Changing Kittens

[charlotten4]

Hello all! I am new to the site in hopes someone can enlighten me and my grandmother. I have one Persian kitten and my grandma has a brother and sister of my kitten. They just turned 10 months old and all three have different coloring. We were just curious as to when these kittens will stop changing colors? Her little boy, Nico, was pure white until he was about 6 months old (he is the lightest of the three with the lightest blue eyes). Her little gal, Lily, has the lighter grayish ears - no individual pic of her she's a little shy. And my little girl, Charlotte, has the darkest ears. Charlotte has recently started to look more tan-ish from her head down her back. I am new to the cat world so any info is helpful info

 

[Kieka]

Congratulations! The kittens are pointed! Technically since they are Persians it would be called Color Point, but its really the same thing. Think the traditional Siamese look for the basic level of a point cat.

Pointed cats are born pure white and darken as they age. They have a heat sensitive color gene that masks their true coloring and slowly reveals it as they age. That last one looks flame point (orange/red) while the girls could be lynx or something else but a darker color. Since the boy is orange it is possible they are calico or tortoiseshell too but the color isn't developed enough to really tell. They could also carry a lot of white that is masking more or be dilute. Since they are only now starting to show their colors they may not darken much. Without knowing what Mom and Dad look like it is difficult to know for sure.

For an example, my boy is a point. His coloring is definitely darker then yours but here he is at 5 weeks....

4 months

4 years

 

[abyeb]

I agree! They are lovely colorpointed Persians, also called Himalayans. The colorpoint gene is temperature sensitive. When the kittens are inside mom, they’re warm, but it’s cooler in a home, so they develop coloring. I think the first one looks like a seal lynx point, and the last a cream point.

 

[charlotten4]

Congratulations! The kittens are pointed! Technically since they are Persians it would be called Color Point, but its really the same thing. Think the traditional Siamese look for the basic level of a point cat.

Pointed cats are born pure white and darken as they age. They have a heat sensitive color gene that masks their true coloring and slowly reveals it as they age. That last one looks flame point (orange/red) while the girls could be lynx or something else but a darker color. Since the boy is orange it is possible they are calico or tortoiseshell too but the color isn't developed enough to really tell. They could also carry a lot of white that is masking more or be dilute. Since they are only now starting to show their colors they may not darken much. Without knowing what Mom and Dad look like it is difficult to know for sure.

For an example, my boy is a point. His coloring is definitely darker then yours but here he is at 5 weeks....
View attachment 265219
4 months
View attachment 265220

4 years
View attachment 265222

WOW what a beautiful cat! Thank you for the info... mom of these kittens was a darker orange in the face, ears and tail (like a himalayan) but dad was a dark grey all over from what I remember.

 

[charlotten4]

I agree! They are lovely colorpointed Persians, also called Himalayans. The colorpoint gene is temperature sensitive. When the kittens are inside mom, they’re warm, but it’s cooler in a home, so they develop coloring. I think the first one looks like a seal lynx point, and the last a cream point.

Thank you! It is crazy to hear that it is temperature sensitive!

 

[Kieka]

Thank you! It is crazy to hear that it is temperature sensitive!

When my boy is sick sometimes his coloring will change slightly on his face. Mostly in getting some white hairs around his muzzle area; fairly subtle but alarming if you don't know about it. Do see a vet if you haven't already because it means they are likely sick. It goes back to normal a month or two later.

But there is a slight overall color change from season to season and year to year. Not enough to notice without looking back at photos to track the changes. I'd bet yours will stay lighter overall but who knows.

 

[Willowy]

If the mama was red than the girls must be tortie points. It's harder to tell on longhairs but I think I do see a bit of mottling on her paws in that one picture.

Their colors seem muted so they may be dilutes, although, again, it's harder to tell with longhairs whether the color is muted from being fluffy and diffused, or because they're dilutes. But if daddy cat was gray than dilute is certainly possible.

But anyway, yeah, pointed cats change seasonally and throughout their entire lives. So make sure to take pictures every season so you can compare them in a few years and see how much they've changed.

 

[charlotten4]

If the mama was red than the girls must be tortie points. It's harder to tell on longhairs but I think I do see a bit of mottling on her paws in that one picture.

Their colors seem muted so they may be dilutes, although, again, it's harder to tell with longhairs whether the color is muted from being fluffy and diffused, or because they're dilutes. But if daddy cat was gray than dilute is certainly possible.

But anyway, yeah, pointed cats change seasonally and throughout their entire lives. So make sure to take pictures every season so you can compare them in a few years and see how much they've changed.

Very cool. We got them very young and they actually do appear to be changing slightly every season. Getting darker and darker, especially in the face and tail.