My Devons finally bred!

skewch

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Well, my devons finally had a successful breeding. Bonnie started showing her first sign last week....really hot pink boobies and they grew basically overnight! She is quite bald for a devon, but I have seen pictures of cats that are pedigreed that have the same coat. Anyway, you are able to notice slight changes in her easily. Her boobies are quite prominent now instead of skin colored and the size of pin heads.

I am absolutely thrilled that she is finally going to have kittens. Her due date will be Dec. 7th, give or take a couple days depending on when the kittens feel like making their debut.

I just finished raising a litter of 8 over the summer and have all things required and set up in the spare room. Since she is not due for several weeks yet, I know I have time to get extras if need be.

I just needed to share with people who share my enthusiasm. This will be my first time breeding on purpose with cats that are the same breed. I have a waiting list of persons who want a kitten.

These are the proud parents-to-be....Bob and Bonnie Bumfuzz
 

cococat

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Glad you included pictures, you sound very excited. Bonnie does remind me of a Sphynx. Do you show your Devons?
 
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skewch

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Thanks so much GoldenKitty!! I will post pictures of what she looks like throughout her pregnancy. She will look much different than normal cats with hair...won't be able to hide much! She has been sleeping pretty much non-stop since before I noticed her boobies. I am making sure she has high calorie food as well as the KMR, as that seemed to help the last time in ensuring 8 healthy kittens LOL. I know she won't have that many, as devons don't usually have more than 4-5.

Now, Golden, I know you're into genetics somewhat so I just have to ask...what do you think the chances will be that I will be blessed with another Calico/Van considering the black smoke of Dad?
 
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skewch

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No, I don't show them...I haven't even been to a cat show...closest one would be 7 hrs drive from here...don't know how that would work out LOL.

I think Bonnie is the most beautiful cat. It's like being in love almost, there is just something about her that I am so close to....I can't put my finger on it either...

She sleeps with me every night under the covers and has done so since we brought her home a year ago. I just love her.
 

goldenkitty45

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Since one parent is a smoke, you will have 50/50 chance on smoke (whatever color). You could even have a smoke calico. As far as van, its a 50/50 chance. Probably more of a normal calico (with more color).

You can basically expect:

(depends if both carry dilute too):

Calico, Tortie, Black males (smoke or dilute calico, bluecream, blue)

Black or Red males (smoke or dilute blue or cream)

That's the basic and most likely color - it depends on what else they are carrying that is recessive.
 

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The father is a solid smoke, right? No white? If so, I don think it's very likely that you'll see another van, but since the mother has so much white spotting, I'd expect all of the kittens to have at least some white on them.
 
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skewch

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Bob has NO white on him at all. I can't even find one hair that's white. I know that his mom was tortie and his dad was like really dark brown in his wavy parts of his coat and mask, but like a creamy color for the rest. I am not sure what is passed on to kittens from grandparents, but I'm gonna be finding out LOL

I am not having an easy time finding out why she is/was called a Van on our contract from the breeder instead of calico. I have more work to do.
 

goldenkitty45

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Van its a "pattern" - the color is basically on the head and tail and maybe 1-2 body spots.

Technically speaking she's still a calico, just that the color is confined to head/tail. However if she has more spots of color on the other side of her, then she's a calico NOT a van calico.
 
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skewch

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Here is a picture of her back. She has more color than just one or two spots. I know her tail is completely colored and then you've seen her head. I have no idea what to think.
 

epona

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She has too much colour on her back to be van pattern, I would describe her more as harlequin (irregular patched markings, 60-70% white) but I don't know whether that term applies to calicos or whether it's just bicolours. My Radar (black & white cat in my signature) is a harlequin pattern bicolour.

She is very pretty, good luck with her pregnancy
 

sol

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Congratulations to the future kittens.


Are you sure Bob is black smoke? Seems to me he has far to little fur for it being possible to say for sure he's smoke. He also looks very black in the face. Are the facial hairs really silver in the bottom?
 
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skewch

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Her breeder stated her color was Van, so that's on our contract. I should have her registration papers this week. I don't know if one can change the color when I register her under my ownership. This is my first papered cat I've owned.
 

goldenkitty45

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Sol, I know from experience that black smoke rexes (devon or cornish) are not like the normal smoke cats. We really do NOT have the white base hairs. Rexes only have undercoat. On a normal cat you have undercoat and guard hairs - a smoke would have white undercoat and black guard hairs.

Its confusing and hard to tell sometimes. One of the Cornish breeders I bought cats from told me she usually goes by the stripes on the back of the head to the neck on newborn rexes - if they have stripes, they wind up smokes; if solid, then they are black.
 

goldenkitty45

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You'd better discuss this with the breeder and TICA on registering. She is NOT a van - believe me. I don't know why the breeder ever said that - she's a calico from the day she was born - has a lot of color on her back.
 
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skewch

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Yup, and I told the breeder that way back in May that her color better be fixed on her papers to be calico, as she clearly is not van. It has been a year since I bought Bonnie and I still don't have her papers....I've been told they were mailed a few days ago....this is all after I threatened her with a lawsuit for fraud and breach of contract.
 

goldenkitty45

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Wow you really have a mess with both of them! To be honest, I would spay/neuter the devons you have (after this litter). Pet out the kittens. Then do some research and get some cats from a more qualified breeder that has them registered.
 

sol

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Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

Sol, I know from experience that black smoke rexes (devon or cornish) are not like the normal smoke cats. We really do NOT have the white base hairs. Rexes only have undercoat. On a normal cat you have undercoat and guard hairs - a smoke would have white undercoat and black guard hairs.

Its confusing and hard to tell sometimes. One of the Cornish breeders I bought cats from told me she usually goes by the stripes on the back of the head to the neck on newborn rexes - if they have stripes, they wind up smokes; if solid, then they are black.
And I know from experience that Devon Rexes often are hard to give the right color due to poor pigmentation (which isn't uncommon since the Devon Rex isn't given points for coat color) or poor coats (to little fur or to short fur). Devon Rexes, unlike Cornish Rexes, have all three hair layers and smoke looks on them just as in any other breed. The bottom is silver, the rest of the hairs have color. However, if the cat is poorly pigmented or have very little fur it's very hard (sometimes impossible) to tell if it's smoke or not.

If a Devon Rex have fully coated tail the tail is the best place to look when trying to determine if the cat is smoke or not. Behind the ears is a good place to if there's a lot of fur there.
 
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skewch

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I don't know what else his color would be called besides smoke, but could you offer me a suggestion then on his color just based on his picture?
 
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