Questions from a new cat owner....

Hey Guys!

My partner and I adopted this beautiful cat two weeks ago from a shelter. She's four months old, and as far as I've been able to make out she's a tabby with mackerel markings...

Never having had a cat before, I really don't know much about the breeds or anything. So, I have a few questions:

- Am I right with my guess about her being a medium-hair mackerel tabby? (I sure hope I'm right because that's the reason we named her Mackerel. XD)
- Is the 'tabby' part a colouring, like brindal in dogs, or a breed, like dalmation in dogs?
- Can anyone tell me more about her origins? I've tried to pick out two photos which show both her back and her belly.
- Will her markings stay like this as she gets older? Or will they get more/less distinct? Darker? Lighter? Anything.
- At the moment she has beautiful fur- the softest thing I've ever touched, I swear. XD Does fur in cats get coarser as they grow older?

Hope you guys can help me with my curiosity!
J.




(Just try and tell me that that second picture isn't the cutest thing you've ever seen. XD Apart from your own cats, I'm sure. Second cutest, I guess I should amend that too..! )

Awww Bless!! What a beautiful little girl!!!

Hahaha, yes she is. XD

Another photo:



Can you tell that I'm a new cat owner?? I can't stop posting photos!

(And I didn't think I was a cat person. )

She looks like a DMH brown mackarel tabby to me (I'm not a breeder)...

Tabby is a coloring. Since she's adopted the only 'breed' she can have is DMH (Domestic Medium Hair), rather the kitty equivilant of 'medium-haired mutt'.

I don't know her origins, but I love her ears...

Most cats, if their color changes, they get darker. Some cats don't seem to.

Hennessy is two years old now and still bunny soft. I'm pleased.

Forensic- thanks so much for your help!



I love her ears too! That was something that I wanted to ask about as well- it doesn't seem like a normal thing. She's got those darling little black tufts of hair at the points of her ears that I've never seen on any other cats. You can see them better in that photo above.

Thanks again!
J.

By the way Forensic, I love the picture you have of Hennesey in your signature! Do you have any other photos? He has the most amazing eyes.

I hope Mackerel stays soft and silky smooth when she gets older as well. Amazing fur, huh?

Is it possible that Mack's a Maine Coon? I just had a look at this thread:

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=177095

and she looks a little bit like the cat pictured there, although obviously.. younger. She also seems pretty big for her age, although I don't really have a lot of experience to back that up with.

Originally Posted by Jalindal

By the way Forensic, I love the picture you have of Hennesey in your signature! Do you have any other photos? He has the most amazing eyes.

I hope Mackerel stays soft and silky smooth when she gets older as well. Amazing fur, huh?

Click to expand...

Do I have pictures...

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=143791
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=156691

She's a brown mackeral tabby (brown is the color, mackeral tabby is the pattern on the coat). Looks like she may have maine coon in the background with the fluffy tail and ear tufts.

She may or may not get a full longhair coat, but she won't be shorthair Its wise to start a routine grooming with a comb now while she's young. You can get more cooperation then if you wait till she's bigger.

If she's not spayed, get her done as soon as possible and don't let her outside to get pregnant - kittens as young as 4-5 months old can and do breed and will get pregnant.

Originally Posted by Jalindal

Is it possible that Mack's a Maine Coon? I just had a look at this thread:

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=177095

and she looks a little bit like the cat pictured there, although obviously.. younger. She also seems pretty big for her age, although I don't really have a lot of experience to back that up with.

Click to expand...

I was going to mention Kai Bengals' Maine Coon. Check his pictures here http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=177164

Tufted ears are not exactly rare in domestic cats. My two little female kittens from a stray have tiny tufts.

Thanks for all your answers everyone!

As far as her measurements, unfortunately we've just moved house a couple of weeks ago and haven't yet got everything out. I'd estimate that she's about 40 or 50 cm long, and probably between 1 and 2 kg. Have no idea what that is in pounds and inches, sorry.

She's already spayed- the shelter here spays all of their cats as soon as they're adopted out. It wont let cats go unless they've been spayed or neutered because feral cats are such a problem in Western Australia. She's an indoor cat, as well, because we live next-door to a big tract of National Park and wetlands, and I don't think it's responsible in terms of native casualties, or safe for Mackerel... There are LOTS of tiger snakes in this area, unfortunately.

Forensic- Hennessey is absolutely gorgeous. What breed of cat is he? I love his markings.

Originally Posted by Jalindal

Forensic- Hennessey is absolutely gorgeous. What breed of cat is he? I love his markings.

Click to expand...

Presumeably he's half-ragdoll half.... (But he is a rescue kitty so he's a 'whoknows'.) Seal-point bicolor is the name of his markings, though.

So, if a cat's without papers, if it's a shelter cat, then you can't say for sure what breed it is?

Hennessey has the most amazing eyes. They're electric!

Yes and no. Its not 100% certain, but certain cats would be purebred if you know the breed. Without papers, if a cat came in with a slendar build and obvious curls/waves, I would know its a Cornish Rex without the papers. If a cat came in with folded ears, its a sure thing its a purebred Scottish Fold. Even if the above was "pet quality", if you know the breed standard and it matched, its a purebred.

The other breeds; Siamese, Persian, Maine Coon may be more "look alikes" and without papers, you would not really be 100% sure it was a purebred.

Thanks for clearing that up for me! :-) Very confusing. XD I've only ever owned dogs before, and worked in Dog Shelters, so the cat side of things is ... odd. Unfortunately when I moved out of my parents' home, I couldn't take my puppies with me- my apartment isn't big enough and it doesn't have a backyard, so it's just not a feasible home for two Basenjis... (African Hunting Dogs). We even tried bringing just one of the pair, Beanie- the bitch. She's much less active and older, and we thought that as long as we took her for three or so walks every day she might be happy here, but she began to exhibit mourning behavior, she was pining for Rusty, the dog, and we decided that it just wasn't an option to keep her and hope that she'd 'get over it'.

I know nothing about breeds, but I love his eyes. Don't forget to get him used to having his nails clipped as well. We do ours about every 10 days.