What color/breed is Stormy?

kiara1125 · Sep 30, 2014

Stormy is a rescue. He's 6 weeks old and was found on the side of a buy highway covered in fleas and burs with matted, sticky fur. I would love to know what his coat color would be considered, since I believe that he's a random genetic kitten. At first I thought that he was a longhair dilute tortoiseshell, but looking at him, he's got such unique coloring. His fur is blue with brown mackerel tabby markings. His eyes are hazel, yet they look steel gray in anything other than sunlight. Please help me identify the color of this kitten! These are the two good pictures of his pattern when I first brought him home, both before and after his flea and oatmeal baths. Now it's hard to get a picture of his coloration without taking him outside, and I don't want to risk him getting reinfected with fleas. I just killed the last bit of them yesterday. He's spotless today and no longer itching.

10626681_702226809864144_3260006562787437370_n.jpg

kiara1125
Sep 30, 2014

10644974_702226796530812_4829695473777837124_n.jpg

kiara1125
Sep 30, 2014

1969360_702226739864151_1978340501489963030_n.jpg?

kiara1125
Sep 30, 2014

10712959_702228589863966_1142834300126072642_n.jpg

kiara1125
Sep 30, 2014

kiara1125 · Sep 30, 2014

I forgot to add the picture of his eyes. You can see the tabby markings (and fleas, along with the flea dirt) on his head.

10712761_702226829864142_5235339776433426325_n.jpg

kiara1125
Sep 30, 2014

GoldyCat · Sep 30, 2014

Are you sure it's a male? If there is really red/cream along with the blue it would be a dilute tortoiseshell, and 99.9% of torties are female. I can't really see the tabby markings you mentioned in the pictures.

kiara1125 · Sep 30, 2014

Yes, I've been around kittens before and this little one has male genitals. Haha. But really? It might just be that my eyes catch the colors more. Other people have claimed to see the markings as well. I thought that he was a dilute tortie, but a lot of people said that he didn't look like one. Maybe later today I can actually use a photo editor to turn the tabby markings a different color, one that stands out more, so you can see the pattern. And I know that most torties are female. I have two female torbies and my BIL has a male dilute tortie.

kiara1125 · Sep 30, 2014

Although, I should add, even though you don't see the markings, can you at least see how he has a burnt red color on his head and his back? If he's blue and another color, wouldn't he still be a tortie or even a possible tortie?

zoneout · Sep 30, 2014

Looks more like dirt than red markings

kiara1125 · Oct 1, 2014

witzkers · Oct 1, 2014

I can't tell from the picture. Does the chocolate coloring go to the root or is is just on the tips of the fur? It almost looks like a blue with chocolate shading.

kiara1125 · Oct 1, 2014

Kiara1125 said:
the color doesn't go further than the tips of his fur.

Witzkers said:
I can't tell from the picture. Does the chocolate coloring go to the root or is is just on the tips of the fur? It almost looks like a blue with chocolate shading.

I quoted myself to show you that I've already stated that the chocolate coloring is only on the tips of his fur.

witzkers · Oct 2, 2014

Sorry, missed that. I don't think there is an official color name for his coloring, but it does appear to be a variation in the shaded family.

Willowy · Oct 2, 2014

I think it's just rusting from whatever happened to him before. Poor nutrition, sunburn, maybe some kind of chemical exposure, whatever. I think it'll grow out and he'll be a solid blue longhair. Now, if he keeps that coloring after his kitten coat grows out. . .that would be veryvery interesting. I'm not even sure what it would be called.

p3 and the king · Oct 2, 2014

Willowy said:
I think it's just rusting from whatever happened to him before. Poor nutrition, sunburn, maybe some kind of chemical exposure, whatever. I think it'll grow out and he'll be a solid blue longhair. Now, if he keeps that coloring after his kitten coat grows out. . .that would be veryvery interesting. I'm not even sure what it would be called.

I agree, radical color change like this doesn't just happen... Not normally or healthy. I would take him to a vet ASAP to have him looked over. It could be something very serious. Too many things, a lot very serious, it could be. But it's not good news. Even colorpoints don't change color this radically.

OK, well I just read that you photoshopped the pic to make it look more "rusty." In this case, nevermind. But I wouldn't say he or she is a tortie. Usually they are more "pronounced" in coloring. I think he is just a blue that maybe has a little brown tabby in him?

Willowy · Oct 3, 2014

I think he is just a blue that maybe has a little brown tabby in him?

