Perlas littermates hair was black to halfway down the hair not my Smokey's hair. Just to be clear.Yeah I know, I learnt that when Smokey smokiness slowly disappearedhis was black to halfway down the hair though instead of just the tips his ruff was paler too. My black and white male has white roots to his black hairs but he doesn't look smokey at all like Perlas brother did.
You can love birds and still love cats. I know I doWe had a tux Tom called Roo years ago, he was such a kind gentleman, he cleaned everyone and one of the dogs. I had a very vibrant torture queen called Tabitha when I was growing up, she formed my love of cats. My hubby threatened to leave when I brought two abandoned tabby tortie kittens home (he was raised with racing pigeons and grew up hating cats) 15 years later he is still here and we have 7 cats he is so soft with them. A true convert.
I was literally conceived in a family "with cat" and my family on both sides have always loved cats, as far as I know. But it's never been an "either/or" thing with me. I love birds, too, and have tried to rescue several of different species who needed help. My cats are always indoor-only for their safety and wellbeing, but they love to watch birds out the window and on their "Cat Dreams" DVD. We have intergenerational blue jays and quite a few hummingbirds, doves, mockingbirds, crows, sparrows, finches, juncos, and lots of wild conures!
The gene for smoke / silver is dominant. If Perla herself is not a smoke, she would not carry the gene, even if she had a smoke parent or littermate.
Thank you! I was stunned when I first saw Bobby. I had never seen another cat like him. His sibs were all tabbies, as was his mom.They are stunningthey look so wise.
We live in a small village in North Yorkshire England, there are no predators really that would/could get our cats, that said I only let the oldest three out as they were used to it, the others are house cats, they are the rag doll mixes and don't seem as apt outside, Draco has escaped a couple of times when the dogs have opened the door and he hides under a bush crying, when I go to find him he comes bounding out like an excited puppy and rushes back in the house, the rag doll mixes all answer to their names though and play fetch and foosball with the kids. The moggies are not happy to play they go in the fields after rabbits and rats. Furious fave place is on the chicken shed window ledge he watches all the birds etc but only catches rodents.You can love birds and still love cats. I know I do
Thank you for clearing that bit up for me, I am not sure what bits can carry without showing the traits, this side of cats is all new to me, I have had cats all my life and a fair few litters of kittens but I have never had these "fancy" colours until my Aunt started with Ragdolls, I had farm cats growing up, blacks or thirties n the odd tabby. All my blacks and the black and white have the muted tabby ( is that what it's called when you can still see it in certain lights?) I can't even tell wether Draco is proper blue or not
in natural cold light he has a much warmer tone to his blue and his palest patches are a cream colour, he reminds me of snow clouds. Then the rag doll mixes that are black have different shades of Brown and stripes on their front legs but I can't get it properly on pics. Again thank you for your help. 
I am eager to learn though so apologies in advance if I ask too many questions 
Draco is definitely blue tabby from his pictures. He appears to have a classic (blotched) tabby pattern. It is normal for blue tabbies to have a slightly warm tone compared to a solid blue cat. The background color between blue tabby markings is typically beige to cream.Thank you for clearing that bit up for me, I am not sure what bits can carry without showing the traits, this side of cats is all new to me, I have had cats all my life and a fair few litters of kittens but I have never had these "fancy" colours until my Aunt started with Ragdolls, I had farm cats growing up, blacks or thirties n the odd tabby. All my blacks and the black and white have the muted tabby ( is that what it's called when you can still see it in certain lights?) I can't even tell wether Draco is proper blue or not
Yeah Perla and Luna have chocolatey black round the legs and tummy and a blacker black on the back, they have longer hair than my moggies but it lays flat to their bodies rather than fluffy like the males, is that the rag doll in them and because they are females? ( my rag doll mix males are fluffier) Oh could you also help me with a question on the fluffy boys tails please? Draco's tail gets fluffier towards the tip and Smokey's tapers towards the end, both are very fluffy and thick soft hair. I read about one of the long hair chocolatey breeds that's tail tapers towards the end, either the York chocolate or the Tiffany Chantily( I think) is that a specific thing to that breed? I have only ever seen the fluffed tip in long haired cats before so I assumed that was the norm.
Thanks for clearing that up about Draco too.
I wouldn't be worried about cats catching prey. Contrary to the bird fanatics' hate spew, cats generally catch old, sick, very young, or weak prey animals and their main prey, by far, is rodents, which is why they were so valued in west Asia and north Africa long ago, and why intelligent people still value their abilities to control rodent populations. What I'm concerned about would be dogs, vehicles, disease-carrying vectors, and most of all, mentally ill and criminal, violent people. They exist everywhere, unfortunately. I'm always begging people in the UK to keep their cats indoors because all of these things exist there. In my work as an advocate for cats, it's a daily tragedy I deal with.
