lots of pics kittens and momma

[thefiresidecat]

found this batch of kittens on the interwebs over the holiday. two of them adopted out already, the others still on the site. i'm unsure if they're really available or not still. if I get two of them or not though i'm still curious about the genetics involved for this brood and what is going on with mommas coat. (so pretty) i'm seeing siberian influence. the coloring of the momma seems really unusual to me.

the first and the last kitten in this group of photos are the kittens that might still be available. the one that looks like a neva masquerade has tiny lil eyes. I don't know what to make of that. looking at some of the breed pics it looks like some nevas do have tiny little eyes. is it just because kittens grow at uneven rates? I don't expect they're pure breds by any means. but from a genetics point of view what kind of coats are they? I think the kittens are all 8 weeks in these photos and momma is about a year or a little under.

the momma is also very pretty. i do wish I could take all three. (But i have two cats already. four is comfortable five might be pushing it lol)

 

[Antonio65]

They look so tamed and used to humans, they look so comfortable in your hands.
Is it possible they belong to someone? Or they have been abandoned?
I don't know about the breed, but they are so lovely and cute, I hope you can take the three you like the most.

BTW: Is that snow outside your windows?

 

[thefiresidecat]

not my pics. they are the foster parent. I don't even know if they are available still lol. I really want two of them though lol they were abandoned to a veterinary clinic. I see where i made a mistake. I fixed it in the first sentence lol

 

[Antonio65]

Sorry, I had misunderstood, I thought you did find those kittens somewhere and you brought them home

 

[thefiresidecat]

Sorry, I had misunderstood, I thought you did find those kittens somewhere and you brought them home

no need to apologize. leaving out one word really did change the meaning of the sentence lol. totally my bad

 

[thefiresidecat]

Sorry, I had misunderstood, I thought you did find those kittens somewhere and you brought them home

and holy cow you're right, that does look like snow. I bet those kittens are a bit bigger now than the pics lol

 

[Antonio65]

So, unless the location where the kittens are is a cold region on the mountains, those kittens might be at least 2 months older.

 

[thefiresidecat]

So, unless the location where the kittens are is a cold region on the mountains, those kittens might be at least 2 months older.

the ad i think is fairly recent looking again it says they are nearly 3 months old so I think maybe I was keying off how old those babies look to me.

 

[thefiresidecat]

LunarFlower can i bother you for a quick run down on what these kittens and the mom are colour wise? I know there is tabby there and some tabby with white and is it a blue tabby with white? is the little pointed type kitten actually pointed or is that something else? i'm thinking blue lynx point or silver lynx point? but really not sure about that because on closer look he looks like he has more color than a kitten his age should have for that? and what about the momma what would you call her color? i've never seen anything like it. The first kitten there is one i might be getting along with the maybe pointed kitten, im thinking she (the first kitten pictured) will be like momma? would the pointed kitten (if that's what he is) have inherited his looks from momma or poppa?

 

[thefiresidecat]

Furballsmom in the other thread I saw you mentioning ch kittehs. I actually think conductor might be one. we haven't met him yet but his foster mom says that he has : a hitch in his step: when he wakes up that is notable. but that it clears up once he's fully awake. the vet hasn't been able to find an explanation. does this sound like a mild case of it? Conductor is the little color point kitteh in this thread. he also has smaller eyes than normal. she gushes about him though. apparently he is all personality. we get him and his sister on thursday

 

[LunarFlower]

LunarFlower can i bother you for a quick run down on what these kittens and the mom are colour wise? I know there is tabby there and some tabby with white and is it a blue tabby with white? is the little pointed type kitten actually pointed or is that something else? i'm thinking blue lynx point or silver lynx point? but really not sure about that because on closer look he looks like he has more color than a kitten his age should have for that? and what about the momma what would you call her color? i've never seen anything like it. The first kitten there is one i might be getting along with the maybe pointed kitten, im thinking she (the first kitten pictured) will be like momma? would the pointed kitten (if that's what he is) have inherited his looks from momma or poppa?

I would be happy to give a breakdown as best I can, but I can’t right at this second. When I get a free minute I’ll pop back on. Also, longhairs are always going to be pretty ambiguous until they’re in your hands; so much of how their color is determined depends on if there is smoke/etc. in play, which can be hard to tell in photos but much easier in person. Also, especially for colorpoint, the adult color might not come in until about a year old. That being said, they’re adorable and I’ll think on them until I get a chance to get back on.

