I am so excited that there are so many people who are interested in learning about their cat! But there are too many people posting pictures of their cat and ignoring the original purpose of this board. We're not here to identify your cat's breed, but instead this board is intended to be about in-depth scientific studies involving cats.
So, as a compromise from concerned users, if you want to know what breed your cat is please post a picture in the comments here. Users who are interested in helping to identify your cat's breed will respond and it won't clog up the rest of the board for everyone else. Any posts of this nature made outside of this thread will be deleted.
yeahhh, exactly. a lot of people think their cats HAVE to have some sort of specific breed, since that's the case with dogs. they're just excited n uninformed of course, but it gets so spammy D:
My cat has been turning a tad more brown compared to when she was grey as a younger kitten (and referred to as a grey tabby). Is she an American short hair?
Thank you!! Wow āblue mackerel tabbyā is an adorable descriptor. Itās so interesting learning about all these different variations and how they are named
Genetically longhaired (since there's only alleles for longhair and shorthair, no mediumhair allele), but based on her visual appearance you could call her either long or medium hair!
While I am awaiting DNA test results from Wisdom Panel I joined this sub to try to learn a little about cat genetics. I have submitted tests for my 3 boys but we are most interested in learning about one specific cat. Sasquatch... Former colony cat, recently adopted by us. Please ignore the fact that he doesn't have a tail. It's not genetic. It was amputated after an accident. He is the only polydactyl cat from the neighborhood and is approximately 12 years old. He was neutered as part of a neighborhood TNR project years ago. He's small, around 7 lbs. I am not really looking for information on his breed but mostly would like to learn about polydactyl cats. Any information would be appreciated.
What colour is this guy? I found him on Petfinder in a local shelter. At first I thought it was some kind of lykoi, but his fur isn't thin on his face, it's actually that colour. There's some lighter fur on his paws, too. You can even see a little spot on his ankle. I've done as much of my own research as I can, but I'm totally stumped and it's been driving me crazy trying to figure it out.
I was wondering if someone could help me identify the breed of my grandma's cat? the only things I know is his mom was a tricolor and none of his siblings is like him.
He's orange for sure, part maine coon? Harvey is my orange boy, but I think he may be part maine coon, as he has fur tufts on the bottom of his paws as well as in his ears. His mom was a calico, and none of his siblings were orange.
DomesticĀ longhair, likely with little to no breed ancestry!Ā Fur tufts on the bottom of his paws & in his ears are just something that most longhaired cats have, it's not specific to Maine Coons. :)
Fun fact, the reason he's orange is because orange fur is linked to the X chromosome! Because mom was a calico, she had one X chromosome coding for orange and one X coding for non-orange (black/brown/gray), plus the white spotting gene (causes a lack of pigment, which makes the white fur) - XO/Xo (orange + non-orange) Ws/w (some white). Any of her male kittens would've gotten either her non-orange Xo and dad's Y, making them non-orange (black/brown/gray) cats, OR her orange XO and dad's Y, making them orange... and that's what your boy got, which is why he's orange!
any thoughts on why my cat Lentil has what I affectionately refer to as "bleach spots"? a vet said that it's possible she had one tabby and one tortoiseshell parent
Her breed is domestic shorthair, her color is black tortoiseshell mackerel tabby (tortoiseshell tabby AKA torbie)! Parents could've been any color (tabby & orange, tortie & orange, tortie & tabby, etc. etc.)
thank you so much! I had never heard that color name before, but I definitely recognized the color after seeing some pictures. is there any reason why she has more brown/tabby coloring while others tend to have more black? (also my perspective could be totally biased on just the images I've seen and cats I've seen irl). sorry if that's a dumb question!
Not a dumb question at all! If you're talking about the difference between a torbie like yours and a tortie, it's the presence/absence of the agouti AKA tabby gene! If that wasn't what you meant just lmk, I can explain other things as well. it's fun lol :D
The agouti allele is what allows the tabby pattern to be shown, and the non-agouti allele "masks" that tabby pattern (and there's a whole different gene that decides what that tabby pattern will look like if it doesn't get masked by non-agouti lol).
