffron, Peony — fit a breed whose CFA profile centers on a sweet expression and a low activity level.

Is your kitten a Himalayan or a Colourpoint Persian? Both registries are right. Pick the heritage frame that matches the lineage your breeder uses.