What breed is she?

[lissett]

She is almost 6 months. She tiny and I thought she was a Silver Tabby. Someone told me she may also have a mix of Egyptian May which may be why she is smaller than the average kitties. She is a rescue, lost her right eye to an infection left is getting checked by optometrist today. But can she be mixed? From the threads here I have read that EM are rare. But she does have that tiny face and similar profile. Lol

 

[Alldara]

She's very beautiful I hope her appointment goes well.

Silver and tabby are colourings not breeds Cats are often identified by colours instead of breeds since most are just mutts (aka domestic short hair or domestic long hair). I think that confuses a lot of people as with dogs we can usually trace breeds a bit more.

It is VERY unlikely that an expensive breed like an Egyptian Mau would have babies wandering about. Those expensive breeds are usually highly guarded in most places. Unless of course, you're in an area where Egyptian Mau is a common cat.

Further complicating the situation is how 'young' most cat breeds are. Breeds happen when humans breed animals with certain traits in hopes of replicating those traits. So even when cats have certain traits it's hard to know if they have them because they are a mix, or because they carry traits that were used to build that breed.

Cats sizes range from 6lbs to 12 lbs on average. Egyptian Maus range from 6 to 14 so size is not a good measure either.

Spotting is a tabby type coat that appears in any breed that has tabby genes, so again not a great way to tell breed. Cat coat: tabby and genetics — The Little Carnivore

This link gives some interesting history on the breed: Egyptian Mau - Cats.com

In short, your cat is a Domestic Short hair. Genetic testing is the closest way to tell, but still won't answer if your cat IS a mixed breed or has traits that they used to make that breed...but whatever you title your cat after genetic testing is up to you!

 

[lissett]

She's very beautiful I hope her appointment goes well.

Silver and tabby are colourings not breeds Cats are often identified by colours instead of breeds since most are just mutts (aka domestic short hair or domestic long hair). I think that confuses a lot of people as with dogs we can usually trace breeds a bit more.

It is VERY unlikely that an expensive breed like an Egyptian Mau would have babies wandering about. Those expensive breeds are usually highly guarded in most places. Unless of course, you're in an area where Egyptian Mau is a common cat.

Further complicating the situation is how 'young' most cat breeds are. Breeds happen when humans breed animals with certain traits in hopes of replicating those traits. So even when cats have certain traits it's hard to know if they have them because they are a mix, or because they carry traits that were used to build that breed.

Cats sizes range from 6lbs to 12 lbs on average. Egyptian Maus range from 6 to 14 so size is not a good measure either.

Spotting is a tabby type coat that appears in any breed that has tabby genes, so again not a great way to tell breed. Cat coat: tabby and genetics — The Little Carnivore

This link gives some interesting history on the breed: Egyptian Mau - Cats.com

In short, your cat is a Domestic Short hair. Genetic testing is the closest way to tell, but still won't answer if your cat IS a mixed breed or has traits that they used to make that breed...but whatever you title your cat after genetic testing is up to you!

Thank you. This was a great 101 breed lesson. I highly appreciate it. It doesn’t matter what she is other than it would have explained her small body since what I have looked up on EM they seem to be smaller than standard Tabbies. Maybe she was the runt and maybe mom didn’t want a runt.
Again, thank you for your time and clear explanation!

 

[Alldara]

Thank you. This was a great 101 breed lesson. I highly appreciate it. It doesn’t matter what she is other than it would have explained her small body since what I have looked up on EM they seem to be smaller than standard Tabbies. Maybe she was the runt and maybe mom didn’t want a runt.
Again, thank you for your time and clear explanation!

Happy to help.

She is beautiful! I wish we could know more like dog owners get to. Hopefully cat DNA testing will come along.

 

[Kris107]

There are some amazing cat breed experts here! Your girl is adorable! I had a girl cat who never got bigger than probably 8 lbs. She was very petite. Also, her health issues could potentially have stunted or delayed her size a little too. My current cat is over a year old and I'm still not quite sure he's done growing yet, so your girl has a ways to go before she's close to adult size. She's lovely.