Caring for a Exotic Shorthair: coat, hygiene and daily play

The Exotic Shorthair is a sturdy Persian-type cat with a shorter, dense plush coat. Its rounded face calls for attentive yet gentle care. Care works best when it is regular and calm, rather than a rigid timetable followed for its own sake. The habits below also make changes easier to notice early.

Coat and skin

The plush coat is shorter than a Persian's, but its thick undercoat can tangle without regular brushing. Check the skin and gently clean around the eyes if discharge appears. Set brushing frequency by the individual cat's coat, check the skin and never pull mats out by force. Choose a tool that does not scrape the skin, and stop when the cat has had enough. Several short pleasant sessions are better than one long struggle.

Eyes, ears, claws and teeth

Introduce paw, ear and mouth checks gradually and without force. Trim claws when needed and discuss dental care with a veterinarian. Itching, discharge, odour, pain or a sudden change in behaviour calls for professional assessment rather than home experiments. Do not put cotton buds into the ear canal or use human products without veterinary advice.

Bathing and shedding

A healthy cat does not need baths by calendar. If the coat is dirty or a vet recommends a different routine, choose a gentle cat product and dry the cat thoroughly. Check the coat more often during shedding periods and remove loose hair gently.

Food and movement

Exotic Shorthairs usually enjoy moderate play with quiet breaks. Brief daily sessions support movement, while excess weight can make ordinary life harder. Short daily sessions with a wand toy, ball or puzzle feeder let natural hunting behaviour have an outlet. Wind play down calmly, and put strings and small parts away when nobody is watching. Rotate toys to keep them interesting. Watch body condition rather than just a number on the scales, and agree portions and diet with a vet for the cat's age and health.

When to seek help

Cats with very shortened faces can have breathing, eye and dental difficulties. In related Persian lines, asking about polycystic kidney disease (PKD) also matters; assess the particular risk through family records and examination. Itching, bald patches, irritation, eye or ear discharge and changes in appetite warrant an examination. Diagnosis and treatment belong to a veterinarian.

Care as a daily habit

Start with brief, calm procedures: touch a paw, glance at an eye or ear, make one stroke with the brush. Reward cooperation and stop before the cat struggles. If it already fears a tool, return to an easier step. Force does not improve grooming and may damage trust for a long time.

Offer quiet beds, a cool place in hot weather, safe low climbing routes and daily play. If the cat snores, breathes with effort or tires quickly, seek veterinary advice. Cats with very shortened faces can have breathing, eye and dental difficulties. In related Persian lines, asking about polycystic kidney disease (PKD) also matters; assess the particular risk through family records and examination. Exotic Shorthairs usually enjoy moderate play with quiet breaks. Brief daily sessions support movement, while excess weight can make ordinary life harder.

When meeting the breeder, ask for veterinary records and a description of the kitten’s usual routine. Prepare questions in advance and note the answers so you can compare them calmly with your own circumstances. After the move, change the household routine gradually and keep familiar places for sleeping, eating and play. No breed comes with a health guarantee. Ask about parental screening, relevant test results, rearing conditions and the kitten's own veterinary records. A DNA test answers a question about a particular gene variant; it does not replace a clinical examination.

Good grooming shows in the cat’s behaviour afterwards: it does not hide from hands, soon returns to normal activities and accepts another short check later. Ask the breeder which tools the kitten knows and how it was introduced to them. Keep a calm pace at home instead of trying to finish everything in one day. If the skin seems painful or the cat’s response changes sharply, investigate the cause with a vet first.

Read more on the breed page. Check the site for available kittens; if none are available now, you can join the waiting list.