How do you tell fur type(length) on kittens?

Title is the question.

I was wondering if you could accurately tell if a 6wk old kitten will be short, med or long haired?

For example:

Do you think these black kittens would be med. to long haired when they grew up? They are approx. 6wks in the pics.

With mixed breeds it can go either way. I had one litter of barn kittens where I thought a little boy was gonna be a long hair since the kitten fur seemed longer to me....but he turned out to be shorthair.

And the opposite with his calico sister - she had shorter hair then he did at the time, but was surprised to see her fur wound up being a semi longhair.

As far as I know both parents were shorthairs.


Added - now that I see the pictures - they look like longhairs (especially the bottom picture).

I can tell when my kittens are born whether they are going to be Exotics (Shorthair) or Persians (Longhair).

From the picture the Blue looks to be Shorthair but I'd need to see another pic to confirm and the Black is definitely a Longhair - oh and I don't believe in medium hair!

Originally Posted by WellingtonCats

I can tell when my kittens are born whether they are going to be Exotics (Shorthair) or Persians (Longhair).

From the picture the Blue looks to be Shorthair but I'd need to see another pic to confirm and the Black is definitely a Longhair - oh and I don't believe in medium hair!

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Ummmm which one would be Blue?

In the first photo the kitty sitting up on the scratcher thingy with the closed eyes

Oh so it's not the same black kitty in both pics? Then both blacks are Longhairs.

Originally Posted by WellingtonCats

In the first photo the kitty sitting up on the scratcher thingy with the closed eyes

Oh so it's not the same black kitty in both pics? Then both blacks are Longhairs.

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I'm not sure which one is pictured in the single I've asked for more pics (I'm gonna pm you)

This is a question I wish I knew how to answer. When I found Aya she was fluffy, and I was all excited 'gonna have a longhair calico' but over time she grew into her hair and the fluff became coarse then flat silky and short, like a Japanese bobtail. I still love her to pieces, but its nice to be able to tell.

Oh, and I believe in medium hair. Midori is too fluffy to be short particularly on her underside, but definitely not long....

The Balinese, Javanese, Somali, Longhair Japanese BT, Turkish Angora - all of those breeds would be more of a medium length hair.

Alright, first of all, I'll admit that I have no idea
But I did have to say you have ADORABLE kittens

The black one looks like Muddy at that age. Muddy has what I consider to be medium length hair - not as long as some cats get but clearly not short haired either. I call them fluffy.

Not sure about the grey - can you post a better picture with more light?

Here's a picture of Muddy and Koko at about 8-10 weeks old. Muddy is on the right and you can see he's more fluffy. Koko on the left has more of a flat appearance and she is clearly short haired.



And just to confuse you a bit - here they are at 4 weeks old. Muddy in the front, Koko behind him, and Elwood in the back. Elwood looks a bit fluffy but he turned out to be short haired. I could tell the difference between Muddy and Koko at a very young age based on the way their hair looked.

well, they are both a LOT more furry than your babies. I can't tell the difference between them, except one is slightly smaller. But looks, they are both fluff balls, who are now home with me

(pic below is over flashed bigtime)



black cats sure are hard to photograph on a black bath mat (they are in my bathroom right now)

Originally Posted by Lyrajean

This is a question I wish I knew how to answer. When I found Aya she was fluffy, and I was all excited 'gonna have a longhair calico' but over time she grew into her hair and the fluff became coarse then flat silky and short, like a Japanese bobtail. I still love her to pieces, but its nice to be able to tell.

Oh, and I believe in medium hair. Midori is too fluffy to be short particularly on her underside, but definitely not long....

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Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

The Balinese, Javanese, Somali, Longhair Japanese BT, Turkish Angora - all of those breeds would be more of a medium length hair.

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That's why I said *I*. You're both entitled to your own opinion. We only have a Shorthair and a Longhair section in NZ hence my opinion.

Originally Posted by Snake_Lady

well, they are both a LOT more furry than your babies. I can't tell the difference between them, except one is slightly smaller. But looks, they are both fluff balls, who are now home with me

(pic below is over flashed bigtime)



black cats sure are hard to photograph on a black bath mat

(they are in my bathroom right now)

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Back to the real topic - Chris they are darlings! I PM'd you before I read this thread but good to hear they are seperated from Kizzy. I would take them to the vet as soon as you can, just incase. Congratulations!

Originally Posted by WellingtonCats

Back to the real topic - Chris they are darlings! I PM'd you before I read this thread but good to hear they are seperated from Kizzy. I would take them to the vet as soon as you can, just incase. Congratulations!

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Yup, I fully intend to.

Not sure if you can tell from the pic...but between the pics here and in the fur pics forum, do you think they are long hair?

They both look identical as far as coat goes. I can't tell them apart except one is more active and slightly bigger.

Originally Posted by Snake_Lady

Yup, I fully intend to.

Not sure if you can tell from the pic...but between the pics here and in the fur pics forum, do you think they are long hair?

They both look identical as far as coat goes. I can't tell them apart except one is more active and slightly bigger.

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Definitely longhair! I'll eat my hat if they're not!