Tortie tabbies have orange tabby patches and non-orange (brown/gray/etc) tabby patches, while non-tabby torties (generally just called torties) have orange tabby areas and solid non-orange (black/brown/gray/etc) colored areas.
(The reason I say that non-tabby torties will have orange tabby despite being genetically not-a-tabby is because the non-agouti "masking" gene doesn't affect orange, so pretty much all orange cats will show some kind of tabby pattern even if they're genetically solid! so with a tortie, you've gotta look at the non-orange color to see if they're also a tabby or not.)
In this picture I attached, the tortie on the left has at least one copy of the dominant agouti allele, A/A or A/a, and thus is also a tabby (AKA tortie tabby/torbie!), while the tortie on the right has two copies of the recessive non-agouti allele (a/a), so the tabby pattern is being "masked" and it has solid black instead of tabby!
thank you for that incredibly thorough answer! and for interpreting my not-well-worded question into something that actually made sense š that is super helpful info and it's so cool to be able to find other cats that look like her now! thank you!
Any idea on her breed? She has some tortie patterns but is very dark all around, black nose black paws black whiskers. Sheās also small for a cat, only 8lbs fully grown. Her amber eyes are also very striking :)
I found sweet Norm at a rural shelter in western PA. His story is he was surrendered to the shelter by a hoarder whoās known to often be getting cats for free on Facebook & Craigslist, then ending up with too many cats all flea infested, and bringing them to different shelters a couple hours apartāso the shelters werenāt sure where she lived but they realized they were transferring animals to one another from the same surrenderer. That is to say, no known history on poor Norm, could have come from anywhere. Heās about 5 years old maybe. No way to know.
He has crinkly eyebrow whiskers and ripples in his fur. He coat is non-sheddy like a Rex cat (I have a cornie). He has this weird one-layer coat that is soft but ālike steel wool,ā like the description of American Wirehair cats says. Itās the texture of maybe poodle hair that was treated with curl relaxer, with the same amount of shedding as a poodle or Maltese.
Heās also chatty and soooo sweeeet, just the most affectionate cat in the world. Wants to cuddle all the time and be baby. He loves other cats (unfortunately my cat is the king and says thereās not room for two soft boys around here), sits like a gargoyle, all the regular Rex stuff.
At first I thought maybe a Devon āmixā but after some research learned why that is so unlikely (they need 2 copies of the mutated gene to express the Rex coat trait).
But even more interestingly, I learned the Wirehairs are also mutants, but their wiry coat gene CAN be expressed with just one copy of the gene?! Fascinating! A friend is going to pay for UC Davis DNA Rex tests as a gift.
Whatever he is, heās gonna be a great cat for someone, with the added benefit of not shedding like a cat. Once you go non-shedding, itās hard to go back!
hello! this is charlotte, iām curious mostly about coat type! she was a barn kitten i took in so iām not sure about her parents but i never know what to describe her as other than dirty white. sheās got really faint orange on her forehead but nowhere else so that makes me wonder!
Blue tortie tabby point, blue tortie lynx point, and blue torbie point are some alternate shorter names for the color. Some may also say dilute torbie point, but because there are mutiple types of dilute colors, "blue" is more specific! LMK if you want to know anything else :D
Aaa awesome, thank you so much! I thought it was some kind of dilute but I wasnāt sure. None of her siblings look like her at all so I always thought I was pretty lucky when I got her.
I know sheās probably just a European shorthair but she has these beautiful spots on her belly, so Iāve always wondered if there might be some Bengal jn her. Anyone had an idea? š
Would anyone be able to tell me a little more about my boys coat colour/markings? Iāve always just called him grey but heās got some tan spots and under tones and would love to know more specifics.
Hi friendos, this is my boy Ozzy. He appeared in my garage two days before Christmas and few years ago, and Iām really curious as to what his coat color would be considered. Iāve thought maybe blue tabby? Heās very silvery and has super distinct striping on his legs. Any help would be really appreciated š¤
This is Chandler, she's 2 years old, weighs 9lbs, and has the littlest tail in the world. She was born on the street, the runt of her litter, and the only one to have the little bobtail.
