Chantilly Tiffany or Norwegian Forest Mix?

[tocatlady]

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• tocatlady
• Nov 3, 2015

Hi here are a couple photos of my 1 year old rescue Magnus. I'm also curious to know what mix he could be as his personality is very dog like.
When he was a kitten, his coat wasn't fluffy and the shelter told me he was a short hair - boy were they wrong. It's so soft and silky now. Magnus also had a distinct trill when he meows, he's very vocal. I got another kitten at the same time when I adopted and the 2 cats are best friends.
I'm curious to know if Magnus could be a mix of the two? He has tuffed toes which is distinct for a Norwegian but the looks of a Tiffany. Thanks

 

[tocatlady]

image.jpg

• tocatlady
• Nov 3, 2015

image.jpg

• tocatlady
• Nov 3, 2015

image.jpg

• tocatlady
• Nov 3, 2015

 

[BarbDance]

Hello! I have a three-year old cat named Gus who looks very similar to yours and I also think he may be part Norwegian and part Chantilly. He was born in 2015 and found as a stray kitten. I adopted him from someone who got him at the local shelter. He had short hair as a kitten and he grew into this large cat with a long silky brownish-gray black coat. I will post some pics.

 

[lutece]

Both Gus and Magnus appear to be beautiful black domestic longhairs. Longhaired black cats often have a smoky or brownish appearance to their coat, even though they are genetically black.

Nearly all cats, both shorthairs and longhairs, are simply domestic cats without any specific breeds in their ancestry. Selective cat breeding is a relatively recent idea, and purebred cats make up only a tiny fraction of all cats. The Norwegian Forest Cat is a rare breed in the US, and the Chantilly/Tiffany breed was never popular and actually disappeared years ago.

 

[BarbDance]

Gus has the Norwegian face shape and the tufts of fur in his ears and between his toes. He also has Chantilly features. I would like to get him a DNA test.

 

[lutece]

Tufts of fur in the ears and between the toes are common for longhaired cats and don't indicate any specific breed.

The most reliable genetic test currently available is UC Davis Cat Ancestry.
Cat Ancestry
If your cat is a close match to a Norwegian Forest Cat, you should get that result. However, this test will only give a breed match if your cat is a close match to a specific breed; it will not give a list of low-probability possible matches (unlike Basepaws). The test will also give information on color genetics, so it can verify whether Gus is a solid black cat (as he appears to me), or sable or chocolate.

You cannot get a DNA test for Chantilly/Tiffany, since that breed no longer exists and is not included in genetic databases.

 

[BarbDance]

Gus is not solid black, he appears brown in the sunlight and he has grey patches too.

 

[jen]

So that pretty much narrows your cat down to maybe a Norwegian Forest lookalike or mix. For now a black Domestic Longhair.

 

[jen]

Gus is not solid black, he appears brown in the sunlight and he has grey patches too.

His color is black, but their fur can turn slightly brownish or reddish from laying in the sun, and there could be some gray hairs in certain areas, but is still considered a black cat.

 

[jen]

Gus's undercoat looks a bit grayish but he is still a black cat.

 

[lutece]

Gus is not solid black, he appears brown in the sunlight and he has grey patches too.

Black cats, especially longhairs, often appear brownish, greyish, or uneven in color. Sunlight also causes black or blue cats to "rust."

In order to verify for yourself if he is genetically black, sable brown, or chocolate in color, you can have Gus tested for the presence of the sepia (Burmese sable) or chocolate genes. Here are two options:

• You can use CatDNATest and select the "Basic CFA Panel" (to test for chocolate) plus "Color Points" (to test for sepia/sable): catDNAtest.org: DNA Testing for Cats
• Or you can do a "coat color panel" (which includes both of those tests) through UC Davis: Cat DNA Tests | feline DNA testing | UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory

Or you can use the Cat Ancestry test, which includes the coat color tests but will also compare your cat to the breeds in its database.

 

[lutece]

Also, if you want to see this effect in other black longhairs, one way to see it is to look at some pictures of black Persians. It's very apparent in Persians since they have a tremendous amount of coat. For example, here's a link showing some top show winning solid Persians from last year:
:: CFA Persian Breed Council - Solid Division Winners 2017-2018 ::
Even with these top show Persian cats, which are selectively bred, carefully maintained, and meticulously groomed to enhance the intense black color of the coat, you can clearly see brownish or grayish areas in the coat, particularly visible on the ruff, sides, and belly.

 

[BarbDance]

Gus has quite a bit of grey on his belly. I think I am going to do the DNA test, just to see if he could be close to any breeds.

 

[jen]

Oh I didn't even realize this was an old post.