black cat question

mistressotdark

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I adopted my 2 kitties (salem and sabrina) from the local humane society on december 15th,2007.. and they just have them listed as dsh...but they must have a breed?
my boyfriend and I are both curious to see if they are a particular breed.


Salem does have a little bit of white on him..on his lower belly ...as seen here:




there's one shot...
and one from the side..



then there's my little girl. She is completely black..or well pretty much...



 

epona

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Very pretty cats you have!

Cats are not like dogs - they haven't been bred for centuries to streamline them to suitability for performing certain jobs. If a cat could catch rodents then it was a bonus to have around, and did not need to be selectively bred to a particular size or shape or personality to do so - and as a result, around 90% of cats do not have a particular breed - they are just regular cats and are classified as either DSH or DLH depending upon their hair length. You do sometimes see particular features from breeds (which have been developed mostly over the last 100 years or less for mainly aesthetic reasons) due to unneutered pet purebreds escaping or being abandoned, and there is some regional variation in features such as longhairs may be more prevalent in one area than another (which may then go on to be developed into a breed by humans, such as the Maine Coon), but the general cat population mostly aren't any particular breed.

I hope that explanation helps
 

addiebee

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They look like regular ol' domestic short hair black cats to me - the British call them "moggies" - mutt cats. Not in a disparaging way, mind you, just a mix of well.. whatever. Shelter kitties are the best! And good for you for taking black cats. They are harder to place.
 

momofmany

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I think most black cats have white spots on them somewhere. My Muddy has a white/grey patch on his stomach. My Koko has a few white hairs.

I call them "black cats". They are lovable whatever you call them!!
 

hollow

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They are beautiful!! Shiney and silky

Look at it this way......Domestic's are the best of all the cats put together!!!hehe

I understand, but I really don't care for the name "moggies", sounds like mongrel or mutts or something derogatory. Sorry, just my opinion.
 

greycat2

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Colour doesn't normally indicate a breed.

They both look like DSH, But are gorgeous nevertheless. Shelter cats can (depending on who you ask) be amongst the best kitties you can find. And they thank you for it too (plus black kittes are often the most overlooked and ignored cats at shelters.) (All my current 3 - plus my RB cat - are all rescues: two strays and two shelter kitties.)
 

sakura

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Their breed is Domestic Short Hair.
http://www.catster.com/breeds/domestic_shorthair

For information on other breeds, see:
http://www.cfa.org
http://www.tica.org/html/english/home/
http://www.catster.com/breeds/

Coloring is entirely different than the breed.

My cat Matilda is technically a Domestic Long Hair because she isn't pedigreed/purebred. You can tell that one of her parents was a Persian just by looking at her face, but she's still a Domestic Long Hair. My kitten, Chloe, is a Domestic Medium or Long Hair, it's too soon to tell. Her coloring is dilute tortie with white.

They are beautiful cats, congratulations!
 

theimp98

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have i had heyu you fixed all of her belly hair came back in white,
i thought that was strange.
 
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mistressotdark

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thanks - I wasn't sure about breeds in cats which is why I asked the question. Cool. And yes they are my babies and very pretty! I know black cats are usually the last to go..too many people are superstitious, its really silly. The boy is the one with the white hair...lol pretty strange...
but cute nonetheless.
 

skippymjp

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Originally Posted by theimp98

have i had heyu you fixed all of her belly hair came back in white,
i thought that was strange.
It may sound strange, but I'll bet it looks really cool.


Mischief has 3 white hairs right in the middle of his chest.
 

twstychik

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Originally Posted by Skippymjp

It may sound strange, but I'll bet it looks really cool.


Mischief has 3 white hairs right in the middle of his chest.
Funny! Wickett was all black but about a year ago his arm pits started going grey and it's spreading.
 

tab

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my shinobi looks black, except for the cluster of white fur on his chest and the odd random white fur on his head and body. however in the sunlight he is definitely brown, you can see tabby markings very faintly too.

i had another black cat (never understood why blacks and black & whites are unpopular) and he also looked browney coloured in the sun. funnily enough he had the little white 'chest wig' like shinobi.



I understand, but I really don't care for the name "moggies", sounds like mongrel or mutts or something derogatory. Sorry, just my opinion.

i am from the uk and i completely agree with you. all my cats have been dsh and i have always called them that!
 

bnwalker2

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Spooky Bear is mostly black with a white spot on his chest, one on his belly, and a white stripe on his chin. I've noticed the past couple weeks that random white hairs are popping up on his side and back.

Lieutenant Bear has one tiny white spot on the chest and one on the belly too... hers are actually in the exact same spots as Spooky Bears.

I think the white spots make them even cuter!
 
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mistressotdark

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I agree..the white hairs on him makes him look cuter..and the girls at the vet really liked him...
they kept saying..oh..how handsome!
 

jennyr

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I have two black cats - Ellie and Cinders. Both are all black, no white anywhere, but in the sun Ellie looks slightly brown/red and Cinders looks blueish. The black patches on Dushka are much 'blacker' than Ellie's fur if you put them together. So maybe she has red somewhere in the background - I know her mother was solid grey.
 

addiebee

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Originally Posted by tab

my shinobi looks black, except for the cluster of white fur on his chest and the odd random white fur on his head and body. however in the sunlight he is definitely brown, you can see tabby markings very faintly too.

i had another black cat (never understood why blacks and black & whites are unpopular) and he also looked browney coloured in the sun. funnily enough he had the little white 'chest wig' like shinobi.



I understand, but I really don't care for the name "moggies", sounds like mongrel or mutts or something derogatory. Sorry, just my opinion.

i am from the uk and i completely agree with you. all my cats have been dsh and i have always called them that!
Moggy is actually a derived from the name Maggie. Read that somewhere. I also read somewhere that even the blackest black cat has a little white SOMEwhere on him/her.
 

rebochan

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Carter's a black cat, though he looks more brown in the right light, which I guess makes him chocolate. He's also got stray white hairs in his fur and a tiny white spot on one of his little shoulders. My kitten is an old man already!
 
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