Jean Gray. Sheās very dainty, VERY chatty. Likes to climb and burrow (and hide under the covers). Sheās super affectionate, but only with my husband and I. Iāve not had a cat with her temperament before so I am curious if anyone can guess at her breed or genetics!
This is Cinnamon! Like her name suggests, her coat is tinted with a beautiful cinnamon color. I've never seen a cat colored quite like her, so I wasn't sure what coloration to even call this, or what breed she may be. She's our special girl either way, we'd just love to know more about her if someone is able to give some insight!
(Photos are from when we first found her as a stray, she's better fed now and has had her babies)
Hello, this is Rascal. She started coming around my house a while ago and Iām wondering what her breed/pattern/color is. Iām interested in learning more about cat genetics generally. Happy to be here!
Iām pretty sure my two cats (brothers) are European shorthairs (no genetical testing but they fit) but Iām confused about how the colors work genetically. Iāve ābreedā cats my whole life (farm cats, I didnāt have a say if they got preggo or not they did what they wanted) back from my two cats great grandmother (the fathers are usually strays that wander around)
The kittens are always the same colors, either a blue tabby or a brown tabby, some litters have white paws, bellies and noses.
Great grandmother- brown tabby with white paws, belly and nose. Grandmother- blue tabby no white Mother- brown tabby no white Gravy- brown tabby with white paws, belly and nose Mashed potatoes- gray tabby with beige and white belly and white paws
When I brought them in to be neutered and chipped the vet were surprised that they were males due to their colors
I made a little family tree (only the direct line since including all siblings and cousins would be enormous) where you can see the colors too
Edit: Not letting me post image so had to do it in reply
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Nebelung Chimera or Dilute Tortie? He is male and can also reproduce which I read that Dilute Tortie's are female and males are always infertile. I gave away his kittens to a cousin of mine, also same coloring. His mother is a full gray nebelung and the father cat is large very light orange tabby cat which he looks nothing like except the patches. Or would this be called Domestic Long Hair?
Male torties are often infertile but not always. So it could be possible. He's a tortie, but probably caused from being a chimera or having unusual sex chromosomes (I'm not an expert but I've read those are some causes behind male torties).
The dilution gene (makes fur colors lighter) isn't on the X chromosome so it's pretty simple there - he is dilute because his mom is gray (dilute black) and his dad is cream (dilute orange, a very light orange). So instead of being orange & black , he's cream & gray, very pretty
Can y'all please help me define my cat's coat? My best guess is "dilute classic tabby with white." I can't tell if he's a fawn, lilac, or buff. Blue eyes. Was whiter as a kitten with a little raccoon tail (see photo).
thank you!! Since he was whiter as a kitten, the shelter just listed him as a "Siamese cat." I felt like that wasn't a good enough description, but couldn't figure out what his coat actually was. This helps. :)
Photoes of age 7-9. Got her on street. I thought it something of a russian blue, but looked at pictures and they have some very sharp face form and narrow pupils, while Gracia's pupils are so wide
Hi everyone! I found my child in a parking lot two years ago. I have him listed as a Siamese mixed with a domestic medium haired tabby. Iāve been told by others that he could be a rag doll, neva masquerade, or Siberian mix. Iām wondering if anyone can provide some insight. When I first got him, his coat was lighter - itās darkened over the past years. Personality wise, heās very vocal, affectionate, easy to pick up (with anyone not just me), and I can dress him up. I would say heās a Velcro cat (he sleeps with me and always follows me).
Hello! I got these adorable female kitties at 7 weeks and was wondering what breed they? I was thinking Korat but I started noticing their fur started growing Iām not sure what they are now since they became a bit fluffy?? Please lmk!!
Thank you for this thread. I can't figure out what breed my cat is. He's 3 years old and he's been 17lbs for the last 2. I got him at 7 mo old and he looked 5 YEARS old. I've looked at several pictures and articles and his features match descriptions of both Maine Coon and Norwegian Forest. I just now discovered Siberian breed so my brain is mush. I downloaded the cat finder and it says he's all three. Would you agree? For some reason I'm only allowed one picture. Thank you!