Well, that would make him a tortie :tongue2:. Which is possible---male torties are rare but do exist. But I don't think so. I'm pretty sure it's just rusting.

GemsGem · Oct 3, 2014

Willowy said:
I think it's just rusting from whatever happened to him before. Poor nutrition, sunburn, maybe some kind of chemical exposure, whatever. I think it'll grow out and he'll be a solid blue longhair. Now, if he keeps that coloring after his kitten coat grows out. . .that would be veryvery interesting. I'm not even sure what it would be called.

I completely agree with Willowy :nod: This is a extreme case of rusting - most likely due to the things Willowy mentions, diet, sun etc...

If he was a tortie, the red color would be a more cream color (washed out red look) not bright red.
This is because he is blue, which is a dilute color of black - this means he can only have/show dilute colors.
The dilute of red is cream.

Coat colors can either be dominant
Black and red

Or dilute colors
Blue and cream

p3 and the king · Oct 3, 2014

Willowy said:
Well, that would make him a tortie

. Which is possible---male torties are rare but do exist. But I don't think so. I'm pretty sure it's just rusting.

According to the breeder I talked to it wouldn't make him a tortie. It would just be called rusting. Torties are supposed to have more "pronounced" patches than this. Either way, he/she needs to see a vet about possible health problems because color change like this usually isn't good.

zoneout · Oct 3, 2014

Is he eating dog food?

At any rate if you intend to keep him please reconsider feeding kibble and switch to canned if possible. Kibble leads to crystal formation which causes male cat urinary tracts to block. This becomes an expensive medical emergency when it happens - about $2,500 to unblock them. Much more expensive than canned food in the long run. Please see catinfo.org for more information.

Love his face.

kiara1125 · Oct 4, 2014

zoneout said:
Indie

10580002_671861642900661_449897119585951371_n.jpg?

kiara1125

Oct 4, 2014

10526079_665223996897759_7532435350039848688_n.jpg

kiara1125

Oct 4, 2014

Kolchak (on the right - to the left is Sheba (my BIL's brown tabby) and the dog is Toshi, my fiané's aussie/bealge/lab mix)

1043860_702237506529741_8737131035675281614_n.jpg?

kiara1125

Oct 4, 2014

And an updated picture on the little rascal. He ALWAYS sits on my shoulder or chest if I'm sitting down. This time he decided to climb on my shoulder while I was standing. Haha! His fur is growing in more and he's not as patchy as he was. The "rust" is fading except on his head and he's super active and healthy. Now he's completely flea free and he's gaining weight very well.

10649562_704020229684802_1223603412221613395_n.jpg

kiara1125

Oct 4, 2014

Also, here's a picture, NOT EDITED, of his head in natural sunlight.

10689435_704027129684112_5231426931005673560_n.jpg

kiara1125

Oct 4, 2014

GoldyCat · Oct 6, 2014

Love the picture of him on your shoulder. He's adorable.

kiara1125 · Oct 7, 2014

Haha, thanks! My mom made a good point, though ... The "rust" marks are going away and my mom thinks that Stormy's fur is actually stained from blood due to the fleas. It makes sense with how nasty the water got whenever I gave him a bath. It's slowly going away, so having good treatment helps. He's already doubled in size and weight. You can no longer feel his spine and his ribs have a healthy layer of muscle over them. He's doing really good and he has improved by leaps and bounds.

GemsGem · Oct 7, 2014

Kiara1125 said:
Haha, thanks! My mom made a good point, though ... The "rust" marks are going away and my mom thinks that Stormy's fur is actually stained from blood due to the fleas. It makes sense with how nasty the water got whenever I gave him a bath. It's slowly going away, so having good treatment helps. He's already doubled in size and weight. You can no longer feel his spine and his ribs have a healthy layer of muscle over them. He's doing really good and he has improved by leaps and bounds.

Oh wow ! I think your mom has solved the mystery :nod: :lol3:

Thank for letting us know

What color/breed is Stormy?

TCS Member

Thread starter

TCS Member

Thread starter

Moderator

TCS Member

Thread starter

TCS Member

Thread starter

TCS Member

TCS Member

Thread starter

TCS Member

TCS Member

Thread starter

TCS Member

TCS Member

TCS Member

TCS Member

Mentor

TCS Member

TCS Member

TCS Member

Thread starter

Moderator

TCS Member

Thread starter

Mentor