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What breed or mix is my kitten Bowie? (New here.)
- Thread starter boyloveskitty
- Start Date
You have a lovely little Domestic Medium (or Long) Hair cat. The designation of Domestic + coat length + Hair is used for any cat of undetermined breed. Often shortened to DSH, DMH, or DLH because, lets admit it, that is a lot to type out, lol. I can't say if there is a specific breed she is closer to because there are many breeds that have the pointed gene and about half of those also have long fur. I wouldn't say from this picture that there is a specific breed I would narrow her down to. So I would keep your kitty in the firm moggy (which is similar to a mutt in the cat world but I think it sounds cuter) category of DMH/DLH grouping without a specific breed she may be related to .
The coat patterning is a lovely tortoiseshell (AKA tortie) pointed. Since the tortoiseshell pattern is carried on the X chromosome that would mean your kitty is a female, right? Males showing tortoiseshell patterning are extremely rare. Some people will call tortie points (along with tabby or lynx pointed) colorpoints as opposed to pointed but it means essentially the same thing. The thing is, tortie pointed cats are fairly rare because you have to have the exact mix of genetics for it to occur. Breeders have to do very specific breeding to get it or you get very lucky on accident.
The pointed gene is one of my favorites. To simplify the explanation, cats with the pointed gene have a form of temperature reactive albinism. The warmer areas of their body are light while the cooler parts get darker. Pointed cats are born pure white (because they are nice and toasty in mom) and the points get darker as they age. Depending on the climate where you live and your cats exposure (indoor, outdoor, combo) they can continue to darken over time and with the season. Many pointed will also start to darken as they age as their bodies aren't able to regulate temperature as well.
When you have a tortie pointed her base coat is actually tortie over her whole body but the pointed gene is hiding it and making most of the coat lighter colored (if it wasn't for that pointed gene she would be tortie). You likely will see more of the patterning coming out over the next few years. Photos of these guys over time can be really exciting. My boy is pointed and I look back at his baby photos. It is hard to believe that he can can almost blend in with his mocha cat bed when he was a light tan as a teenage (the photos below are my boy before and after a winter, he is a little more extreme then some pointed it all depends on the gene and environment).
If you really want to get in depth, here is a great article that goes into the genetics of a tortie pointed cat (this article is directed at Siamese but the coloring genetics are the same for yours) http://www.life-with-siamese-cats.com/tortie-point-siamese-cat.html
Lovely kitty!
The coat patterning is a lovely tortoiseshell (AKA tortie) pointed. Since the tortoiseshell pattern is carried on the X chromosome that would mean your kitty is a female, right? Males showing tortoiseshell patterning are extremely rare. Some people will call tortie points (along with tabby or lynx pointed) colorpoints as opposed to pointed but it means essentially the same thing. The thing is, tortie pointed cats are fairly rare because you have to have the exact mix of genetics for it to occur. Breeders have to do very specific breeding to get it or you get very lucky on accident.
The pointed gene is one of my favorites. To simplify the explanation, cats with the pointed gene have a form of temperature reactive albinism. The warmer areas of their body are light while the cooler parts get darker. Pointed cats are born pure white (because they are nice and toasty in mom) and the points get darker as they age. Depending on the climate where you live and your cats exposure (indoor, outdoor, combo) they can continue to darken over time and with the season. Many pointed will also start to darken as they age as their bodies aren't able to regulate temperature as well.
When you have a tortie pointed her base coat is actually tortie over her whole body but the pointed gene is hiding it and making most of the coat lighter colored (if it wasn't for that pointed gene she would be tortie). You likely will see more of the patterning coming out over the next few years. Photos of these guys over time can be really exciting. My boy is pointed and I look back at his baby photos. It is hard to believe that he can can almost blend in with his mocha cat bed when he was a light tan as a teenage (the photos below are my boy before and after a winter, he is a little more extreme then some pointed it all depends on the gene and environment).
If you really want to get in depth, here is a great article that goes into the genetics of a tortie pointed cat (this article is directed at Siamese but the coloring genetics are the same for yours) http://www.life-with-siamese-cats.com/tortie-point-siamese-cat.html
Lovely kitty!
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