 

[thefiresidecat]

I would be happy to give a breakdown as best I can, but I can’t right at this second. When I get a free minute I’ll pop back on. Also, longhairs are always going to be pretty ambiguous until they’re in your hands; so much of how their color is determined depends on if there is smoke/etc. in play, which can be hard to tell in photos but much easier in person. Also, especially for colorpoint, the adult color might not come in until about a year old. That being said, they’re adorable and I’ll think on them until I get a chance to get back on.

I appreciate any insight you can give whenever you can give it I get the two babies tomorrow so there will be new pics soon!

 

[Furballsmom]

Fireside, I'll have a better chance to reply about ch in a little while

 

[Furballsmom]

I apologize about the double-post, but he sounds like it might be a possibility. Here is one website that has information, there are others;

Nobody's Perfect | Feline Cerebellar Hypoplasia - BluePearl Pet Hospital.

 

[LunarFlower]

I appreciate any insight you can give whenever you can give it I get the two babies tomorrow so there will be new pics soon!

More pics would definitely be helpful. Once they are a year old, I would love an update so we can compare the adult colors to the kitten colors.

I will preface my message with the disclaimer that determining phenotypes of longhaired cats can be difficult, especially by photograph, and I am NOT good at it. I am decent at shorthaired cats, but longhaired cats are another thing entirely. I will give it a go, though.

I am usually extremely hesitant to suggest purebred ancestry, and I am definitely not saying that there is purebred ancestry at work here, but I agree that there are heavy Siberian leanings going on. There is something odd going on with the color tones, some of which might have to do with some colors that are prominent in Siberian populations.

The easy stuff:
Dad was probably a seal lynx point with white or a black tabby carrying colorpoint with white. He may have any number of other genes also.
Firstly, my best guess is that mom is a blue tabby, and that the soft grey kitten will be the same, but with low white spotting.
The darker kittens are black-based tabbies, one with low white spotting.
The colorpoint is a seal (black) lynx point with low white spotting.

Now, as for why there are so many unusual warm tones... to be honest, I'm not sure. Siberian breeders often breed tone-modifying colors in their lines, some of which may explain the oddness going on. For one thing, I do believe most of the cats have silver at play, but I can't decide if that is the only thing going on or if there are some recessive polygene shenanigans changing the tones.

The most likely option by far is silver with heavy tarnishing/rufousing, resulting in those yellow bellies and faces (Notably, mama cat and the black tabby without the white mitts). Tarnishing is complicated, usually caused by polygenes influencing the tones of silver cats to have a much more yellow cast.
With the possibility of Siberian influence, "Sunshine" is another possibility. True Sunshine cats have two copies of the gene and do not have the black liner around their noses, so I don't think that's going on. Sunshine being carried and having a slight influence is a possibility, but that is pure speculation on my part. Sunshine is also pretty darn rare, so the odds aren't great that Sunshine is the key either. Also, even dedicated Siberian breeders often misidentify Sunshine, Golden, and Bimetallic Siberians, so it's not the easiest thing to determine.

(determining Sunshine in bloodlines can be COMPLICATED. Example chart from messybeast's wonderful website; highly recommend it if you are trying to figure out cat colors and inheritance)

Also, golden or bimetallic are possibilites, though I don't think they would give this effect either. Possibly carriers for one or more of them causing a subtle tone effect?

My recommendation is to assume they are highly rufoused/tarnished silvers, but be aware that there may be some weird color changes and effects that may become more noticeable with age. I would LOVE to hear a Siberian breeder break down their best guesses of these kittens' colors and the genes that are likely at play. Even if they aren't Siberians, the Siberian breeders are usually very used to working with the subtle differences between longhaired colors, so they would be a good resource.

As for the smaller eyes, micropthalmia is often found in persians and cats with persian ancestry, so there is possibility of some persian ancestry here too. It can be found in purebreds and cats of any lineage, though, so it's not definitive for persian ancestry. It has many causes, some genetic, though most of which are related to chemical exposure or infections during the mother's pregnancy. It may cause secondary issues as the cat ages, but the cat may also be completely healthy. Only time will tell, though it would be a good idea to plan for more frequent vet visits if needed. The micropthalmia coupled with the "hitch in his step" may indicate some underlying neurological or physicological condition.

Keep us posted with how they develop!

