Is this unusual coloring?

[shera]

I first appologize for just jumping in to ask this question without introducing myself or anything, but I think I will do that once I actually have a cat.  I found this little guy for free on a local classifieds and his colouration really struck me.  He clearly has black, orange and white on him.  I was under the impression that this was unusual for males, and I have never seen a cat of this colouration before, male or female.  Am I wrong, is it pretty common?  I was just so curious I had to ask someone who might know.  Either way I still think he's adorable and want him, and I'm just waiting back to hear if he's still available or not.

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[Willowy]

It's not common for a tabby's shading to be so dramatic, no, but I don't believe he qualifies as calico/tortie, either. That kind of orange is usually just a shade variation of the brown on him. And he may darken as he gets older. He is a handsome boy, for sure!

Although his nose IS pink so he may actually have some red. Even so, male torties are rare but not unheard of. About 1 in 3000, I think.

 

[cattoys]

Very very cute and irresistible kitty, do you know how old is he? Coat color sometimes change as they grow old.

 

[shera]

Yeah I guess it could be a variation of brown.  I was thinking it might also be something to do with the lighting when the picture was taken.  I will see tonight because I get to go and see him tonight!  She said she will hold him for me for a week while we go to the cottage (I don't want to confuse him by bringing him from one home, to the cottage for a week and then to another home) if I definitely want him.  He is 15 weeks old, although I'm not sure if the picture was taken very recently.  I'll update tonight after I see him in person.

 

[katkuddler]

Don't tell him know that your decision is based on what he looks like. He sure is a cute kitten...very striking. if you don't want him, let me know. I have room in posts for a 4th.


 

 

[shera]

I think I'll probably be getting him regardless, unless he's vicious or something, but she says he's very friendly.  Even if he's not very orange, his tabby markings are really striking, and I think he's adorable.  Though earlier I was thinking about that, about if it's shallow to choose a pet based on it's looks.  I don't think I could walk in there and say "oh, he's not pretty enough" lol, but in choosing which cat to adopt I certainly look at their appearance first, don't we all?  Our old siamese passed away last fall, and it's taken until now for me to really feel passionate about getting a new cat, so this isn't strictly impulsive, although I was planning to wait until this fall. 

 

[shera]

I went and saw the kitten and I'm pretty sure it's a female.  I'm not a cat anatomy expert, but shouldn't the testicles be pretty prominent by 4 months old?  I've had 2 female cats and seen unfixed males, and it really looked female to me.  I really did want a male kitten, so I told her I would let her know for sure tonight.  I might get her anyway, I'm not sure, I don't think the kids will let me back out at this point LOL.

 

[feralvr]

Really pretty kitten, that is for sure! I would think female too - but with the tabby markings could be male. I would also think at four months - 12 weeks you would feel the testicles. Probably a girl. Let us know if CONGRATS are in order. What a cutie :love:

 

[Anne]

When our Mishmish was young, even the vet thought she was a male. She has similar coloration, but masked by long hair and is overall darker, so the orange wasn't easy to spot. However, I knew she was probably female judging by the color alone, and when she was old enough to be neutered it was clear enough.

 

[my4llma]

He's adorable

 

[shera]

The woman is insistent that he's a male, but I just don't buy it.  Even though the kitten was beign really wriggly, I still got a pretty good look and even felt and could feel no testicles.  I guess we will see, because we are picking him/her up on Monday July 23rd.  We are going to the cottage next weekend, and I don't want to confuse the poor thing by moving it to a new place, only to leave again a week later to a 3rd house. 

She hasn't taken him to a vet, and I get the feeling that she doesn't take any of her cats to the vet.  I'm going to call today and make an appointment, then hopefully at the same time I can find out if it's a male or female, and try to figure out a name. She named him Monkey-face...yeah, he's getting renamed lol.

 

[GoldyCat]

She looks like a brown patched tabby to me -- and yes, that coloration is almost always female. This is Iris, one of my brown patched tabbies, at about 4 weeks. Her overall color has gotten quite a bit lighter as an adult, but she still has the red patches.

 

[angels mommy]

What a pretty kitty, he, or she!

  Good luck w/ the new baby!!

 

[shera]

She looks like a brown patched tabby to me -- and yes, that coloration is almost always female. This is Iris, one of my brown patched tabbies, at about 4 weeks. Her overall color has gotten quite a bit lighter as an adult, but she still has the red patches.

Aww, what a cutie!  I agree, after doing some research online I also came to the conclusion that it's a patched tabby, and as such would have to be female, unless it has 2 X chromosomes (as in Klinefelter's syndrome - XXY), which is rare but certainly not unheard of.  I think it can also lead to smaller than average testicles, so I suppose there is always a chance, but I think the more probable explaination is that he, is infact, a she.  I was kind of hoping for a male, but not for any real logical reasons, moreso just to even things out; my poor husband is outnumbered 4 to 1 and even the 2 geckos are female LOL.  Also neutering is cheaper, so a small deciding factor, but certainly not a deal breaker, since who knows what costs might come up, and you have to be ready for them I guess.  Next step is to set up a vet appointment, the poor thing has never been.

 

[thekittysaver]

He/She is beautiful and very unique in color. Maybe she is just looking like a He. As you said, it can be hard to tell.

 

[fastnoc]

I've got a little girl that has that type of coloring. it's great!

 

[callista]

Those tabby stripes are gorgeous! I've never seen such clear stripes on a cat that wasn't purebred and basically selected for pretty stripes.

 

[shera]

I've got a little girl that has that type of coloring. it's great!

What a pretty girl!  I don't know how I have managed to never see a patched tabby before.  Maybe I have seen them but never taken notice.

Those tabby stripes are gorgeous! I've never seen such clear stripes on a cat that wasn't purebred and basically selected for pretty stripes.

That was what I first though when I saw the picture too.  I was like "wow, that looks like a purebred cat", but the stripes on the back aren't quite as striking, although he/she has some straight lines that goes down the back of his/her neck that look pretty neat.  When we get her/him I will post some more pictures.  I really think it's a girl, I even bought a pink collar LOL, that's how much I doubt it's a boy, but I can always exchange the collar if it does happen to be a genetic anomaly...with very female looking parts LOL.

 

[orientalslave]

In this photo the kitten looks like a brown (black) tabby with white, with lovely clear markings.  Since he's with white, the orange areas should be fairly clear patches if he was a tortie tabby.  In cats without white, or with very little, the black & orange areas would be smaller and very intermingled.  You can see definite patches in the cat in the last photo - the one on her back looking winsomely up. 

If there's no white on the feet then you often get a mix of pink and black on the pads - but looks like your kitten has four white feet!  And feel the pink nose is because if it had fur, the fur would be white.

Testicles are not always obvious at that age, but the scrotum should be easy to spot between the anus and the urethra.  The two are much futher apart in boys than girls, the distance is about the width of my thumb on my adult girl and 2-3 times that on my adult (neutered) boy.

Should add that a brown tabby can be very warm coloured and that's what your kitten looks like to me, at least in that photo.  Unforunately it's rather dark.  Got any more photos? 

 

[stormy]

Awwwww, what a pretty little kitten! Have you decided on any names?