Questions about fur.

breellablue

TCS Member
Thread starter
Alpha Cat
Joined
Apr 28, 2009
Messages
394
Purraise
1
Location
Syracuse, NY
I know that this isn't technically a breeding question, but I think some of you breeders will have more perspective and experience in helping me.

---

So, some of you may have seen my thread on my mysterious balding kitten, if not long story short I rescue pregnant cats from bad situations, we had a female give birth last month to a litter of kittens. The coal black one began loosing its fur at a week old, the fur loss was not all over the body, but was not patchy either. Veterinarian stumped. After total fur loss over the main body area new grey/white fur began to grow in, New fur is wavy.

Well, I had this weird realization that her new fur coloration and patterning is like that of what I see described as seal point color.





Now, firstly-- are seal points born looking different? My girl was born coal black and then began to loose her fur at around a week old.

Secondly, has there ever been any DSH seal points? I seem to find mostly Persians, Ragdolls and Himalayans google search.

Her mother is a dark tabby, her siblings are two tabbys (one light and one dark), and a solid blue/grey. I have no idea about her father as she was a rescue.
 

carolina

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Nov 17, 2008
Messages
14,759
Purraise
215
Location
Corinth, TX
Originally Posted by Breellablue

I know that this isn't technically a breeding question, but I think some of you breeders will have more perspective and experience in helping me.

---

So, some of you may have seen my thread on my mysterious balding kitten, if not long story short I rescue pregnant cats from bad situations, we had a female give birth last month to a litter of kittens. The coal black one began loosing its fur at a week old, the fur loss was not all over the body, but was not patchy either. Veterinarian stumped. After total fur loss over the main body area new grey/white fur began to grow in, New fur is wavy.

Well, I had this weird realization that her new fur coloration and patterning is like that of what I see described as seal point color.





Now, firstly-- are seal points born looking different? My girl was born coal black and then began to loose her fur at around a week old.

Secondly, has there ever been any DSH seal points? I seem to find mostly Persians, Ragdolls and Himalayans google search.

Her mother is a dark tabby, her siblings are two tabbys (one light and one dark), and a solid blue/grey. I have no idea about her father as she was a rescue.
Weird - as far as I know, Seal points are born white, and the points get darker as they age.
Maybe this kitten's dad is a Devon Rex, or another breed with curly hair? Weird, I never heard of that happening - Definitely a special guy you got there! Are you keeping him?
 

missymotus

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
May 8, 2005
Messages
9,234
Purraise
254
I thought the first Devon was bred from a stray cat with curly hair? Which would mean curls could appear in unpedigreed cats.

I don't know about the hair loss, but agree pointed cats are born white.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #6

breellablue

TCS Member
Thread starter
Alpha Cat
Joined
Apr 28, 2009
Messages
394
Purraise
1
Location
Syracuse, NY
I've actually been calling her Devon as a name since someone suggested it as a possibility last week.

The mother came from a one bedroom trailer with 40ish other cats, I'll try to ask the rescue girl who worked directly with the family if they had any pure breeds at any time. I'm pretty interested in genetics and this kitten intrigues me to no end. And thank you for the info that seal points are usually born white. I really wish I had an explanation for the sudden fur loss she experienced, the veterinarian I took her to was stumped. Totally floored because every idea he could think of was negated by her age and lack of immune system.

From what I have read on those links, specifically the German Rex page, the rex gene can surface randomly in any litter. *sigh* guess without an expensive PCR test I'll never really know.

However I read that Rex's can have very bad reactions to anesthetic-- I know I have lots of time but when she goes to be spayed should I note this on her file to be safe?
 

forensic

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Oct 3, 2007
Messages
1,350
Purraise
2
Location
Buried under the cat
That doesn't look seal point to me.

It doesn't really look pointed at all to me.

But as to whether DSH can be pointed, yes, certainly... Hennessy is a DSH (and Disa is a DLH) and they are both pointed cats.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #8

breellablue

TCS Member
Thread starter
Alpha Cat
Joined
Apr 28, 2009
Messages
394
Purraise
1
Location
Syracuse, NY
Now that I know that seal points are born white, and don't go bald as they age (lol) I just think she's a very unique cat. With all she's been through with the balding and the manhandling by the vet at such a young age she's still very friendly and cuddly. So long as she's eating and healthy right? the texture of her fur is pleasant to touch, very different from any other cat I've had comtact with before. I spent some quality time with her today, we've decided to change her name from Devon, which my boyfriend's mother hated, to Zeta. Meh not my choice but who ever adopts her can call her what they want. The names are just for medical and behavioral reference while we foster them.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #13

breellablue

TCS Member
Thread starter
Alpha Cat
Joined
Apr 28, 2009
Messages
394
Purraise
1
Location
Syracuse, NY
The past few days it's looking more like waves. There are still some guard hairs sparsely placed in the grey fur area which seems to have stopped growing.
 

kittymonsters

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 5, 2007
Messages
1,505
Purraise
17
Location
USA
She could have the same natural mutation that started the LaPerm breed.
http://www.lapermcats.com/LPSAhistory.html

Kitty could end up being a shaded type of black. My Mom's black LaPerm has a shaded grey ruff around his neck. He is an odd color. He goes almost bald in the Spring when he sheds. He came from a very bad situation as a kitten, so I don't know how representative of the breed his is. He was a rescue.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #15

breellablue

TCS Member
Thread starter
Alpha Cat
Joined
Apr 28, 2009
Messages
394
Purraise
1
Location
Syracuse, NY
Interesting, but she wasn't born bald. Zeta started balding at about a week of age, and the blue/white fur growing in at around three weeks of age. It's too bad I'll never know her potential because she's going to be spayed as per policy of the rescue. I've started to accept that she's just unique and one of a kind.
 

nekochan

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Aug 5, 2006
Messages
2,760
Purraise
22
Location
Chicago, IL
If you part the fur on the dark colored areas, is the base/bottom of the hairs black or is it the same color or similar color as the kitten's grayish body fur?

If the base of the fur is lighter in color it could just be that the lighter colored fur on the body is her undercoat growing back in. If she went completely bald on her body and now is growing her hair back, the undercoat is usually the first to grow back so perhaps her top coat has just not grown in yet (or may not grow in.) This would also explain why the texture is so different because undercoat can often be wavy, soft, and different texture than the 'top' coat.

It is strange that she lost her fur in a pattern but it is not unheard of for animals with some medical conditions to lose the fur on the body but not on the extremities. For example ferrets with adrenal disease lose fur but sometimes still have full fur on the legs and head.
Here is a photo:
http://www.laneferrets.org/assets/images/adrenal2.gif
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #17

breellablue

TCS Member
Thread starter
Alpha Cat
Joined
Apr 28, 2009
Messages
394
Purraise
1
Location
Syracuse, NY
Vet ruled out adrenal because of age. The fur that never fell out is sold black all the way down.
 
Top