 

[thefiresidecat]

More pics would definitely be helpful. Once they are a year old, I would love an update so we can compare the adult colors to the kitten colors.

I will preface my message with the disclaimer that determining phenotypes of longhaired cats can be difficult, especially by photograph, and I am NOT good at it. I am decent at shorthaired cats, but longhaired cats are another thing entirely. I will give it a go, though.

I am usually extremely hesitant to suggest purebred ancestry, and I am definitely not saying that there is purebred ancestry at work here, but I agree that there are heavy Siberian leanings going on. There is something odd going on with the color tones, some of which might have to do with some colors that are prominent in Siberian populations.

The easy stuff:
Dad was probably a seal lynx point with white or a black tabby carrying colorpoint with white. He may have any number of other genes also.
Firstly, my best guess is that mom is a blue tabby, and that the soft grey kitten will be the same, but with low white spotting.
The darker kittens are black-based tabbies, one with low white spotting.
The colorpoint is a seal (black) lynx point with low white spotting.

Now, as for why there are so many unusual warm tones... to be honest, I'm not sure. Siberian breeders often breed tone-modifying colors in their lines, some of which may explain the oddness going on. For one thing, I do believe most of the cats have silver at play, but I can't decide if that is the only thing going on or if there are some recessive polygene shenanigans changing the tones.

The most likely option by far is silver with heavy tarnishing/rufousing, resulting in those yellow bellies and faces (Notably, mama cat and the black tabby without the white mitts). Tarnishing is complicated, usually caused by polygenes influencing the tones of silver cats to have a much more yellow cast.
With the possibility of Siberian influence, "Sunshine" is another possibility. True Sunshine cats have two copies of the gene and do not have the black liner around their noses, so I don't think that's going on. Sunshine being carried and having a slight influence is a possibility, but that is pure speculation on my part. Sunshine is also pretty darn rare, so the odds aren't great that Sunshine is the key either. Also, even dedicated Siberian breeders often misidentify Sunshine, Golden, and Bimetallic Siberians, so it's not the easiest thing to determine.

View attachment 451092
(determining Sunshine in bloodlines can be COMPLICATED. Example chart from messybeast's wonderful website; highly recommend it if you are trying to figure out cat colors and inheritance)

Also, golden or bimetallic are possibilites, though I don't think they would give this effect either. Possibly carriers for one or more of them causing a subtle tone effect?

My recommendation is to assume they are highly rufoused/tarnished silvers, but be aware that there may be some weird color changes and effects that may become more noticeable with age. I would LOVE to hear a Siberian breeder break down their best guesses of these kittens' colors and the genes that are likely at play. Even if they aren't Siberians, the Siberian breeders are usually very used to working with the subtle differences between longhaired colors, so they would be a good resource.

As for the smaller eyes, micropthalmia is often found in persians and cats with persian ancestry, so there is possibility of some persian ancestry here too. It can be found in purebreds and cats of any lineage, though, so it's not definitive for persian ancestry. It has many causes, some genetic, though most of which are related to chemical exposure or infections during the mother's pregnancy. It may cause secondary issues as the cat ages, but the cat may also be completely healthy. Only time will tell, though it would be a good idea to plan for more frequent vet visits if needed. The micropthalmia coupled with the "hitch in his step" may indicate some underlying neurological or physicological condition.

Keep us posted with how they develop!

there is a lot to parse here I'll probably have to read this a couple times! thanks for the write up. I'll try posting on the siberian facebook page. I am a member there because I also do have a purebred sib. I don't know much about cat genetics but i do find it fascinating.
i'll also keep updating with pics! we get the babies tomorrow so excited.

 

[thefiresidecat]

More pics would definitely be helpful. Once they are a year old, I would love an update so we can compare the adult colors to the kitten colors.

I will preface my message with the disclaimer that determining phenotypes of longhaired cats can be difficult, especially by photograph, and I am NOT good at it. I am decent at shorthaired cats, but longhaired cats are another thing entirely. I will give it a go, though.

I am usually extremely hesitant to suggest purebred ancestry, and I am definitely not saying that there is purebred ancestry at work here, but I agree that there are heavy Siberian leanings going on. There is something odd going on with the color tones, some of which might have to do with some colors that are prominent in Siberian populations.

