Just wanted to know how to describe my cats

[cokomo]

Taz

taz 12.png

• cokomo
• Jul 21, 2013

taz 123456.png

• cokomo
• Jul 21, 2013

taz 12345.png

• cokomo
• Jul 21, 2013

I found Taz in a wal-mart parking lot quite literally about to be ran over. I actually started banging on the truck he was under to get the driver to stop so I could save him. The vet guessed he was around 4 weeks old at the time. I've had him for four years now. He is the best cat ever. I know he is considered a domestic short hair, but wanted to know if there was more to that as far as how to describe him. The first picture of just his face is color accurate.

Buddy and Ellie

poly babies 123.png

• cokomo
• Jul 21, 2013

These two were barn kittens that a friend gave me because I have always wanted a polydactyl cat. Although they are both polydactyl, I was told they were from two separate litters. I personally think they may have the same father though. They are both just over a year old, but Buddy (grey & white) is about a month older than Ellie.

I have assumed Ellie is a calico, but was told she is not a true calico because she has tabby stripes. Her darker spots are the same colors as Taz's spots. 

Buddy is just grey and white with no stripes. His grey looks like a plain grey with no blue cast. When I first got him, he had a brownish undercoat where he is grey. The weather was cold and he was living outdoors before he was given to me. There is no sign of brown fur now.

 

[jmljml19]

if you look up calico cats in Wikipedia it says that they are mostly white with patches of 2 other colors, usually orange tabby and black. so whoever told you that she's not a true calico doesn't know what they're talking about. it also says that they can be other colors, not just orange and black so if your cats have 3 colors, it could be considered a calico. as for trying to describe them, just say they're unique and pretty awesome

 

[mani]

Buddy and Ellie

poly babies 123.png

• cokomo
• Jul 21, 2013

Look at those gorgeous polys!!  I just love their paws, and that's a great shot

 

[maewkaew]

Oh such nice looking cats! 

 Taz is a Brown Mackerel Tabby and White.       ( with gorgeous eyes!)  

  It would really be more accurate genetically to say "Black Tabby" but since they can often have a sort of brownish background color,  they're traditionally called Brown Tabby.  

Ellie's non-white parts are  a mix of tortoiseshell color and tabby pattern .  This is called different terms depending on the association.   In TICA it's Torbie .   In CFA it's called Patched Tabby.

   I can't see for sure what kind of tabby pattern.  You mentioned spots but you also said it looks like Taz -- who looks like he has what would be classified as a Mackerel Tabby pattern  ( vertical stripes on the side) , but it's a "broken mackerel" pattern.  the stripes are rather broken up.   but not so much that it looks like random spots.    If I'm wrong tell me ,  and we can just substitute Spotted for Mackerel. 

If hers is the same ,  she would be called in TICA : "Brown Mackerel Torbie and White"  

 and in CFA  "Brown Patched Mackerel Tabby and White" .  

Ellie is like Taz except she inherited the Red gene from one parent and "not Red" ( which defaulted to Black)  from the other parent.   

Many people would colloquially call her a "calico"  and I don't want to  say it is absolutely wrong to say that in a casual sense.    But  you DID hear right that she is not a "true calico"  in the way that  some CFA breed standards  classify them. They  have a more strict definition.    Her amount of white, and her arrangement of  pretty big distinct patches of red-based color and black-based color,  would fit ,  but  the black patches would be solid black not tabby patterned. 

Buddy is Blue and White.     Even if it looks like a pretty neutral color temperature with no blue cast, the color would still be called Blue. There's no way he is lilac , which is a lighter shade and a warmer pinkish shade of grey.    That dark grey has to be Blue,  which is the dilute version of Black. 

Thanks for sharing these great pictures!