My family is lucky enough to own a gorgeous young British Shorthair, aged just over sixth months. She is pedigreed and registered. On her certificate, she is labelled 'black smoke'.
However, today when we took her to a cat show, there was some controversy over whether she is in fact 'black smoke' or not.
On the top of her head and on her tail, her fur is black nearly all the way to the tips. However, on her sides, legs, haunches and back it is clearly not black to the tips. It is not entirely white either - appearing a sort of ash grey - but clearly nowhere near 'black to the tips' which was the show's definition of a 'black cat'.
The controversy arose over the fact that since neither of her parent's are 'smoke' coloured, it is genetically impossible for her to be a 'smoke', or so we have been told. Her father is a black, her mother a blue-cream. However, she clearly does not fit the standard for black.
This led to her being re-classified by the judges today as 'black' - and we were told her coat colour was 'unstable'. Since she is not black, she then lost points for being 'the wrong colour'. I have searched the net for a definition of 'unstable' and have come up blank. And how can they label her as 'black' when she doesn't fit the standard - which is a cat with black to its roots - which she is not.
Anyone who could shed light on this matter, I would much appreciate it!
However, today when we took her to a cat show, there was some controversy over whether she is in fact 'black smoke' or not.
On the top of her head and on her tail, her fur is black nearly all the way to the tips. However, on her sides, legs, haunches and back it is clearly not black to the tips. It is not entirely white either - appearing a sort of ash grey - but clearly nowhere near 'black to the tips' which was the show's definition of a 'black cat'.
The controversy arose over the fact that since neither of her parent's are 'smoke' coloured, it is genetically impossible for her to be a 'smoke', or so we have been told. Her father is a black, her mother a blue-cream. However, she clearly does not fit the standard for black.
This led to her being re-classified by the judges today as 'black' - and we were told her coat colour was 'unstable'. Since she is not black, she then lost points for being 'the wrong colour'. I have searched the net for a definition of 'unstable' and have come up blank. And how can they label her as 'black' when she doesn't fit the standard - which is a cat with black to its roots - which she is not.
Anyone who could shed light on this matter, I would much appreciate it!