The easy stuff:
Dad was probably a seal lynx point with white or a black tabby carrying colorpoint with white. He may have any number of other genes also.
Firstly, my best guess is that mom is a blue tabby, and that the soft grey kitten will be the same, but with low white spotting.
The darker kittens are black-based tabbies, one with low white spotting.
The colorpoint is a seal (black) lynx point with low white spotting.

Now, as for why there are so many unusual warm tones... to be honest, I'm not sure. Siberian breeders often breed tone-modifying colors in their lines, some of which may explain the oddness going on. For one thing, I do believe most of the cats have silver at play, but I can't decide if that is the only thing going on or if there are some recessive polygene shenanigans changing the tones.

The most likely option by far is silver with heavy tarnishing/rufousing, resulting in those yellow bellies and faces (Notably, mama cat and the black tabby without the white mitts). Tarnishing is complicated, usually caused by polygenes influencing the tones of silver cats to have a much more yellow cast.
With the possibility of Siberian influence, "Sunshine" is another possibility. True Sunshine cats have two copies of the gene and do not have the black liner around their noses, so I don't think that's going on. Sunshine being carried and having a slight influence is a possibility, but that is pure speculation on my part. Sunshine is also pretty darn rare, so the odds aren't great that Sunshine is the key either. Also, even dedicated Siberian breeders often misidentify Sunshine, Golden, and Bimetallic Siberians, so it's not the easiest thing to determine.

View attachment 451092
(determining Sunshine in bloodlines can be COMPLICATED. Example chart from messybeast's wonderful website; highly recommend it if you are trying to figure out cat colors and inheritance)

Also, golden or bimetallic are possibilites, though I don't think they would give this effect either. Possibly carriers for one or more of them causing a subtle tone effect?

My recommendation is to assume they are highly rufoused/tarnished silvers, but be aware that there may be some weird color changes and effects that may become more noticeable with age. I would LOVE to hear a Siberian breeder break down their best guesses of these kittens' colors and the genes that are likely at play. Even if they aren't Siberians, the Siberian breeders are usually very used to working with the subtle differences between longhaired colors, so they would be a good resource.

As for the smaller eyes, micropthalmia is often found in persians and cats with persian ancestry, so there is possibility of some persian ancestry here too. It can be found in purebreds and cats of any lineage, though, so it's not definitive for persian ancestry. It has many causes, some genetic, though most of which are related to chemical exposure or infections during the mother's pregnancy. It may cause secondary issues as the cat ages, but the cat may also be completely healthy. Only time will tell, though it would be a good idea to plan for more frequent vet visits if needed. The micropthalmia coupled with the "hitch in his step" may indicate some underlying neurological or physicological condition.

Keep us posted with how they develop!

on the eyes part really hoping it's not that. I was googling around and it looks like siamese kittens can have very small looking eyes as a baby compared to other cats so i'm hoping its jsut daddies influence. these kittens are all from mid oregon. looking thru the shelter pages there are A LOT of both siberian looking kittens and siamese kittens up for adoption. I don't know what's going on there. I kind of think it may just be from early cat populations from the settlers here. a lot of people from asia and russia in the late 1800's early 1900's seattle also has a lot of wedgie looking cats. I was looking in oregon specifically because of the sib phenomenon that seems to go on there in the cat population.

 

[thefiresidecat]

well we've had them a few days now. they seemed weak first few days. both seemed a bit wobbly. wiht free run in the kitten room they're both noticeably stronger even after a few days. wondering if they were mostly crated before. they had a preliminary vet visit. (was supposed to just be a tech appt for fiv felv but doc was like kittens!! and came in and had a look at them anyway) doc wasn't at all concerned about his eyes. said they both looked very healthy and told us to get them used to brushing or we were gonna regret it lol. its hard to get a photo of but I think the lynx point is a smoke maybe?? the top of his head is a cream beige color and when you disturb it it's white underneath. same on his back. I doubt i'm going to be able to get a photo of it any time soon. his fur is so light that I need to be holding the fur parted to see it for sure and he moves when I do that lol. it looks half white have cream/beige. not sure if that's baby stuff or permanent though? the female also has some half and half but it's not white. it's like half rusty half black hairs. my maine coon had similar.

