Cicero, A.K.A. Chick Pea: Breed Resemblance?

[ColinP.]

Meet Cicero,
Named after the famed Roman statesman, Cicero is 2 years old. Translated to English, Cicero means Chick Pea, he is 9 pounds. He is a friendly guy and is just starting after 2 weeks to get along with our pup. Not a love-fest yet, but no bloodshed. His fur is medium length and sooo soft, softer than any kitty we have ever had. He's a big meow-er! Any idea what breed or breeds he resembles! With his big black spots we think he is part cow!

 

[lutece]

Cicero is so handsome, and I love his name, too!

Do you have a picture of his tail? It looks like he is a short haired cat in these pictures, but maybe he has a floofy tail?

From these pictures I would describe him as a black and white domestic shorthair, harlequin pattern. "Harlequin" means a cat that is mostly white, with spots of color on the head, tail and body.

Cats with lots of white, like Cicero, usually have two copies of the white spotting gene. Probably both of his parents had white markings, and he inherited one copy of white spotting from each parent. His parents might have had any amount of white, from just a little white ("tuxedo" pattern) to a lot of white ("van" pattern).

 

[ColinP.]

Thank you! Here's his all black tail. It is fluffy-ish, but certainly not fluffy like a Maine Coon. Appreciate your help!

 

[lutece]

Ok, it looks like Cicero is a shorthaired cat with a relatively thick, plush coat. Longhaired cats have fluffier tails, and usually some fluffy fur on the rest of the body, depending on age, season of the year, and individual differences.

Genetically, cats are either longhaired or shorthaired; there is no "medium hair" gene. The term "medium hair" is sometimes informally used for longhaired cats that don't have as much hair as other longhairs, but it doesn't generally apply to shorthaired cats with thick fur, like your cat.

I also notice that he has relatively big cheeks, which make me wonder if he is still an unaltered male?

 

[ColinP.]

No, he is neutered. He gets his high cheek bones from my side of the family...Slavic!