- Joined
- Mar 9, 2013
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- 12
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Hi,
I am new here and found this site while looking for ways to distinguish cat breeds with a blue/grey coat. My family and I rescued a cat about 18 months ago we have been trying to identify. We have had cats all our lives (currently have 4) and I think it's very unlikely that the cat is anything other than a domestic SH. But, the rest of my family is convinced otherwise and I'm inclined to agree that she is certainly NOT an average cat. I am including some pictures of her but will describe her to the best of my ability.
She showed up in my neighbors' yard (they have big dogs) and I was called to come rescue her. She immediately "spoke" to me and came right away to me, and we brought her home. She was about 16 wks and very recently (like that day!) spayed. We posted FOUND ads for her but she was not claimed. We are glad, we love her to bits! She came into the house like she owned it, climbing about, lots of talking, very friendly from the get go.
Her name is "itty bitty Betsy" (because she is small) weighing in at only 7.5lbs as an almost 2yr old. She is very vocal - but not in an annoying way. When she wants to play she has a call she makes. When she is looking for her person (my 7yr old daughter) she has another call. She also has a call when she is just plain bored. Other than her various calls, she makes a number of "trill" sounds that are very small, but have a wide tonal range. We talk to her in these trills because she seems to like it...it's more like conversational talk to her. She is quiet if she doesn't need anything, so the vocalization is not over the top.
Her most outstanding characteristic is probably her agility/trainability. She MUST play or she will terrorize the house and chase the other cats, so we have taught her many tricks. Her best trick is jumping on command - her highest jump was just over 5 ft. This is from a standing position straight up in the air. She is often found in strange places like high cupboards because she can open/close any door. She sits, stays, will bring a toy to you, basic commands like you would teach a dog. She is very, very fast and agile - alloying her to play with big rough and tumble males because she is faster and more agile than any of our other cats. She is also very confident and will challenge other cats when she probably should not - although we have yet to have any fights. She is not aggressive at all, more ruled by her playful nature. She is definitely a "tree-climber" and is all over tall furniture. She even climbs on a tall sideboard and reaches up to stretch with her front paws on the ceiling. I cannot emphasize this climbing/jumping habit enough!
From day 1, she has "belonged" to my daughter. She is a one person cat. We all love her and she sleeps with me, but she belongs to my daughter. She follows her everywhere and my daughter has learned to read her cues when to play, etc. When my daughter leaves the house, she paces about calling for her. I have to tell the cat she isn't here (which she seems to understand and usually curls in my lap). She is not fond of being held or petted in general. The cat is very, very independent and basically she has to choose to sit in your lap, sleep with you, etc. She has specific rituals like napping in my lap in the afternoons but otherwise isn't a coddle kitty. Except for my daughter, who can wag her around under one arm all day with no problem.
Aside from being small (7.5lbs as an adult) she is solid grey from nose to tail. When we first got her she had some faint shadow striping on her tail that disappeared quickly as she aged. She is true silver-grey and looks like she glows, especially if she has light behind her. Her face is very round and she has a "puff" appearance a lot of the time. Her eyes are light green like an unripe banana. She does have a very striking appearance. She is almost always making a smile face, for some reason her face looks like it is smiling in different smiles a lot of the time. You can see some of this in the pictures. The only thing that is a little odd about her face is her nose, which has a different shape than the other cats I have owned. You can also see this in the pictures. She has a nice build, aside from being overall "small" she is muscular and strong. Her coat is very soft and dense, and her tail is thicker than average.
My daughter is convinced that she is a Korat or part Korat. I have researched on the internet and cannot find any Korat breeders anywhere near me, so I know this is highly unlikely. Our vet said she is an "unusual" cat but most likely is just an average grey cat. But she does have a lot of the Korat traits from what I have read, and she looks very much like the Korat pictures I have seen. Can you identify her breed or rule out the possibility she could be a Korat from the pictures/description?