i also am backing down on the sib theory atm. looking at their profiles i'm more inclined to think they're wedgies now. in her pics where she is in profile it looks like there is a little more of a curve than there actually is because her nose fur is actually kind of long for nose fur. when you pet it down it's a roman nose. the vet thinks half siamese half ragdoll. I bought a bunch of basepaws kits in 2018 but only did dante not the other cats. so now i have three left over basepaws kits that are expired. i'm hoping that basepaws will send me replacements since I never used these. be very interesting to see what they say. at first I was just so unimpressed wiht what they told me about dante that I didn't bother but since then they've updated and what they say about him seems far more likely. they say he's 30 percent ragdoll 15 persian and 25 siamese 20 poly with a few other misc making up the total. and you can really see those influences in him. he has a LOT of ragdoll traits. but at first they told me he was orange and half abby. and 30 siamese. so I was like yah naw... (dante is my profile pic)

anyhoo i'll upload some more pics. baby girl has had her spay recently so they shaved off all her lovely belly fur. so pics of her are incomplete. right now it looks like their names are going to be Theodore and River (tam, she is either purrs or growls and her maneuvers can be quite acrobatic lol. shes a lil murder toes)

 

[LunarFlower]

well we've had them a few days now. they seemed weak first few days. both seemed a bit wobbly. wiht free run in the kitten room they're both noticeably stronger even after a few days. wondering if they were mostly crated before. they had a preliminary vet visit. (was supposed to just be a tech appt for fiv felv but doc was like kittens!! and came in and had a look at them anyway) doc wasn't at all concerned about his eyes. said they both looked very healthy and told us to get them used to brushing or we were gonna regret it lol. its hard to get a photo of but I think the lynx point is a smoke maybe?? the top of his head is a cream beige color and when you disturb it it's white underneath. same on his back. I doubt i'm going to be able to get a photo of it any time soon. his fur is so light that I need to be holding the fur parted to see it for sure and he moves when I do that lol. it looks half white have cream/beige. not sure if that's baby stuff or permanent though? the female also has some half and half but it's not white. it's like half rusty half black hairs. my maine coon had similar.

i also am backing down on the sib theory atm. looking at their profiles i'm more inclined to think they're wedgies now. in her pics where she is in profile it looks like there is a little more of a curve than there actually is because her nose fur is actually kind of long for nose fur. when you pet it down it's a roman nose. the vet thinks half siamese half ragdoll. I bought a bunch of basepaws kits in 2018 but only did dante not the other cats. so now i have three left over basepaws kits that are expired. i'm hoping that basepaws will send me replacements since I never used these. be very interesting to see what they say. at first I was just so unimpressed wiht what they told me about dante that I didn't bother but since then they've updated and what they say about him seems far more likely. they say he's 30 percent ragdoll 15 persian and 25 siamese 20 poly with a few other misc making up the total. and you can really see those influences in him. he has a LOT of ragdoll traits. but at first they told me he was orange and half abby. and 30 siamese. so I was like yah naw... (dante is my profile pic)

anyhoo i'll upload some more pics. baby girl has had her spay recently so they shaved off all her lovely belly fur. so pics of her are incomplete. right now it looks like their names are going to be Theodore and River (tam, she is either purrs or growls and her maneuvers can be quite acrobatic lol. shes a lil murder toes)

Aww, they look like they are doing well! I'm glad the Vet said they are healthy. Definitely work on brushing while they're little; I have a big orange who is longhaired mostly on his abdomen and tail, but he's a handful when he doesn't want to be brushed!

I do have just a couple of comments regarding your previous post.

First, smoke and silver are caused by the same inhibitor gene in cats. In tabby cats (like a lynx point) they will be considered a silver; in solid-colored cats, they will be a smoke. The gene affects tabbies and solids differently, but in both you will usually have a much lighter hair shaft base than in their fully-colored counterparts. I would say to give it about a year before trying to call the final color on any pointed cat; mine changed DRAMATICALLY in the first year, and my silver/cameo changed the most out of all of my cats. Silver and colorpoint seem to interact a lot, so the development of the final color is very unpredictable and can change several times. Also, colorpoint fur changes to be lighter in color in the heat, so if the kittens are in a warmer environment than they were before, they may start to lighten up. I believe if they are more active and keep their body temperature warmer on average, they may also lighten up slightly. Just something to keep in mind. Also, if your colorpoint needs to be shaved for surgery/etc. the hair might temporarily grow back much darker than the rest of the coat. It should eventually even back out, but it's something that can happen.