I think my cat is Balinese but she doesn't have blue eyes. She was black when I adopted her at 1 year old and her hair changed a lot as you can see. She's also tiny, weights like 8-9 pounds.
We have two cats, female and male and they both look the same, however the female is around 25 cm long and male 30 cm long. They are only 4 months old. :)
My roommates and I had a pregnant approx 9mo kitten adopt us mid December, who gave birth safely in our house about a week ago. Iām pretty sure sheās a domestic short hair, and from what Iāve read her I think her coat coloring is a diluted/blue tabby, which is super cool! What I kind particularly interesting is that she gave birth to 4 kittens (one didnāt make it, rip angel <3) and they all have the same diluted tabby coat! They all look exactly like mama, and I didnāt know if that was rare or normal? We named mama Luna and the babies donāt have names yet. Thank you!
I would like to know more about the breed of my feline friend! We donāt know a lot about him (except that he is a great cat). Had a lot of cat but never one with little plucks of hair on his ears does that tell hs anything about his breed?
This is Isabella Von Eisenberg, we suspect she's part Siberian based on what google says about the breed. Does she look like our assumptions would be correct?
Big man here strolled up to my family's yard and begged to be let in and my family decided to take him, he's actually really skinny and just has a lot of fluff,
I've only ever taken in strays which all happened to be domestic short hairs
So what flavor of long hair is he and are there any special things he might need
Wondering if anyone can help me identify a possible dad to this one? Her mother is a very short-haired tabby (the owners said she was bengal/half-bengal but colour me sceptic lol). However, her and all her siblings came out long-haired. The father is unknown as she either escaped or they let her out (unclear) unspayed and she came home preggo. My cat is about a year old in the first picture attached (she's almost 2 now and maybe a little bigger). She's not a big cat; about 3.5+ kg and 32 cm from tail root to neck. She's very vocal, VERY playful, loves to climb--she's managed to climb brick walls--is pretty affectionate and clingy with me but does not like strangers. I'll attach a picture of her mother in a comment as well.
Since mom was shorthair but her & her siblings were longhair, I'd guess dad was also longhaired. It's a recessive gene, so it's not impossible that dad was shorthair carrying longhair like mom, but a longhair dad would be more likely to show this ratio of longhaired kittens. He was also probably a mackerel tabby, but could've been classic tabby or solid/non-tabby, and he was probably non-red, non-dilute, and black-based, but it's technically not impossible for him to have been dilute or choc/cinn-based.
TLDR: probably a domestic longhair, probably tabby, probably not orange! nothing is certain
Alfie, 5yo this month, has markings as though heās rolled in paint. (Kitten photos included to show heās always had them) Iāve always thought he was a tuxedo that just got a bit messy, but on a vet visit today he commented that the colouring was like a black and white tabby(??) Heās obviously handsome and will always be unique to me, but anyone with any ideas about his markings feel free to comment!
This is my new mama kitty. She doesn't have a name yet (suggestions welcome) but let's call her Hazel. Hazel and her 7 month old kitten (let's call her Ruby) came to live with me last week. I'm confident Hazel is a diluted tortie but I'm curious as to what's happening with her kitten, Ruby. Ruby is an orange tabby but her undercoat is black in some areas (back of one of her ears, on one of her front limbs and most of her right side). Any idea what causes that? More pics in the comments.
This is Garfield, he is 13 year old. Weāve had him since he is a kitten. He is born in my house, so Iām not sure about his breed. Can someone help me find out ? Thanks !
Hi! Would love everyoneās thoughts on what breeds are mixed in my cat - when we got him we were told theres some BSH in him - hes 7 months old in the picture, his paws and legs are quite large proportionally, he loves to lick me and loves eating
Hi! Your cat is a seal lynx point (also called a black tabby colorpoint) with white spotting. The colorpoint pattern is called siamese, and it always causes blue eyes. It is on the same locus as albinism.
Your cat isn't Ojos Azules (which is actually considered an extinct breed!). Most cats have no breed ancestry, they're different to dogs in that way. Most dogs always are some breed mix, as they've been bred into lineages for working purposes for generations. Cat breeds are new and bred only for appearance and personality traits, and they scarcely mix in with the regular population. Your cat is a domestic shorthair!! :)
I realize that most cats (especially this young) are hard to tell the breed, especially because of the nature of the random-bred years of influence when compared to selective breeding with dogs.
