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How can I tell if he'll be long-haired?

post #1 of 5
5/23/11 at 5:48pm
Thread Starter 
Simon is one fluffy baby! How can I tell if he'll end up being long-haired?

Simon & Garfunkel's mom, Strange Cat, had a very short, shiny, almost coarse coat. Garfunkel has short hair and is softer than Strange Cat. Simon, however, is a super soft, velveteen, plush ball of fur. Here's a picture:



We don't know who their father is - though he must have been a tabby because Strange Cat is a calico. It's funny because her litter were each one of her spot-colors: red (Simon), buff (Funk), and black/grey (Smokey Joe, a sister). The other sister, Nugget, looked like mom and was a calico. I don't know if dad was a long-hair or if these types of things are recessive, etc. (As you can tell, I have no idea about coats and such! .)

At my parents' house, Caroline is our long-haired baby, and she's a little skittish so we can't brush her (she'll bite - she was abandoned as a baby then shipped to several different shelters poor baby!), and she gets so matted and uncomfortable-looking. I have been wanting to get her shaved forever but don't know if that's a good choice for cats the way it is for dogs. (Any opinions on that? She is 95% outside cat.)

Anyway, I'd just sort of like to know if I can expect the grooming issue - well, not "issue" - not like it's a problem! but you know what I mean - with Simon. Any way to tell?

Edited to add a picture of Strange Cat and 3-week babies!
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post #2 of 5
5/24/11 at 4:30pm
Thread Starter 
I found this thread from several years ago.

Simon definitely has that silky feel as described in the thread, but he's not quite as fuzzy as Wickett in those pictures. I'm also not sure how to look for the "second" coat or undercoat.

I read online that long-haired cats are likely to be calmer than short-haired kittens - while that seems really far-fetched, I can attest that if it's true, Simon's an example. He is the better eater and the better sleeper of my two, and Garfunkel goes truly wild-eyed and INSANE during daily romps.

Oh well - guess I'll just wait and see. I love long-haired babies!
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post #3 of 5
5/26/11 at 4:18pm
Actually from the photo, Strange Cat looks like a Torbie which means the tabby coloration could be inherited from her. Torbie is both calico/tortie and tabby. Do you have any other photos of her, such as maybe her standing? That may show the color better. If she is a torbie, the red and tabby could both have come from the mother.

From your photo Simon looks like he's probably a shorthair. Do you have any photos of his tail? Sometimes they look short-hair but the tail fur is really long which indicates they may grow up to be medium- or long-haired.

I had one rescued kitten Church who I thought might end up long-haired, but it turned out he was just really fluffy and plush (he also had 2 layers of fur as a kitten). When he grew up he ended up short haired but his fur is VERY VERY dense and plushy/soft compared to other shorthairs. His fur feels like petting a rabbit and it is so plush/dense that you can press your hand into it and it will hold a hand-shaped impression.


This was him as a baby:





A bit older:



And as an adult:
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post #4 of 5
5/26/11 at 6:02pm
Thread Starter 
Firstly - OMG - Church is sooooooo cute!!!!

Here is another picture of Strange Cat. (The coloring's a little green due to her human's flash.)



I don't have any really good pictures of Simon's tail - and they are currently wrestling, LOL - but here's another of his body, with part of his tail. You can tell how fuzzy he is. (He's the orange one with his back to the camera.)



Still, Church was REALLY fuzzy when he was a baby too, moreso than Simon, and turns out he wasn't longhaired. So I guess there's no way to know for sure.

Your post was REALLY helpful, Nekochan! Thanks!!
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post #5 of 5
5/26/11 at 6:41pm
Yeah it really can be difficult to tell when they're so young.

This might help too... I helped a friend of mine rescue a longhaired red tabby stray and it turned out the cat was pregnant... Her kittens were all red or cream and some were longhaired, some short so maybe their photos will help.
Here's a link to some photos of them---
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=95777
If you read the post she says which ones are longhaired.

Strange Cat definitely looks like a torbie (tabby/tortie aka patched tabby) meaning she has both the patches of different colors like a calico/tortie and also tabby markings. My cat Harlequin is a torbie too, but she is a ticked torbie so her color is a little different (ticked fur instead of spots or stripes.)
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