Thanks so much for reading and taking the time to answer. Here are my pics!
I am new here and found this site while looking for ways to distinguish cat breeds with a blue/grey coat. My family and I rescued a cat about 18 months ago we have been trying to identify. We have had cats all our lives (currently have 4) and I think it's very unlikely that the cat is anything other than a domestic SH. But, the rest of my family is convinced otherwise and I'm inclined to agree that she is certainly NOT an average cat. I am including some pictures of her but will describe her to the best of my ability.
She showed up in my neighbors' yard (they have big dogs) and I was called to come rescue her. She immediately "spoke" to me and came right away to me, and we brought her home. She was about 16 wks and very recently (like that day!) spayed. We posted FOUND ads for her but she was not claimed. We are glad, we love her to bits! She came into the house like she owned it, climbing about, lots of talking, very friendly from the get go.
Her name is "itty bitty Betsy" (because she is small) weighing in at only 7.5lbs as an almost 2yr old. She is very vocal - but not in an annoying way. When she wants to play she has a call she makes. When she is looking for her person (my 7yr old daughter) she has another call. She also has a call when she is just plain bored. Other than her various calls, she makes a number of "trill" sounds that are very small, but have a wide tonal range. We talk to her in these trills because she seems to like it...it's more like conversational talk to her. She is quiet if she doesn't need anything, so the vocalization is not over the top.
Her most outstanding characteristic is probably her agility/trainability. She MUST play or she will terrorize the house and chase the other cats, so we have taught her many tricks. Her best trick is jumping on command - her highest jump was just over 5 ft. This is from a standing position straight up in the air. She is often found in strange places like high cupboards because she can open/close any door. She sits, stays, will bring a toy to you, basic commands like you would teach a dog. She is very, very fast and agile - alloying her to play with big rough and tumble males because she is faster and more agile than any of our other cats. She is also very confident and will challenge other cats when she probably should not - although we have yet to have any fights. She is not aggressive at all, more ruled by her playful nature. She is definitely a "tree-climber" and is all over tall furniture. She even climbs on a tall sideboard and reaches up to stretch with her front paws on the ceiling. I cannot emphasize this climbing/jumping habit enough!
From day 1, she has "belonged" to my daughter. She is a one person cat. We all love her and she sleeps with me, but she belongs to my daughter. She follows her everywhere and my daughter has learned to read her cues when to play, etc. When my daughter leaves the house, she paces about calling for her. I have to tell the cat she isn't here (which she seems to understand and usually curls in my lap). She is not fond of being held or petted in general. The cat is very, very independent and basically she has to choose to sit in your lap, sleep with you, etc. She has specific rituals like napping in my lap in the afternoons but otherwise isn't a coddle kitty. Except for my daughter, who can wag her around under one arm all day with no problem.
Aside from being small (7.5lbs as an adult) she is solid grey from nose to tail. When we first got her she had some faint shadow striping on her tail that disappeared quickly as she aged. She is true silver-grey and looks like she glows, especially if she has light behind her. Her face is very round and she has a "puff" appearance a lot of the time. Her eyes are light green like an unripe banana. She does have a very striking appearance. She is almost always making a smile face, for some reason her face looks like it is smiling in different smiles a lot of the time. You can see some of this in the pictures. The only thing that is a little odd about her face is her nose, which has a different shape than the other cats I have owned. You can also see this in the pictures. She has a nice build, aside from being overall "small" she is muscular and strong. Her coat is very soft and dense, and her tail is thicker than average.
My daughter is convinced that she is a Korat or part Korat. I have researched on the internet and cannot find any Korat breeders anywhere near me, so I know this is highly unlikely. Our vet said she is an "unusual" cat but most likely is just an average grey cat. But she does have a lot of the Korat traits from what I have read, and she looks very much like the Korat pictures I have seen. Can you identify her breed or rule out the possibility she could be a Korat from the pictures/description?
Thanks so much for reading and taking the time to answer. Here are my pics!