Birman Or Siamese Mix Or Just A Cute Kitty?

[Dobie]

We got a kitten from the humane society a few weeks ago. On one set of papers she’s listed as “Siamese mix -lynx point” on another it says “Birman”. Obviously she’s just a family cat, so it doesn’t really matter... but I’d still like to know.
She has soft and fluffy fur that can be petted in any direction - does that make her long-haired? Thanks!

 

[Kieka]

Technically she would be a lynx point domestic long hair. I think .... The point and domestic long hair are for sure. "Point" means she expresses the gene the causes heat sensitive coloring whereby the exterminities are darker and core lighter. Over time she will continue to darken. Domestic long hair being any cat of undetermined heritage and long hair.

Lynx specifically refers to a tabby patterning under the point gene. Think kind of like she would be a tabby but with the point gene it got muted and will develop with time. I am unsure because usually you see stripes developing on the body as well, so she could be Bicolor where she has large amount of white.... Maybe Bicolor and lynx? It will become more apparent as she gets older. same with which specific point color she is. I know some people on here could tell you but I always mix up the different colors I want to say seal though.

Now for the labels. Birman is a long hair pointed breed. She may end up being a lookalike for that breed. But nothing really points that way right now. Even if she is a lookalike that by no means makes her that breed. My cats are good lookalikes for Snowshoe and I call them that as an ease of explination. But they are not actually and may have no relation to the breed, just an uncanny resemblance. Since humans have mucked around with most breeds and refined naturally occurring traits, you can find those same traits expressed in cats without being part of the breed. Refining it doesn't stop that appearance or behavior from continuing to occurrence naturally outside the breed.

Siamese mix is technically true in a very broad manner. All pointed can trace back to a Siamese ancestor. It would be akin to saying all dogs are related to wolves. That ancestor though could be 200+ years back because the specific gene that causes point coloring started with the original Siamese. Spay and neuter is only a more recent development so you have a good hundred years of Siamese spreading their genes around in the cat world. It can pop up seemingly random pretty much anywhere without having direct recent relation to a Siamese. Plus there have been several breeds more recently developed, like the Birman, with the point gene central to their coloration. So what the most recent recognized breed in her mix was, or if there even was one since a past Siamese ancestor, is a complete unknown.

 

[lutece]

Yes, I would agree that your pretty kitty is a lynx point and white domestic longhair. It's a little difficult to tell from these pictures whether the color is blue lynx point or seal lynx point; I'm guessing seal lynx point but this will be more obvious when your kitty is older and the point color has darkened up.

I would not say Birman lookalike, since Birmans have a broader head shape and a heavy body style, and they have a very specific white spotting pattern that only allows white to appear on the paws and the back of the rear legs, not the face.