Chocolately or grayish tones are normal for black cats, and are actually normal for all kinds of black animals such as horses, sheep, etc... if you think about it, black hairs require lots and lots of pigment, and it's often the case that the animal doesn't produce quite enough pigment to make every hair a deep coal black, so some or all of the hair comes out lighter brownish or grayish. It's normal, and doesn't indicate any specific breed ancestry.
Aww they are lovely.Wow they are both looking young and healthy you are clearly doing something right. Yes I watch All Creatures Great and Small. It is mainly people I worry about, i am quite lucky that Tyrion is extremely wary of strangers and always has been so he goes into the fields which have mostly nothing in in his territory, he got neutered at 1 and he doesn't go further than the garden for the most part, but our garden backs onto grazing land a small stream and a small woodland before more grazing land. The farmers are greatful of the help. I bought my neighbours cat repellent for their gardens as Tyrion liked the gravel in their plant pots.I wouldn't be worried about cats catching prey. Contrary to the bird fanatics' hate spew, cats generally catch old, sick, very young, or weak prey animals and their main prey, by far, is rodents, which is why they were so valued in west Asia and north Africa long ago, and why intelligent people still value their abilities to control rodent populations. What I'm concerned about would be dogs, vehicles, disease-carrying vectors, and most of all, mentally ill and criminal, violent people. They exist everywhere, unfortunately. I'm always begging people in the UK to keep their cats indoors because all of these things exist there. In my work as an advocate for cats, it's a daily tragedy I deal with.
Have you seen the series, "ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL"? It's set in Yorkshire in old times. A Yorkshire vet wrote a series of books about his career experiences, under the pseudonym Dr. James Herriot. He's much loved and so is his work.
Thanks for your compliments on my cats! Over the years I guess I've shared life with cats of just about every color, coat length, and pattern. "Rescued" is my favorite "breed" and I would never buy a purebred cat for ethical reasons while even one cat is in need of a loving home on the streets or in a shelter, rescue, or sanctuary. I don't believe in buying living beings, anyway. Every cat is unique and beautiful to me!
My furmily is now Suha (Baby Su) born feral and adopted as a baby; she's a tuxedo shorthair, 16, and Elvis, a blue/cream tabby, adopted at age 9 and now 13.
View attachment 379924View attachment 379925
Baby Su, and Elvis
we have no issues now, I worry if he isn't in at least 10 times throughout the day, he likes to check in and stay close, he has shelters around our garden too. He goes mad if he can't go out and takes it out on the younger ones. I have taken all ours on over the years, some because they were abandoned, some were house moves where we acquired a cat with the house. I think all of the cats in our family now (immediate and extended)give or take one or two are the kittens of accidental matings. I like the moggies best though they have the character I expect from a Cat, and are equally as beautiful if not more so in many cases.
Well if I am honest I had only heard of both breeds online a couple of months ago when looking at chocolatey black cats, it was only breed info too not for sale etc. Perla and Lunas mum is a purebred rag doll with a rich chocolate coloured stripe on her ankles and feet that's why i asked if that had come through there, it reminds me of pheasant feathers in pattern, it's nice I have only seen that on the Ragdolls. (They are the only pedigree cat I have had anything to do with though, and I only have crosses) Draco's mum is a purebred rag doll with the blue/lilac points his dad is unknown as are the girls dads. I didn't buy them I was given them off an aunt that used to breed them. I am not saying that to be awkward or argumentative either, I just wanted to clarify I hadn't been trying to get pedigrees online n got conned
I love all my little puddings regardless of their pedigree or lack thereof I just find it all really interesting, chickens have a similar way with their genetics ie sex linked colours etc but I don't find that as interesting thank you.
I used to think our black cats had browner patches because they were in molt and usually once they'd had a good stroke they were glossy black again. I was surprised when this wasn't the case with these.Well if I am honest I had only heard of both breeds online a couple of months ago when looking at chocolatey black cats, it was only breed info too not for sale etc. Perla and Lunas mum is a purebred rag doll with a rich chocolate coloured stripe on her ankles and feet that's why i asked if that had come through there, it reminds me of pheasant feathers in pattern, it's nice I have only seen that on the Ragdolls. (They are the only pedigree cat I have had anything to do with though, and I only have crosses) Draco's mum is a purebred rag doll with the blue/lilac points his dad is unknown as are the girls dads. I didn't buy them I was given them off an aunt that used to breed them. I am not saying that to be awkward or argumentative either, I just wanted to clarify I hadn't been trying to get pedigrees online n got conned
Draco's mum had a few tabby stripes but only on her pointed bit, like this...