Second, and I'm sure you may already know this, but I would be remiss not to say it, the vast majority of cats have no particular breed heritage. It's not an impossibility, but it's extremely unlikely to happen. That being said, tests like BasePaws aren't really to test for "heritage" so much as "similarity" to particular breeds, and that distinction is very important. What they usually indicate is a set of features or genes that your cat shares with purebred cats, regardless of the actual ancestry or parentage of your cat. I would use them as a fun thing to do or a way to screen for a handful of genetic diseases that you could bring up with your vet if they come back positive; it is not good for determining an actual "breed" for your cats.

For one example, I did BasePaws on two of my three cats. I know they are street cats from the Southeast USA, so I'm confident that they are not from purebred ancestors, at least not within recent generations. They do share many features with certain purebred breeds, but they are moggies. My big orange male is on the larger side and has a coat a bit like a Maine Coon, and his BasePaws showed a good amount of similarity between his genetics and those of a MC, but he is NOT a Maine Coon, and I wouldn't want to label him as such even though he shares a good bit of his traits with them. He doesn't have the MC head or lynx tips on his ears.

For another related example, my beautiful silver/cameo lynxpoint (who was also a feral street kitten) came back as having Savannah of all things in her! I think this goes back to the founding of the Savannah breed, which was founded by combining a Serval with a Siamese cat. I don't think my cat actually has any Savannah/Serval blood, but I do think her colorpoint coat shows that she may have some Siamese blood a LONG time ago, so she comes back in tests as Savannah.

I know many people on here don't care for BasePaws at all, and I definitely understand where they are coming from. That same lynxpoint female originally came back as being NOT colorpoint at all in their tests, which she clearly is. I do have to hand it to BasePaws, I checked her results a few months later and they had updated their database and now correctly identified her as being a colorpoint, so I can attest that they do continue to make their reports better with time. Because of this, I am OK with recommending BasePaws tests to people, as long as they know not to consider the breed similarity report as gospel and know that they should check back in on their reports periodically to see if they have been updated. Their databases are still being refined, and that's a good thing; it means they are still trying to learn how to be more accurate.

As I said, I expect that you probably already know this, but just in case, I thought I should share my experience with BasePaws here for you and for anyone else wondering about them.

Also... cat tax of the mentioned kitties:
Not-a-MC “Cairo”
(Big orange)

Definitely-not-a-Savannah “Delphi”
(Silver and cameo patched spotted lynx point with white)

Oh, and that fur thing you mentioned does happen with her, too, so your lynx point might have silver as well.

 

[thefiresidecat]

Aww, they look like they are doing well! I'm glad the Vet said they are healthy. Definitely work on brushing while they're little; I have a big orange who is longhaired mostly on his abdomen and tail, but he's a handful when he doesn't want to be brushed!

I do have just a couple of comments regarding your previous post.

First, smoke and silver are caused by the same inhibitor gene in cats. In tabby cats (like a lynx point) they will be considered a silver; in solid-colored cats, they will be a smoke. The gene affects tabbies and solids differently, but in both you will usually have a much lighter hair shaft base than in their fully-colored counterparts. I would say to give it about a year before trying to call the final color on any pointed cat; mine changed DRAMATICALLY in the first year, and my silver/cameo changed the most out of all of my cats. Silver and colorpoint seem to interact a lot, so the development of the final color is very unpredictable and can change several times. Also, colorpoint fur changes to be lighter in color in the heat, so if the kittens are in a warmer environment than they were before, they may start to lighten up. I believe if they are more active and keep their body temperature warmer on average, they may also lighten up slightly. Just something to keep in mind. Also, if your colorpoint needs to be shaved for surgery/etc. the hair might temporarily grow back much darker than the rest of the coat. It should eventually even back out, but it's something that can happen.

Second, and I'm sure you may already know this, but I would be remiss not to say it, the vast majority of cats have no particular breed heritage. It's not an impossibility, but it's extremely unlikely to happen. That being said, tests like BasePaws aren't really to test for "heritage" so much as "similarity" to particular breeds, and that distinction is very important. What they usually indicate is a set of features or genes that your cat shares with purebred cats, regardless of the actual ancestry or parentage of your cat. I would use them as a fun thing to do or a way to screen for a handful of genetic diseases that you could bring up with your vet if they come back positive; it is not good for determining an actual "breed" for your cats.

