What should I call the pattern of my domestic kitties?

[katecal]

Hi all. I am pretty new here. I am just wondering what exactly I should call the pattern of my almost 2 year old cat, Rue, as well as the brother and sister kittens I am adopting from a rescue.

This is Rue. She is a DMH or DLH. I know she has to be at least part tabby because of her face and there are some stripes on her legs. But there is no discernable pattern on her back and she has several colors on her - close to white around her nose and mouth, cream, tan, a reddish color, and black. Would this make her part tortie or part calico or neither? She is a total sweetheart - not a snuggler but very loving.

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• katecal
• Oct 4, 2016

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• katecal
• Oct 4, 2016

I am in the process of adopting these babies who are almost 8 weeks old. They are both DLH. I also know they have to
be at least part tabby because of their faces. I was surprised at the diversity of their litter. Mom is a calico. But what is the proper way for me to describe their pattern?

We are calling this little girl Annie...

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• katecal
• Oct 4, 2016

 

[katecal]

Hi all. I am pretty new here. I am just wondering what exactly I should call the pattern of my almost 2 year old cat, Rue, as well as the brother and sister kittens I am adopting from a rescue.



Her brother we are calling Banks...

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• katecal
• Oct 4, 2016

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• katecal
• Oct 4, 2016

Here is the whole litter...

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• katecal
• Oct 4, 2016

And here is mom...

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• katecal
• Oct 4, 2016

Thanks for any insight you can give me!

 

[StefanZ]

Your reddish beautie is a tortie as you say, very much red on her! she is a tabby, and she has some white.   These colors arent splotched here and there as in a typical tortie  but   in clear cut distinctive portions.  The sharp frontiers arent easy to see, because of her long hairs.  So I do think she is really a longhaired (mediumhaired?) calico.

She is a tabby too. BUT. On torties we count the tabby only if there are markings on the dark parts.  If the tabby markings are on the red parts, we dont count them. As all red cats carry the tabby markings, so it wouldnt be no sport.   If you being there, manage to see the tabby stripes on her dark parts, she is a true tabby, and will be called for a

patched longhaired tabby.     If you dont see it, we must presume its only on the red, so we pretend they arent there on the red either - and she will be a longhaired calico...

The kitten siblings seems to be a rather regular tabby and white. I dont see what exaclty tabby pattern it is  - you see the pattenr on the body - sides and back.

Momma is a calico as we see, so she carries both red, black and white.  Father is surely a tabby, probably a grey  tabby, as he is carrying the diluting gene, because some of the kittens have grey.

I dont see: are ALL kittens tabbyies?  If so, he has the tabby gene doubled up.  If just half of them are tabbies, he has it singled.

 

[katecal]

Thanks for your response! As for Rue, she does not have any tabby markings on the red parts, but she does seem to have some wide dark stripes on her sides and definitely some dark stripes on her legs. I tried to get a clearer picture of her legs and side. So does that mean I would call her a longhaired patched tabby, but she is tortie as well?

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• katecal
• Oct 5, 2016

As far as the kittens, their backs are a very dark charcoal gray. It's hard to see, but there might be a few faint stripes on the dark parts. Two of the kittens from the litter don't show any tabby markings - one is mostly black with white spots, and the other is mostly white with black spots. Then there is a gray tabby and an orange tabby.

 

[StefanZ]

As far as the kittens, their backs are a very dark charcoal gray. It's hard to see, but there might be a few faint stripes on the dark parts. Two of the kittens from the litter don't show any tabby markings - one is mostly black with white spots, and the other is mostly white with black spots. Then there is a gray tabby and an orange tabby.

Patched tabby means its calico and tabby.   So you dont need to say tortie, this is understood.  (I see tortie and calico as essentially related)

Tere are other descritpons too, more literally, but I have learned patched tabby is what they use.

She does have white on her chin under mouth, right?   If not, she will be a torbie, no calico... nor patched tabby...

The grey kittens - OK, so you will describe them as gray, or even blue (which is what the cat fancy calls grey for).   Blue and white.

The father was apparently singled gene tabby but with the dilutation gene with him too.,