American Shorthair Or Bombay?

[Mochajennie]

Hello everyone,

My cat adopted me when I visited the shelter 6 months ago. I fell in love with her on first sight when our eyes first locked haha

From the shelter, her breed was specified as being an American shorthair, but she just looked so different from other shorthairs I've seen that I was wondering if she is a mix of other breeds. May not be a bombay, as those breeds are rare, but maybe she can have a bit of another breed?

She has rounded features, with round yellow eyes that are always round and usually dilated, and a round flat face. She kinda looks like an alien. She makes noises a lot- she chatters back at me when I call her name, and when I call her name, she almost always comes over to me. She follows me around the house like a dog- when I go into the bathroom, she waits for me right outside the door! She really is the sweetest kitty I've ever seen- never has she ever scratched or bit me or anyone else. If I hold her (she hates being held) she just cries until I let her down.

Here are several photos of her- any clue what breed mix she may be?

 

[Alejandra Rico]

You really have a gorgeous black cat! When is so pretty I just want to bribe her with some salmon bars.
I am no expert in BSH nor in Bombay cats, but some other members are 1CatOverTheLine abyeb and @stefanz may be able to tell you more.

 

[abyeb]

She is a pretty good Bombay lookalike- but if she actually has Bombay influence is impossible to prove short of a DNA test, so we'd call her a black Domestic Shorthair.

With the shelter labeling, you have to be careful. A common confusion is that they'll label a Domestic Shorthair (i.e. Mixed breed cat) as American Shorthair (thinking "oh, it's a shorthaired cat who lives in the US- it must be an American Shorthair). ASH is actually a registered breed, that was, in fact, used to create the first Bombays back in the 50s, when Nikki Horner crossed a black American Shorthair to a sable Burmese.

Your kitty is gorgeous, regardless of heritage! What's her name?

 

[Mochajennie]

You really have a gorgeous black cat! When is so pretty I just want to bribe her with some salmon bars.
I am no expert in BSH nor in Bombay cats, but some other members are 1CatOverTheLine abyeb and @stefanz may be able to tell you more.

Thank you for the referalls!
When she begs for food, she climbs up on me, starts kneading, and purrs until I give her food haha She is so precious!!

 

[Mochajennie]

She is a pretty good Bombay lookalike- but if she actually has Bombay influence is impossible to prove short of a DNA test, so we'd call her a black Domestic Shorthair.

With the shelter labeling, you have to be careful. A common confusion is that they'll label a Domestic Shorthair (i.e. Mixed breed cat) as American Shorthair (thinking "oh, it's a shorthaired cat who lives in the US- it must be an American Shorthair). ASH is actually a registered breed, that was, in fact, used to create the first Bombays back in the 50s, when Nikki Horner crossed a black American Shorthair to a sable Burmese.

Your kitty is gorgeous, regardless of heritage! What's her name?

Ah, I didn't know that American Shorthair is a separate breed!
Her name is Zuzu- I named her after a sweet rescued German Shepard named Zeus! He unfortunately had bloat and passed away suddenly one day and I wanted to honor his kind gentle spirit. And what a namesake she lives up to!

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

.
M Mochajennie - Black cats are notoriously difficult to photograph (I have three, and my photos of them always look like indistinct black blobs with hairy edges), but in brightening Zuzu's image in PhotoShop, I think that Abyeb's reply is eminently sensible. The American Shorthair (who shares a slightly softer iteration of the British Shorthair's muzzle conformation) and Sable Burmese were indeed the basis for the American Bombay, and the intent was to breed hypermelanism into copper-eyed cats.

Colours on electronic devices vary greatly, but if Zuzu's last photo, behind the Narcissus, is an accurate representation of her eye colour, then she is, indeed, rather a good Bombay lookalike. She's a lovely girl, who clearly enjoys having her picture taken.

Welcome to TCS, by the way.
.

 

[Mochajennie]

.
M Mochajennie - Black cats are notoriously difficult to photograph (I have three, and my photos of them always look like indistinct black blobs with hairy edges), but in brightening Zuzu's image in PhotoShop, I think that Abyeb's reply is eminently sensible. The American Shorthair (who shares a slightly softer iteration of the British Shorthair's muzzle conformation) and Sable Burmese were indeed the basis for the American Bombay, and the intent was to breed hypermelanism into copper-eyed cats.

Colours on electronic devices vary greatly, but if Zuzu's last photo, behind the Narcissus, is an accurate representation of her eye colour, then she is, indeed, rather a good Bombay lookalike. She's a lovely girl, who clearly enjoys having her picture taken.

Welcome to TCS, by the way.
.

Thank you for the welcome!

Yes- i agree- Zuzu's face differs greatly when photographed at different angles. The photos towards the bottom are photos of her as a kitten- around 8 months old. The most recent photos of her at the top- and as you can see, she has filled out a bit.
Although filled out, her overall body is still pretty small. (But she is still just a year old so she will probably get bigger)
Her eyes are yellow gold indoors but under strong daylight looks rather lighter yellow. Also in the sun her coat looks brown, but I think she has a bit of a tabby in her, as I see very very faint tabby markings(some light stripe patterns on her back leg and sides).

 

[Mochajennie]

Also, going on what 1CatOverTheLine said, just curious- do you think cats know when we are taling photos of them? Do some cats enjoy "having their photos taken"? I find the concept of it interesting, because I wonder what they think of it!

 

[MizukisMomma]

I'm definitely not a cat expert, but I have two black domestic shorthairs and a Burmese. Looking at the pictures of your furbaby, all I'm seeing is my Burmese. The bright round eyes, the short muzzle, the small frame, my Max has all of those same things.