For one example, I did BasePaws on two of my three cats. I know they are street cats from the Southeast USA, so I'm confident that they are not from purebred ancestors, at least not within recent generations. They do share many features with certain purebred breeds, but they are moggies. My big orange male is on the larger side and has a coat a bit like a Maine Coon, and his BasePaws showed a good amount of similarity between his genetics and those of a MC, but he is NOT a Maine Coon, and I wouldn't want to label him as such even though he shares a good bit of his traits with them. He doesn't have the MC head or lynx tips on his ears.

For another related example, my beautiful silver/cameo lynxpoint (who was also a feral street kitten) came back as having Savannah of all things in her! I think this goes back to the founding of the Savannah breed, which was founded by combining a Serval with a Siamese cat. I don't think my cat actually has any Savannah/Serval blood, but I do think her colorpoint coat shows that she may have some Siamese blood a LONG time ago, so she comes back in tests as Savannah.

I know many people on here don't care for BasePaws at all, and I definitely understand where they are coming from. That same lynxpoint female originally came back as being NOT colorpoint at all in their tests, which she clearly is. I do have to hand it to BasePaws, I checked her results a few months later and they had updated their database and now correctly identified her as being a colorpoint, so I can attest that they do continue to make their reports better with time. Because of this, I am OK with recommending BasePaws tests to people, as long as they know not to consider the breed similarity report as gospel and know that they should check back in on their reports periodically to see if they have been updated. Their databases are still being refined, and that's a good thing; it means they are still trying to learn how to be more accurate.

As I said, I expect that you probably already know this, but just in case, I thought I should share my experience with BasePaws here for you and for anyone else wondering about them.

Also... cat tax of the mentioned kitties:
Not-a-MC “Cairo”
(Big orange)
View attachment 451599
Definitely-not-a-Savannah “Delphi”
(Silver and cameo patched spotted lynx point with white)
View attachment 451598
Oh, and that fur thing you mentioned does happen with her, too, so your lynx point might have silver as well.
View attachment 451601

oh the brushing that was a pointed dig at us haha. we have always had long hairs and we have to bring htem in on occasion for spot shaves because we can't get a mat on our own. our cats aren't fan of brushing lol.


eh unless you are a breeder it's always for fun. we still love our kitties regardless of what they are) and the mc might not be so far off. it is a natural breed. while the ears of your kitty are wrong I do see the profile there. both gorgeous kitties the savannah thing.. again in small percentages not crazy imo. it's the same thing with the Neanderthal and Denisovan dna in humans. (i'd reckon anyway) the savannah probably shares some ancient ancestor with a big cat that is also shared with the modern housecat. I think almost all cats come back with something between 1 and 5 percent of one of the wild cats.

if you are on the eastern seaboard i'd expect a lot of cats to come back with the mc. same with the ragdoll on the west coast. it was basically a bunch of moggies with certain characteristics the breeder wanted in their kittens. so it makes sense that you'd find a lot of that represented in the wider pools of population doesn't it? to me, I do see regional differences in the average moggy still. (i'm thinking seaboard here more than inland) we have a high concentration of colourpoints in oregon especially but washington too and a high concentration of long hairs with forest cat features but not maine coon. more norwegian and sib and the ragdoll seems like it's highly represented as well. not because of the breeding of actual ragdolls I'd imagine but because breeding was taken from moggies of the region. (nocal is also pacific nw) I haven't done any studies on this and I don't think there have been any studies on this but it would be really interesting to see documation of cat populations before it's too diluted from high population and shipping of cats all over the states. i'm sure the big cities are already past that point. but we did have a lot of immigration and visitation to this area by the russians and asian fleets in the 1700's and 1800s and they all had cats on the ship. a colony of cats is on antartica from just two cats on one of the explorer ships so you can imagine how that would go in a easily populated area like the pacific north west. and we had a lot of norwegians and swedes here in the mid 1800's. have to imagine their favorite moggies made the trip with them as well.

I also think it's not too crazy to think there are a lot of moggies that have relations to actual purebreds. while breeders always say neuter and spay a lot don't actually enforce it other than not giving papers until it's done. there are a LOT of backyard breeders out there. so yeah you're not going to be able to breed a cat and give papers with it.. you could say eh spaying and neutering is mean and then let your cat out every night and all of a sudden there are hundreds of babies out there with that cats dna. neither of my purebreds came spayed/neutered. I had to do it myself. well I mean.. I didn't pull out the scalpel.. but take em to the vet. heh