Community stray Tortie had 9 kittens, all different and some look very RARE!

[MeLee42]

I took in a very pregnant stray in late October. On Nov 5 she gave birth to nine babies. We thought she was done after the first five, but an hour later she moved to a different room and gave birth to four more. All very small, one only weighed 60grams! She did her best but lost one within the first 24 hours, the others, I am very proud to say have all reached their 8 week milestone. A description of each kitten: Mittens - long hair orange male with 4 white paws. Mouse - a silver grey long hair female with 4 white paws and white mark on forehead. Max - a dark orange tabby male. Marley - a medium shade orange tabby male. Mocha - a rare cream color tabby female. Maple - a dilute torti/calico female with what looks like an orange maple leaf outline around her face. Maybell - A mostly black calico female with orange forehead and white underbelly/paws. And our little miracle Minnie - weighed a mere 60 grams at birth and at 8 weeks still fits in the palm of my hand. She looks to be a chimera cat, with a line right down her nose, orange tabby on left side face that runs right down her front leg, and black calico on her right side face and down her right leg, with a dilute tortie body. I am totally smitten and in love with them all!

 

[lutece]

They sound beautiful! I'm sure we would all love to see some pictures

She looks to be a chimera cat, with a line right down her nose, orange tabby on left side face that runs right down her front leg, and black calico on her right side face and down her right leg, with a dilute tortie body. I am totally smitten and in love with them all!

"Split face" with orange on one side and black on the other side is a totally normal phenomenon in tortie / calico cats, and doesn't mean the cat is a chimera. It's always very eye-catching when a cat has this pattern, though!

 

[MeLee42]

They sound beautiful! I'm sure we would all love to see some pictures

"Split face" with orange on one side and black on the other side is a totally normal phenomenon in tortie / calico cats, and doesn't mean the cat is a chimera. It's always very eye-catching when a cat has this pattern, though!

That is why I said "looks to be", no way to be sure without a test

 

[lutece]

That is why I said "looks to be", no way to be sure without a test

It isn't even a "looks to be" situation... chimeras aren't any more likely to have this appearance than normal tortie / calico cats. I'm sure she is a wonderful and special kitty, but "split face" does not make her any more likely to be a chimera than her mother or litter mates.

 

[MeLee42]

Trying to figure out how to upload the pictures...I have to tfr from my phone to laptop first LOL

 

[MeLee42]

It isn't even a "looks to be" situation... chimeras aren't any more likely to have this appearance than normal tortie / calico cats. I'm sure she is a wonderful and special kitty, but not any more likely to be a chimera than her mother or litter mates.

I am just quoting what the vet said. Not trying to be bossy or a know it all.

 

[cataholic07]

Yes we would love pics. Oh and ginger females aren't rare, i've seen a lot of them, they aren't common but they aren't rare at all.
You just have to upload to your computer and click on insert images

 

[MeLee42]

Yes we would love pics. Oh and ginger females aren't rare, i've seen a lot of them, they aren't common but they aren't rare at all.
You just have to upload to your computer and click on insert images

Vet said cream color is rare...there is no orange at all.

 

[lutece]

I am just quoting what the vet said. Not trying to be bossy or a know it all.

I understand! Many people think that "split face" means a cat is a chimera, and vets often think this as well. Vets do not actually get any special training about cat breeds or color genetics. Their training is in veterinary medical care, not cat breeding. They make guesses, just like other cat loving people.

There's lots of information on messybeast about chimeras here:

CAT CHIMERAS (MALE AND FEMALE)

The most obvious sign of being a chimera cat is an incompatible combination of colors and patterns. "Split face" is what most people associate with being a chimera, but that's a common misconception. It's a normal phenomenon in tortoiseshell cats. If your girl actually has both dilute (blue) and dense (black) patches, that could be a hint of chimera patching... but it's not always easy to tell the difference between dilute tortie patches and black tortie patches. Post pictures of your pretty girl, we'd love to see her!

 

[Kat0121]

I am beside myself right now. Please post pics when you can. They sound so adorable. Then again, IMO, there is nothing on earth cuter than kittens.

 

[lutece]

Vet said cream color is rare...there is no orange at all.

Genetically, the cream color is red + dilute (blue). Although red and cream are not as common in females as in males, when you have a tortie mom and a red dad, you are likely to get some red or cream females. It's not extremely common, but I wouldn't describe it as "rare" either. It's a beautiful color, though!

 

[MeLee42]

Some pictures.

 

[MeLee42]

Some pictures.

 

[MeLee42]

 

[MeLee42]

 

[MeLee42]

 

[Kat0121]

How adorable! Thank you for rescuing this sweet little family.

 

[lutece]

They are adorable!

The three tortie and white kittens all appear to have black tortie bodies, at least from the picture where they are nursing. Longhaired kittens often have washed out colors on the body that can appear "dilute." Can we see more pictures of the grey kitten and the cream kitten? It's hard to see them clearly in these pictures.

 

[MeLee42]

 

[MeLee42]