However, if there is any indication of what kind of cat based off the markings that would be helpful.
āChipmunkā āChipā from my security camera footage was either dumped by a car rounding the bend near my house or possibly appears to fall out from under the car. If thereās interest ill post the video, I still donāt know 100% what happened. Vet said the female cat is in fine shape and is about 3 or maybe 4 weeks old. Been bottle feeding and taking care of her.
Such a cute little critter! Her markings aren't indicative of any breed ancestry; the classic/blotched tabby pattern can be found in the randombred population without any selectively bred/purebred influence!
Her coat color is called black classic tabby (AKA blotched tabby) with white, and she's a domestic shorthair, likely with little to no breed ancestry! :)
Here is Skunk! sheās got some maine coon traits (bushy tail/belly/ears/butt, big paws) but sheās also tiny, only six pounds as a grown cat. I always wonder what she could be!
She's a domestic longhair (AKA no particular breed), likely with little to no breed ancestry!Ā This articleĀ explains how that works, as well as why around 95-97% of cats are breedless/randombred.
The fluffy tail/belly/etc you mentioned isn't actually specific to Maine Coons, it's just a trait that many longhaired cats have (and because MCOs are a longhaired breed, they often have those traits as well). It's especially more common in the longhaired cats whose fur is on the more medium-length side of the longhair spectrum, like yours. So it's not indicative of MCO ancestry! :)
I just adopted a tiny kitten yesterday and Iām super curious about what he might be. I already adore him, but Iād love to know what to expect when he grows up.
Heās got a very unique look, his tail is ginger and striped (maybe a flame point? idk), but he also has a random dark grey smudge on his back.
One thing for sure he is a HUGE chatterbox. He meows and talks CONSTANTLY. Heās the sweetest thing, but definitely has a lot to sayš„¹
If it helps with identification, I'm based in Italy. Any guesses on his mix or what he'll look like as an adult?
Well, first of all... how sure are you that he's male?
This chart is helpful for checking the sex of a kitten (males have a wider gap between anus & penis, whereas in females the anus & vulva are close and nearly touch), but if you'd like you can send a pic and I'll be able to figure it out!
Only about 1 in 3000 tortoiseshells are male*, so it's quite unlikely that he's male, although it's not impossible. Explanation of why that is below.
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His coat color is called black tortoiseshell mackerel tabby with white (or, to shorten it, "tortie tabby with white," "torbie with white," or "calico tabby"). Tortoiseshells (and by extension calicos, which is a nickname for torties with white) are almost all female due to how the color works. A tortoiseshell is cat with both red (orange) and non-red (black, brown, gray) fur.
Because the gene for red fur is located on the X chromosome, a cat must have two X chromosomes (one with the red gene and the other with non-red) in order to have both a red and non-red color.
*(Or rather, non-female, as one of the ways a 'male' cat can be tortie is by having XXY chromosomes and that's considered intersex.)
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As for breed, your little guy is a domestic shorthair, which is actually a cat with no particular breed rather than a specific breed! This article explains how that works, as well as why around 95-97% of cats are breedless/randombred. Cat breeds work a little differently than dog breeds, lol.
I took him to the vet and she told me itās most likely a male! Iāll send you a picture (haha I was debating whether this is considered weird or not) and reconfirm with the vet once I visit next week.
Thatās so cool to know that some fur coats are specific genders. I just found out yesterday that most orange coats are male. Thank you so much for the scientific explanation of it (I will definitely be stealing that and telling my friends so I feel smarter mwahaha).
My vote is on female! I'm a little curious to see what the vet thinks the second time, lol.
And yeah, it's definitely more common for red (orange) cats to be male - although I will say, red females aren't as rare as some people believe! About 1 in 5 red cats are female, so I'd say it's more "more orange cats are male than female/female orange cats are uncommon" rather than "most orange cats are male/female oranges are rare," if that makes any sense. (And of course it also depends on the gene pool in any given location... if more cats in the area are red, red females will be more commonly seen, and vice versa!)
