Mixed breed origins

This is kind of a dumb question, but when a kitten born to a a regular DSH displays some characteristics of a purebred cat, does that mean that they are "part" Russian Blue or whatever? For example, do all color point kittens have Siamese ancestors? I am just curious....my new DLH kitten Marshmallow has hair, and the longest, sharpest nose I've ever seen on any cat. He's gorgeous and exotic looking. I look at him and think "what kind of cat has a sharp nose?" Where did THAT come from?

Hmm...there could be a particular breed cat in their ancestry, since (as less-than-careful breeders have found out for sure) papered cats are definitely able to make kittens with natural-breed cats...on the other hand, it's also possible that the genes just randomly showed up in that particular cat. All breeds of cats started out as clusters of particular recognizable consistently transmitted traits in regular DSH/DLH cats.

Thank you for the information. I look at the cats on Petfinder.com a lot and I've often wondered about this.

The short answer is "no." Cats born in the random population that have characteristics of certain breeds are most likely not descendants of those breeds. Unlike dog breeds, cat breeds are relatively new and all were originally taken from domestic populations across the world. So a pointed cat does not necessarily have Siamese in their background, and the sole longhair kitten in a litter is not part Maine Coon. Some cat breeds are so rare, there are only a handful of breeders working with them.

Pedigreed cats make up between 1-3% of the feline population (depending on how you count it.) The majority of these cats are altered and never reproduce, and breeding cats are carefully guarded by their owners. Domestics are wonderful and can produce a wide variety of colors and coats, and it is from this beautiful diversity that new breeds are born.

Thanks for the information ! Keep posting !

nurseangel said:

 when a kitten born to a a regular DSH displays some characteristics of a purebred cat, does that mean that they are "part" Russian Blue or whatever? For example, do all color point kittens have Siamese ancestors?

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Myself, Im of the conviction, unless you do know for sure at least some pedigree parentage, you shouldnt use the description "part"  or "mix".

If you are sure they arent purebreed, there is no safety either for them to be mix or part, no?

They are "look alike" or something like that, if it is important for you to compare with some pedigree.

Colour point is interesting.  Im not sure if there are "wild" colour point "masque" genes. Theoretically it should be possible, but I dont think it is so.

Although there IS another colour point than coming from siameses, it is the burma point.  A little different, more brownish, and of course much more rare.

The problem is, colour point gene is recessive, and must come both from mom and dad. Who themselves doesnt need to be points.

Thus it is entirely possible, even common, such genes are "flowing submerged" in the gene pool in many generations dont showing.

And suddenly, they do meet and voilá! you get one or two kittens looking like old time siamese (if shorthaired cat), while parents and litter mates looks "normal"...

Such a kitten has a proven siamese ancestry, but it may be 20 generations backwards...  And the is the ONLY  sure siamese ancestry which they did surely received is this double point gene...  about the other genes from these siamese ancestries we dont know anything...

If all the litter are points, the ancestry is near. They may even be pure breeds. A very strong indicium.

That said. if a "moggie" kitten is born as a looke alike a pedigree cat, it can sometimes be registered in as a pedigree as "novices". (there are rules for it, with lotsa of exceptions).  I tell about how it can sometimes be done in the big european federation Fife.  IF the registry is open.

You show this cat to two Fife-judges, telling them it is a novice-trial. You can do it at a regular show, or you invite them home to you (I presume you do pay their costs, and some fee).

If they think this cat is excellent for the breed, they approve it, and write up a "provisorical" pedigree.  This individual is counted as pedigree and can be shown at exhibitions and for breeding.  But the childrens must get their own examination before they got their pedigree certificate.

This next examination is done at the usual shows.  If they get excellent - fine, they get their own pedigree certificate.

If they dont get excellent?  They can be sold as pedigree sold as pets, but they cant be used in breeding...

And so on, for 4 generations.

Firstly, if the fourth generation gets too her or his excellent, it is reverted into the normal, common pedigree certificate.

For example, I know the ancestry mother for the czechs russian blue, get her pedigree by such an novice-examination.

This is the way to safeguard the novice cat wasnt any accidentally mix of genes, who did happened to look as a pedigree cat, but the cat WAS a good type of the breed, with fairly consistent team of genes...