don't know the color of my cat

In april my calico shorthair gave birth to a litter of four kittens. The dad was a black and white longhair cat. She had a dilute calico, a dark gray and white, and two extremely pale gray kittens with darker gray noses and paws. Only one of the pale gray kittens survived. when she was 3 weeks old she had a black nose, black feet, black stomach, black tipped ears, and a dark gray undercoat, but the majority of her was a silvery white. As she has gotten older she has become much more black. Now she looks like a silver backed gorilla or something. she is almost solid black except her back and some of her tail is still a beautiful silvery white. I have had a lot of cats in my life but I have never seen a cat like her before. even the parts of her, like her legs, that are black still have white hairs dotted throughout. Her eyes are yellowish orange, if that helps at all. I just want to know what color she is so when people ask me, and everyone does, i will be able to say oh she is a...
does anyone know? if some one could tell me it would be much appreciated. thankyou

This is freaky. Our tortie/white barn cat gave birth to 5 kittens - all blue (grey) tabbys with white feet. Unusual to begin with. We assumed the father was a blue tabby that was hanging around.

HOWEVER, then about 3-4 weeks old they all had dark points (like a siamese) - face mask, ears, legs, and tail...yet still retained the blue tabby body.

Then at 3-4 months old they all became black/white cats. For awhile the blue points turned into seal points with the blue tabby body. Ling still has the dark seal point face mask, ears and legs in the right light. And also you can still see some of the tabby on the body.


I have NO idea what happened genetically. I bred rexes, I know genetics and know several other breeders who are better then me. They have no idea either. Genetically blue is a dilute of black and you cannot go from a dilute/recessive color to a dominate one....BUT these kittens did.

We think there has to be some kind of oriental/siamese or even tonkinese in the background of these cats. They are random bred barn cats so who knows. I only know that I've never seen/heard anything like this before.


Rereading yours sound a bit like black smoke kittens. That's what one of my breeder friends said, but the cat now is not smoke at all - I've seen smokes, she's not a smoke (my cat)

thats crazy, those kittens sound awesome looking. My cats name is violet and she is almost a solid black now but like said just a few stray white hairs here and there. She is just a random barn mix as well. the only breed I know she has in her is norwegian forest cat. I'm just so confused as to what this color is and everyone asks me all the time. for now i'll call her a smoke but i'm pretty sure she will be a solid black in a couple of weeks

Can you post a picture? Also if she is just a random barn cat, how do you know she has N.F.C. in her? Just curious. They are large, long think coated cats.

If she keeps the white/silvery undercoat (next to the skin) then she is a smoke. I've seen black smoke persian kittens and young ones do have a silvery coat with black on face, legs, tail.

It sounds like fever coats (called "frosted coats" in Sweden). Genetically black cats can get the kind of color described. Born with greysish body but with black paws and face, end up with black coat.

It may be caused by an infection in the mother during pregnancy.

I know she has n.f.c. in her because her father was the son of my sister's n.f.c. and another stray cat. I can try and post a couple of pics but i suck with computers. Is my cat still a black smoke if the lighter silvery hair is on the tips and the black is kept colse to the body? thanks so much to everyone who has replied to this e-mail because I genuinely want to know what color violet is, you've all been much help

Well, a pic would be great

Sorry to burst your bubble,but you did ask,your cat unless it has both parents pedigree,then it is a........................ very special grey and white moggy

No, a smoke is white/silver at the base (next to the skin) and black (or other color like blue, red, cream) on the tips.

If the coat is black at the skin, then its a black with a fever coat and will grow out to become all black.