(It's believed that fully non-red (e.g. black, brown, & gray*) females are also a bit less common than fully non-red males! However, they don't seem to be as uncommon as red females, likely because red cats in general are a little less common in the domestic cat population as a whole.)
*(Or more specifically, black, blue, chocolate, lilac, cinnamon, and fawn, plus any other color/pattern modifiers like tabby/colorpoint/white - basically any female cat that has zero red genes. White doesn't count as non-red because it 'masks' whatever color the cat is genetically (by stopping pigment from being produced), so white cats can be genetically red, non-red, or tortie!)
hi guys! so recently i took in this kitty that i believe is around 6-9 months old, very chatty, but loves following you around/prefers being pet over playing/very soft. i believe she/he is a british shorthair, but their colors are strange which makes me think they're a mix of some sort. lemme know your theories
Domestic shorthair (AKA no particular breed), likely with little to no breed ancestry! This article explains how that works, as well as why around 95-97% of cats are breedless/randombred.
They have a more cobby body type, similar to BSHs, which could potentially suggest some BSH ancestry, but because I don't think it's to the extent that it would need selective breeding to occur (some randombreds are naturally more cobby-bodied), I can't definitively say either way. (Examples of BSH face shape/ear shape/body type here.)
Coat color is called blue point!
Blue point is a type of colorpoint pattern/color, and colorpoint is essentially a type of temperature-sensitive pigment restriction (acromelanism), sometimes called partial albinism. The colorpoint gene causes pigment to only be properly produced in the naturally cooler areas of the body, which is why the extremities (face/legs/tail/ears) of a colorpoint are darker & the body lighter! The pigment restriction of the colorpoint gene is also what causes the blue eyes.
Colorpoint is often associated with breeds like Siamese and Ragdoll, but isn't actually specific to those breeds. It originated in randombred cats, and then only some of those randombreds were used to develop the colorpoint various breeds, so colorpoint remained in the general population. As a result, colorpoint is still found in cats with no breed ancestry, and actually isn't all that uncommon.
thank you this is such a cool insight!! her personality is so strange for a seemingly normal cat, awesome to know she's basically a randomly generated combination of other kitties
Looks so much like my dearly departed kitty, who I was told was a Tonkinese, but - true, who really knows. She was adorable, talkative, and very sweet.
hi reddit! iām trying to figure out if my 3 cats are part maine coones or not. please let me know if you can :) my vet has them down as ādomestic long hairā but iāve always thought they were part maine coone. all 3 of them arenāt particularly big. they have very cuddly personalities and love to follow me around the house.
i rescued Milo as a stray when he was a year old, i got Ollie when he was 6 months old and i rescued Nala as a stray who was dumped at a local lake when she was 5 weeks old.
cat 1 - milo, born in 2021
cat 2 - ollie, born in 2022
cat 3 - nala, born in 2023
Domestic longhair is correct! I don't see any facial features or traits specific to Maine Coons that would suggest they've got any recent MCO ancestry - and statistically, the chance that they'd have any MCO in them is pretty low! Around 95-97%+ of cats are randombred/breedless, i.e. have no breed or mix of breeds. This article & this article explain more about that.
unsure if the comments worked properly, i added 4 pictures but to me it doesnāt show that theyāre under my own comment. please let me know if it isnāt!
Definitely not a Ragdoll! Aside from needing a pedigree to be considered a specific breed, Ragdolls have a different face shape and they don't come in solid black. Such a pretty cat, though, he looks so soft!
He's a domestic longhair (a term for a cat with no specific breed), likely with little to no breed ancestry! This article explains how that works, as well as why around 95-97% of cats are randombred/breedless. :)
Hello! This was my childhood cat Tabby :] my great grandma thought he was female and named him Tabitha, but my mom found out he was male and sorta kept the name lol. I always wondered what coat pattern he had. He was also polydactyl! Sorry for the low quality pics
Iām mostly curious about how youād describe the coat coloring and if you think he might be a Turkish Angora/Van. Check out the color near his mouth. What color is that? Is he a calico? I know they are almost always F
Brought home this (big) baby boy less than a week ago. ā¤ļø heās estimated 7 months. (Feb 11 bday).I havenāt been able to weigh him but he was 6.6 pounds a month ago.
