The Napoleon is medium in size. The main characteristic are its short legs. Napoleon may appear in longhair and shorthair. The breed is the result of a cross breeding between Munchkins and Persians.
The head is short, round and broad, the cheeks are round and full, die muzzle is short and rounded. The head shall resemble a Persian's head of moderate type. The nose is short and broad with a definite stop between the eyes. The ears are small to medium in size and set relatively low. The eyes are large and round.
The head is carried on a short and strong neck.
The body is solid and not so short like the Persian's body, shoulders are firm, the chest is broad and the hips are firm and solid.
The legs are short and strong, hind legs slightly longer than front legs. The tail is medium long and carried erect, when the cat is in motion.

Napoleon can have long and short coat.
Longhaired cats have a silky, quite dense and long coat, with a well developed ruff. The tail is not as short as in the Persian, but bushy.
Shorthaired cats have a dense and plushy coat. The tail looks like a full bottle brush.

History

The founder of the breed is Joe Smith (Bluline cattery), originally a Bassett Hound breeder. He got to know the Munchkin through an article in the Wall Street Journal, June 12, 1995. In 1996, after having done some research about short legs in dogs and cats, which are different, as he found out, Joe Smith crossed Munchkins with Persians, because he wanted to have a short-legged breed with the sweet look of a Persian, but with moderate head type. He also realized that it would be no problem to sell the long-legged cats (non-standard cats), because people would like the moderate type. He called the newly created breed, with a sweet looking Persian head and short legs, Napoleon after Napoleon Bonaparte, known for his short stature. Joe Smith contacted TICA in 2001 and the breed received experimental status. The Napoleon was recognized by TICA February 2002 for registration. On September 4, 2009, Olando, FL, the advance to Provisional New Breed was denied by the TICA board.
It took a long way, full of struggles, hard works and draw backs, until the Napoleon advanced in TICA.
Since September 2, 2011 the Napoleon has advanced to Preliminary New Breed in TICA, which means that the Napoleon can be exhibited in shows, starting with May 2012.

Temperament

The Napoleon has an extremely sweet personality and is very affectionate to people. They have the quiet temperament of Persians. Despite their short legs they are self-assured, confident and outgoing and are treated by their long-legged companions as any other cat-companion.
The Napoleon can run as any other cat, bounding like ferrets. They can climb trees, cat posts and curtains just as well as other cats. Napoleons can jump onto beds and chairs, and also on the kitchen counter.

Grooming

Longhaired Napoleon need to be brushed and combed on a regular basis, because they have a rather dense and long coat, quite similar to the Persians coat.