Dearheart Legacy & Conservation 

Please be aware there is a difference between pure Dearhearts and Dearheart lines.  Those who carry Dearheart lines, rather than pure Dearhearts, have had the flat face, peke or doll face Persians, bred into their lines. These are NOT the same kind of cats.  

It was the Dearhearts that were used exclusively by Fancy Feast

The cats you see at SlvrPalace are direct descendants of the cats in the commercials also known as “The Fancy Feast Cats”.  In South Africa they are called the Traditional/Original Long Hair, but here in the USA they are referred to as the Silver Persians. So let me explain the breed. Persian (AKA TLH-Traditional Long Hair in South Africa CASA/WCF) is the name of the breed, Silver is the color division and Dearheart is the line also referred to as the original breeder’s cattery name (which was owned by the Jeanie Ramsdale).  The Silvers color is referred to as either being a Shaded Silver or a Chinchilla Silver color. Which is determined by the amount and length of silver tipping.

So, “What makes these cats so special?” you may ask. Their health, their beauty, and Dearhearts were used exclusively by Fancy Feast for many years.

A “Dearheart” is a Unique line of the Silver Persians, they DO NOT have a flat face and therefore, they also do not have the health problems associated with that.

Originally “Dearheart” was the breeder’s cattery name for the Chinchilla/Shaded Silver Persian that was originally bred by Jeanne Ramsdale and her husband Philip N. Ramsdale. The Silver is the oldest man made cat breed in the world and they are one of the only man made lines with the Long haired Angora set in, the long haired angora is now extinct. It takes multiple generations to “set” a trait.

Eventually Persian breeders would start breeding for the peked (flat) face and due to that and a fire (described below), now this is one of the only lines left that still have the traditional Persian head. Making the dearheart even more unique. Between the breeding for the flat face and a terrible fire that took out several of these cats, it has made the Dearheart Chinchilla Silver Persian a truly rare breed.

After the deaths of Jeanne & Philip their entire line of 50 cats were left to friends and there was a large fire that killed most of the line. The remaining main breeders of that time were, L’Dearheart – owned by Firenza Pini and Diane Amble (San Francisco CA) along with Cherie-Finesse (South Africa) owned by Alida Delport & previously Stella Slabber (now deceased), who had been trying to bring the line back strong and healthy. They had literally brought them in from Europe & South Africa. With the assistance of the owners and breeders of the cats, that were still of breedable age and they had been working towards building the gene pool back up. There are currently only about 120 in the USA and 250 in South Africa, Australia, Europe & Russia. Why am I telling you all this? Because this is the history of where our cats have came from and their linage can also be verified via pedigree.

Today there are few breeders left who have chosen to still work towards continueing and breeding true to the Dearheart line of Persians the way Jeannie and Alida did. This is why you see so many catteries that are now saying they have Dearheart lines rather than being a Dearheart Persian cattery. Finding a dearheart cat can be tough, finding a breeding pair needs to be carefully coordinated. I am proud to say that we are one of those few catteries left who chose to breed true to the Dearheart line here at SlvrPalace, waiting about 2 and 1/2 years to find a compatible male. Because of that, currently I am part of a team working to preserve these beautiful animals from becoming extinct, along with the owners of L’Cara Tesoro Cattery, AnointedPaws Cattery and a few others.

These cats are bred for their beauty, but most of all our breeders have put the health of the breed as a top priority. They do not have the respiratory, eye or heart problems that standard Persians tend to have.

All of the cats in our cattery at SlvrPalace are from pure dearhearts lines, so yes they do still exist.

The 2 females you see (Queen Elsa & Princess Leia), both came from the “L’Classique Dearheart Persian Cattery” in Phoenix Az, owned by the late Barbara Collins, whose cats (Max and Calli) were imported in from South Africa and comes from the Cherie-Finesse of South Africa line. Max was one of the last cats personally raised by Alida. Though Barbara is no longer with us, the legacy of her cats continues on thanks to those who joined the breeding program & gene pool. The male (Elisha Roi) you see on this site is another one of our beautiful cats, (his parents were also both imported into the USA from South Africa). Elisha Roi, is from our New York breeder and the “AnointedPaws Cattery”. Elisha Roi is also a descendant of the Cherie-Finesse Cattery and also Cherie-Shelldon and L’Dearheart. So the kittens we produce here at SlvrPalace are all pure Dearhearts.

These are beautiful and amazing animals and we are proud to be a part of preserving the health and lineage of this breed. To learn more about joining our team of breeders, please feel free to message me for more information, by filling out one of our kitten application forms.  I require everyone interested in breeding to fill out this form. It helps me to know what cats may suite your specific family needs best.  For example, some cats that may be available may be adult, or older kitten or a bonded pair.  I want to not only give you the pic of a kitten, but also do my part to make sure the one you choose is best suited for you and your family.  We are a network of breeders so if I do not have one specifically available I will be better equipped to help you connect with another breeder in our network.