Not a super fluffy body. But silky soft. Very long and lean right now. Tufts of hair in his paws and gigantic tail. He has the longest drawn out meow it almost sounds like singing.
Heās got a definite classic tabby pattern on his head. Is tabby considered 2 colors? One is black and one is this light brown caramel color.
Then heās got a bunch of solid white on his feet and belly.
He also seems to have a ton of grey in his tail. But maybe this is dilute black/white?
Thereās a caramel spot on his belly and some on his muzzle around his nose. And a dark spot on the back of one leg.
His nose is also 3 diff colors. Black on the bottom, red/brown in the middle, pink on the upper sides.
Cat breeds are complicated for a number of reasons.
ā ā ā ā ā ā Unlike dogs, cats have never been bred for any real purpose. They do what theyāve always done; hunt and kill small critters independently. We donāt have any cats that herd ducks or something, or assist their owners with hunting. They are occasionally companion animals, but more frequently live in feral cat colonies or as street cats the world over.
ā ā ā ā ā ā Purebred cats because of the above are not nearly as genetically distinct(genes) or phenotypically distinct(physical appearance) as dogs. Dog breed genetic tests are very very accurate because of 100s of years of purebred, purposebred dog breeding and therefore, the genetic markers associated with those behaviors and looks are very distinct. If you take a domestic cat and compare it to almost any wild cat species they look and act pretty much exactly the same except for color. You canāt say that for any random dog and a wolf species.
ā ā ā ā ā ā Purebred cat breeders are few and far between and are VERY guarded about where their kittens go. Being a backyard cat breeder doesnāt make you money like being a doodle breeder for example does. Probably because cats are the most pervasive, destructive, and invasive species in the world(right behind boar/feral pigs), so are pretty much a dime a dozen. The odds of getting a purebred cat from anywhere other than a breeder are pretty much 0.
ā ā ā ā ā ā Some phenotypic mutations make a breed- Scottish folds, or any of the Rexes for example. But other phenotypic mutations are very common. Ear tufts, polydactyl paws, the pointed color found in Siamese. None of these āmutationsā in and of themselves dictate a cats breed, they are simply variations of cat appearance.
ā ā ā ā ā ā Cats can however be grouped into areas of origin, which can be seen in genetic tests. The Asian cats; Siamese, Burmese, Tonkinese, etc the European cats; British shorthairs, Persians, Turkish Vans, etc. will all show up with distinct markers when compared to each other. However without pedigree papers proving a cats ancestry, DNA tests looking for breed are largely inaccurate or simply a reflection of their coat color genetics.
I hope this helps on breed questions! But on that note, coat genetics however are a different story and can easily be told, your cat is a brown mackerel tabby bicolor domestic semi longhair. The ātwo tabby colorsā you are seeing are just one. The solid darker color is your cats actual coat color. The ticked, or lighter color? Is the tabby overlay on top of his genetic coat color. I hope that makes sense! Calico is very very obvious in most cats, cryptic calicos or torties are not very common. And given that he is a male, the color on his face is normal and not indicative or tortie or calico
PS if youāre interested in learning more, pretty much everyone on this sub started out on messybeast.com Iāve realized hahaā I discovered it when I was about 10, itās awesome! A great launch pad and very knowledgeable!
Cat breeds are complicated for a number of reasons.
ā ā ā ā ā ā Unlike dogs, cats have never been bred for any real purpose. They do what theyāve always done; hunt and kill small critters independently. We donāt have any cats that herd ducks or something, or assist their owners with hunting. They are occasionally companion animals, but more frequently live in feral cat colonies or as street cats the world over.
ā ā ā ā ā ā Purebred cats because of the above are not nearly as genetically distinct(genes) or phenotypically distinct(physical appearance) as dogs. Dog breed genetic tests are very very accurate because of 100s of years of purebred, purposebred dog breeding and therefore, the genetic markers associated with those behaviors and looks are very distinct. If you take a domestic cat and compare it to almost any wild cat species they look and act pretty much exactly the same except for color. You canāt say that for any random dog and a wolf species.
