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Are These Considered "van" Markings?
- Thread starter Mgabby
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The picture is a little fuzzy, but I'm seeing some gray spots on the head and tail, is that accurate? In that case, I would describe this cat as a blue and white van pattern domestic shorthair.
Van pattern is simply the extreme version of white spotting, and generally means that a cat has two copies of the white spotting gene, one copy inherited from each parent. The parents themselves might have had any amount of white spotting on them, from "tuxedo" (just a little white) to van pattern (mostly white). Although van pattern got its name from the Turkish Van breed, it isn't an indication of Turkish Van ancestry.
Van pattern is simply the extreme version of white spotting, and generally means that a cat has two copies of the white spotting gene, one copy inherited from each parent. The parents themselves might have had any amount of white spotting on them, from "tuxedo" (just a little white) to van pattern (mostly white). Although van pattern got its name from the Turkish Van breed, it isn't an indication of Turkish Van ancestry.
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Sorry, yeah, my phone camera kinda stinks.
Yes, greyish-black on forehead but with a very slight hint of ginger as well. Kind of tough to capture in a photo. And two greyish-black areas on top of tail.
Muffin was a stray who adopted us 2 years ago. She has put on quite a bit of weight and I dont think it's a health issue, but maybe breed specific? Friends have mentioned Ragdoll, which I've never heard of. Any help would be very helpful.
I tried to attach a little better pic, but it won't let me.
Yes, greyish-black on forehead but with a very slight hint of ginger as well. Kind of tough to capture in a photo. And two greyish-black areas on top of tail.
Muffin was a stray who adopted us 2 years ago. She has put on quite a bit of weight and I dont think it's a health issue, but maybe breed specific? Friends have mentioned Ragdoll, which I've never heard of. Any help would be very helpful.
I tried to attach a little better pic, but it won't let me.
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Many cats put on weight as they mature... that's not a breed-specific characteristic. If you are concerned about your cat's weight, there is lots of good advice in the nutrition forum: Cat Nutrition
I'm not sure why your friends were thinking of the Ragdoll? That is a long haired breed, typically with colorpoint ("Siamese") coloration. Ragdolls frequently have white markings, but usually not as much white as your cat. The Turkish Van is also a long haired breed, and is very rare, unless you live in Turkey. It's extremely unlikely that your cat would be related to either breed.
Most cats aren't any particular breed. (But that doesn't make them any less special
)
I'm not sure why your friends were thinking of the Ragdoll? That is a long haired breed, typically with colorpoint ("Siamese") coloration. Ragdolls frequently have white markings, but usually not as much white as your cat. The Turkish Van is also a long haired breed, and is very rare, unless you live in Turkey. It's extremely unlikely that your cat would be related to either breed.
Most cats aren't any particular breed. (But that doesn't make them any less special
)
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