He's been adopted! But what colour is He?

I can't believe it - I took my new little kit (that Bonaparte found) into the shelter yesterday for testing and vaccine and a family have decided he is theirs! They cannot have him yet - he is still too wild and his litter habits are to say the least irregular. So I shall keep him for between 15 days and a month and as soon he is ready they will take him, They have signed the papers and are very excited.

But what colour is he? Even the vet was stumped. He is not a red tabby or a brown tabby, but in some lights looks a bronze gold, and sometimes a sandy red, and at others brown. So far we have put 'fauve' on his papers, which in French means the colour of a wild animal, like a puma or lynx, but it is certainly not an official cat colour.

Here are some pix and it is clear the camera couldn't decide either.





With the sun full on him


In the shade

He actually looks like a litle wild cat?? very cute and a very unique coloring indeed!what a cutie I am so glad you were able to quickly find him a home....good for you!!

He reminds me of a sand cat!

http://www.exoticcatz.com/photoalbum...andcatside.jpg

Originally Posted by kaete

He reminds me of a sand cat!

http://www.exoticcatz.com/photoalbum...andcatside.jpg

Click to expand...

I agree with you. He definately doesn't look like a domesticated cat, and looking up Sand Cats, under Googgle he looks a great deal like a Sand Cat, which is a very small wild cat from the deserts of Asia, Africa and the Middle East. What a Sand Cat would be doing running around in the French countryside is beyond me, but this kitty sure does looke like one. Very beautiful, by the way.

Awww he DOES look like a sand cat!

He does look like a little wild cat!!! What a little sweetheart!

He's a sweetie for sure, and does look quite wild. As to colour, beats me!!

OMG, that is EXACTLY the colour he is! I can't imagine either that a wild African cat would be here, let alone have kittens, but I guess he could be some sort of throwback. But he is taming OK - he spent over an hour snuggled on my shoulder today, and he is using the litter pan in his cage, though not when I let him run around.

That little guy is so darling. Depending on where in France you are located he very well could be a European wild cat,

http://hometown.aol.com/cattrust/forest.htm

He definitely has a distinctive head and eyes, not to mention coloring, that is not typical feral domesticated cat.

This link has a better picture of an adult of one sub species

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0729075119.htm

He kind of looks like my Lexi kitty.

I would contact a zoo and find out for sure whether or not he is a domestic.
If he is a European Wildcat he needs to be in a good breeding program, they are very rare.

Wow, that is an odd coloring. If you read the articles that Kittymonsters posted, they do say that the European Wildcat interbreeds with feral domestic cat populations, and they think that hybrids are common. He may be a mixed breed, a cross between the European Wildcat and the local feral cat population. That would explain his coloring.

He does look really cool. Very unique, and "wild" looking for sure. I have no idea what you would call that color!

Wow, he is gorgeous!!!

The little semi-feral guy I've been looking after only took a few days to figure out the litter pan. By the end of the week when running outside the cage, he would go back into his cage to do his business. It's now 1 1/2 weeks later, and he gets the run of the spare room with no problems. I hope your guy does the same and soon!

I put some dirt in the litter tray with his litter and that made a huge difference (thanks again Heidi for that advice!).

You know, Jenny, people here who are saying that this baby looks like a European wildcat just might be right. Not only is his coloring unusual, but so is the shape of his head and face. I thought that from the get-go and he looks a lot like some of the E. wildcat pics I found online, especially one of a kitten in a zoo. Wondering if it's worth looking into...

If he is a cross - would that make him an F1?

http://www.animalpicturesarchive.com...id=1&did=11601
http://www.animalpicturesarchive.com...tid=3&did=7063
http://www.animalpicturesarchive.com...tid=3&did=7065 (kitten in a tree - note color)
http://www.biolib.cz/en/image/id28449/

I don't know what he is Jenny, but he is simply stunning!

Oh help! Now I am confused and a bit worried. Those pix are scary. But I know that wildcats are not tameable so I think I will continue with the theory that he is a normal feral, who at 3 months (vet's estimate of his age) has already picked up a few habits that need to be eradicated. Other ferals I have had much earlier so are quicker to pick things up. He is tamer every day, though has not got the hang of the litter yet - though he is fine with using the one in the cage when he is in it. He is still scared, but curls quietly in my lap. If I put him down he hides, and does not know how to play yet.

Lexi seems darker than my guy.I hope his colour may be a trick of the genes, going back to a long-gone ancestor.

I will continue with his socialisation programme and not give him up to his adoptive family till I am sure he is ready.

He could be a mix of a Wild and Domesticated (Feral cat), but I'd almost stake my life on the fact that the little guy is at least half wild cat. Maybe being a hybred, he could be tamed. I mean look at F1 Bengal's, and even some pure Asian Leopard Cats.

Not only does he have a unique colour, but his eyes have the wild look, and his fur looks different than most cats, so does his face and ear shape. He looks a lot more like those Wild Cats than he does your typical cat. He's SO cool.

I would say just looking at his color he looks to be just a unique kitten, but it is the shape of that head that makes one think twice about the possibility of a little bit of something extra. Sending lots of vibes that he learns to be tame.

My cousin living in the outskirts of Glasgow had a wildcat cross that was very tame after months of love and care as a very young kitten. He took much more effort to tame, and never really consistently picked up other house cat habits. She let him go outside after he was fixed and he went to the bathroom outside as he would never use his litterbox. I emailed her to see if she has any photos of her cat cause he looked so much like your little one its almost scary. I for second thought you had a little clone of Charlie!! I would get him genetically tested to find out if he is a wildcat cross. If he is there will be behavioral things that aren`t going to fit with a domestic cats behavior. The person who ends up keeping him should know what they have so they can be prepared for some of his behavior!

He is absolutely adorable though!!!