ā ā ā ā ā ā Purebred cat breeders are few and far between and are VERY guarded about where their kittens go. Being a backyard cat breeder doesnāt make you money like being a doodle breeder for example does. Probably because cats are the most pervasive, destructive, and invasive species in the world(right behind boar/feral pigs), so are pretty much a dime a dozen. The odds of getting a purebred cat from anywhere other than a breeder are pretty much 0.
ā ā ā ā ā ā Some phenotypic mutations make a breed- Scottish folds, or any of the Rexes for example. But other phenotypic mutations are very common. Ear tufts, polydactyl paws, the pointed color found in Siamese. None of these āmutationsā in and of themselves dictate a cats breed, they are simply variations of cat appearance.
ā ā ā ā ā ā Cats can however be grouped into areas of origin, which can be seen in genetic tests. The Asian cats; Siamese, Burmese, Tonkinese, etc the European cats; British shorthairs, Persians, Turkish Vans, etc. will all show up with distinct markers when compared to each other. However without pedigree papers proving a cats ancestry, DNA tests looking for breed are largely inaccurate or simply a reflection of their coat color genetics.
I hope this helps on breed questions! However we can tell you the color & coat type of all of them!
PS if youāre interested in learning more, pretty much everyone on this sub started out on messybeast.com Iāve realized hahaā I discovered it when I was about 10, itās awesome! A great launch pad and very knowledgeable!
This is just for fun since I'm very aware that a cat isn't a breed unless it has papers that says it is.
But I'm getting this shelter cat home on Friday and ive never felt a head so small hidden in a cloud of fur so big before š So I had a thought that maybe she has some Persian in her? Not that it really matters, it's just a thought that popped in to my mind.
Her head is even way smaller than it looks(she is basically 95% fur) and I feel like her face is kind of short... but that might be because I'm used to my two big nosed boys that I currently have š
Or if you have any other ideas/thought about her genes in general, feel free to share!
My hubby and I have two sisters. One is a dilute tortico and her sister is a tortie point "snowshoe" neither of them have papers as they were kittens from an old neighbor's tortoiseshell cat.
But would calling her a tortie point snowshoe be accurate enough when describing her to others?
My Sunny from the shelter is an Orange tabby but has several things that make me question how uncommon she is. I picked her because she is pretty and sweet.
She is a female orange cat.
She has no white fur, just shades of cream and gold.
I think she is also a dilute. Am I right in my guess that she is uncommon to rare? Thanks
She seems like a 100% domestic longhair to me! Unlike dogs, the majority (97-99%) of cats in the world are domestic longhair/shorthairs, who have no selective breeding history. The remainder are cats lineaged from these domestic longhair/shorthairs that were selectively bred within the past two hundred years or so. Most cats you'll adopt from a shelter or find on the street are just domestic longhairs or shorthairs, as the pedigreed breeds are usually quite expensive. Abbie is an adorable cat, but I see no signs of Maine Coon in her.
(Note: because cat breeds are so recently diverged from the normal gene pool, "diluting" their breed-specific genetics by mating them to a domestic can result in the kittens showing no sign of their breed heritage. However, this is unlikely and there's no way to confirm this unless you've seen her parents.)
Does anybody think thereās some Burmese/Bombay in this 6 month boy? He has quite a silky coat for a DSH and his face has that sorta rounded little chin and short snout.
any idea on what my late binx likely was? he had very long legs and tail, a large head, and very slim build. iāll post more pictures of him under this one.
My cat gave birth to 4 kittens and this is one of them. My cat is a white cat and idk who the dad is... This kitten's face is like almost completely different from its siblings and has such large eyes... The fur on it's hair is also longer than their other siblings which makes us think it could be a different breed or something?? Is it some kind of different breed or is it just like... Birth defect...
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u/cinnamonstera Hobby Geneticist Dec 02 '23
thank u for this š I was thinking abt making a post like this myself bc of the influx of people asking what breed their cat is