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Information wanted on unique kitten

3K views 21 replies 8 participants last post by  lostbear 
#1 ·
my female, short haired black cat and my male, short haired ginger tabby cat recently had a litter of three beautiful kittens, they're all male, one is fully black, one is fully grey but the one Im hoping to get information on is different to his brothers, he appears to have long hair, has a black face, legs, ears and tail and the rest of him is grey tabby.. I'm wondering if anyone can tell me anything about why this has happened, and if anyone knows what breed it is classed under? :)
 
#3 ·
Assuming the kittens' parents aren't pedigree then the kittens don't have a breed name as such but if you're wondering about colour description then the kitten is most likely a brown tabby or a blue tabby. Colours of brown/blue tabbies vary enormously; brown tabbies can have very rich brown colouring or a duller, greyish colouration. Blue tabbies (the dilute form of brown tabby) can also vary from a pale blue'ish grey to a dark, slatey grey colour.

It's unlikely, if both parents are non-pedigrees, that he is a colourpoint (think Siamese who have colour on the face/legs/tail with a pale body colour). Most likely he looks darker on his face/legs/tail at the moment as often the pattern takes longer to 'break through' on these areas. I'm assuming he doesn't have a solid black face? i.e. can you see tabby markings on his face or rings on his tail?

The gene for longhair is recessive so if both shorthaired parents carry the gene then longhair kittens are possible.
 
#4 ·
I'm no breeder, but it sounds like fever coat.

At any rate, a "breed" of cat doesn't get classified by coat colour. It's not really any different than with dogs. You wouldn't call a dog a collie just because it has sable colouring, for instance. Likewise, you wouldn't call a cat a Siamese simply because it has the classic seal point colouring.

That said, pictures are definitely in order. I suppose there's a chance he's a black smoke if there's no fever coat. Plus we all love a nice kitten pic :)
 
#5 · (Edited)
sounds like fever coat? pics would help


I wondered that.

If it is fever coat his colour will start to change in a few weeks.

As Dagny said - colour isn't breed.

And if you have two moggies, you really ought to get them both neutered. Your female could become pregnant again very soon - even while she is still feeding these kittens!

If I were you I would have the male neutered NOW, and the female as soon as her kittens are weaned. If you don't you will end up with a lot of kittens to find good homes for, and the life of your little girl cat will be short and miserable.

EDIT: - BTW, fever coat is usually caused by the mother cat being stressed during her pregnancy, or being ill or badly nourished. If she is a very young cat her body may just not have been ready for a pregnancy.
 
#6 · (Edited)
#8 ·
Hey guys, to the person that asked if tabby was visible on the kittens face, it is not, it's fully black.. This link should send you to a picture of the kitten :)

https://fbcdn-photos-b-a.akamaihd.n..._=1425673813_02118a1fe28d6d40e99aec6337b44233
Very pretty kitten - I think his body will darken.

Beautiful kittens isn't a reason not to have your pets neutered, though. I'm not trying to be mean. It really is unkind and irresponsible to allow cats to breed freely.
 
#9 ·
the male cat has actually already been neutered, as soon as I found out my female cat was pregnant I got him done because I didn't want her to go through the stress of having kittens again, although she has been a very good mum to them, do you think this kitten will be long hair? And will the very light grey bits (not visible in picture as they are on his stomach) will darken also?
 
#11 ·
Yes, I would say he's almost certainly going to be a longhair/semi-longhair. The coat texture/quality on longhair kittens is different than with shorthairs and hence very often with black LH kittens the coat appears very shady/grey. It will become virtually a solid black when he is mature.
 
#12 ·
He's very cute! He looks a bit like my Chaucer did as a kitten and he has retained the grey fluff. He's hard to photograph, but here's a picture from a couple of years ago when he was about 1 year old and he ventured outside (sort of) enough to get a good picture with natural lighting. He just turned 3 and he's fluffier than ever this year.
 

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#14 ·
the male cat has actually already been neutered, as soon as I found out my female cat was pregnant I got him done because I didn't want her to go through the stress of having kittens again, although she has been a very good mum to them, do you think this kitten will be long hair? And will the very light grey bits (not visible in picture as they are on his stomach) will darken also?
Phew - well done! Your little queen can be spayed when she has weaned her kittens - but keep her in.

He may well be long-haired - he looks "fluffy".
 
#15 ·
He's very cute! He looks a bit like my Chaucer did as a kitten and he has retained the grey fluff. He's hard to photograph, but here's a picture from a couple of years ago when he was about 1 year old and he ventured outside (sort of) enough to get a good picture with natural lighting. He just turned 3 and he's fluffier than ever this year.
Magnificent cat!
 
#16 ·
#20 ·
What a gorgeous wee baby.

Make sure that you get him neutered early too. Ask your vet if they do early neutering. That is so much kinder for wee boys as it stops things like spaying and wandering to find a female in heat. He will be more likely to get injured and into fights. Of course as others have said get your little lady spayed also.

More pics please, we can never have enough pics here and also. What's his name and have you got good homes lined up for the other 2.
 
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#22 · (Edited)
What a gorgeous wee baby.

Make sure that you get him neutered early too. Ask your vet if they do early neutering. That is so much kinder for wee boys as it stops things like spaying and wandering to find a female in heat. He will be more likely to get injured and into fights. Of course as others have said get your little lady spayed also.

More pics please, we can never have enough pics here and also. What's his name and have you got good homes lined up for the other 2.
I was wondering what he was called, too - I would have called him Duncan (Hecate, had he been a girl).

Edit: Or Fleance - I had no sooner posted Duncan than I thought - No! Fleance! (But it sounded a bit girly . . . and scratchy . . .

so I left it at Duncan)
 
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