My New Kitty, Mallory - Part Bengal Or Savannah?

[kdm1984]

Hi everyone. I got a new "domestic shorthair" cat at a shelter recently. Her name is Mallory. When I took her to the vet, the vet thought she was part Bengal. I went to a couple of Bengal cat forums, and the consensus was she might be, but I also saw someone show a picture of their Savannah cat who resembled my Mallory, and that one might fit as well. I'm going to get her tested by Basepaws to see if I can find any additional info. Until then, what do you all think? In addition to the pictures, Mallory also has the following behavioral traits: follows people from room to room, constantly rubs up against legs and purrs loudly (purrs anytime she is touched, really!), has tiny squeak of a meow, curious about environment.

 

[Alejandra Rico]

Behaviour wise, she could be a Bengal.
As regards to her physical traits, I don't know what to say. There is nothing clearly screaming "Bengal" in her. She has warm undertones, but no sharo contrast. The tip of her tail is dark, but I would say her tail is too thin for a recent Bengal ancestry. Her pattern is more a broken mackerel than a trully spotted one. Her nose color is ok, and her ears are round, wich is fine.
I trully don't know. I don't see recent bengal or Savannah influence, but maybe pictures don't do her Justice.

 

[abyeb]

Same as Alejandra Rico- I can't really see any features indicating either breed. She is pretty, though! Let us know what the Basepaws results are, I'm curious!

 

[kdm1984]

Got word that her Basepaws results are now processing. Can't wait.

I've been doing more research, and it's probably more likely that she is part Oriental Shorthair more than anything. Some of the other breeds I'd been considering as part of her mix (Serengeti, Egyptian Mau) don't have mackerel tabby markings as part of the standard. A lot of the OS show cats have some very exaggerated features, but I also found some examples that were very similar to her.

Anyway, she is a very pretty cat with nice bone structure, an interesting personality, and clearly something "exotic" in her genetic background. My mother has jokingly nicknamed her "Covergirl" now.

 

[sabian]

She's a pretty cat. Typically all the breeds you named seem to be more spotted than stripped. Serengeti's and Egyptian Mau's do appear to be stripped in some cases. I'm interested to see what the test says. If you don't mind me asking...what does it cost for testing? I have a rescue that appears to be Siberian that I would like to get tested at some point.

 

[kdm1984]

I got mine for $65 through discount. Seems like it costs $95 most of the time.

 

[sabian]

I got mine for $65 through discount. Seems like it costs $95 most of the time.

That's not bad at all, I thought it would be more! Thanks for the info. Looking forward to your results. Welcome to TCS by the way!

 

[Kokomo]

I too am looking forward to seeing your results! I would love to test my boy one day. That isn't as expensive as I was afraid it would be. It'll still be a little while. Can I ask how you got the discount?

 

[kdm1984]

Sorry for the late reply...Thanksgiving weekend visits and such. I got the discount through a cat web site. I can't remember which one.

 

[kdm1984]

Results are finally in. She's a generic DSH, showing no likelihood for any of the 27 breeds they have listed. Her wildcat ancestry also showed low percentages, so there is no hybridization.

I was a little excited at first because they had Egyptian Mau at the top, so I thought that meant she was close to that breed -- but when I looked at the actual bars for that breed and all the others, they were right in the middle, which indicates DSH.

 

[duckpond]

She is a Beautiful girl.

 

[kdm1984]

Thanks, yes, she is. I also got further exploration from Basepaws -- while she is clearly DSH, her Egyptian Mau results at the top aren't random or meaningless; that is, in fact, the breed to which she is closest to per their sequencing.