Possible Bengal Mix? OR Just a regular Tabby?

missdc5

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Meet Winslow. I adopted her a few weeks ago due to her previous owners being unable to care for her anymore. They did not tell me much about her other than she was the only one to survive from the litter.i have had her for about a month now, and I would say she acts more like a dog than a cat. She constantly follows me around everywhere I go! Also, she has a curly tail (I've never seen this before on a cat) let me know what you think!



 

tabbytom

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Missdc5,

Beautiful kitty [emoji]10084[/emoji]️

Winslow looks like a DSH Broken Mackerel Striped Tabby
 
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missdc5

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Missdc5,

Beautiful kitty [emoji]10084[/emoji]️

Winslow looks like a DSH Broken Mackerel Striped Tabby
Thank you! I figured she was something of the sort, any ideas where her curly tail would have originated from?
 

Kieka

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Do you have a picture of her side and tail a little closer and better light? It's hard to tell breed or mix with these photos. Going out on a limb with what I can see I am saying tabby, not quite spotted enough for a bengal. They tend to have more deine spots and patterns. Not to say there might not be some in the family tree.

That said, cats can be born with crooked or twisted tails for no other reason then malformed. There is a little boy on Instagram with a stubby beaver looking tail and x-rays showed that under the fur it's a lighting bolt shape.
 
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missdc5

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This is the best picture I can get of her side at the moment as she tends to move quick! Also, her tail is not permanently curled all the time. Only when she tries to make it stand up straight like when she's greeting me, it tends to flop over instead of stand straight.
 

tabbytom

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Thank you! I figured she was something of the sort, any ideas where her curly tail would have originated from?
You are welcomed [emoji]128515[/emoji]

I can't see the tail clearly. As Kieka mentioned, post a full side view of your kitty and post a bigger picture.

Ok, you've just posted a side view. Should be a Broken Mackerel Striped Tabby.
 

Kieka

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Yup tabby as said by TabbyTom. The curling of the tail when holding it upright is kitty talk. She's either really playful or excited to see you.
 
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missdc5

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Thanks for the identification :) much appreciated. With her tail, I know cats usually curl at the end, but my girl it flops straight over her back. I found this picture on my phone, it's a little closer. Not the greatest quality but you get the idea. All of the cats that I had as a child growing up never flexed their tail so far backwards.
 

Kieka

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I'd say still means the same. Her tail is probably just more flexible than most cats.
 

StefanZ

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I agree with the others, but want to add, the coloring as such isnt that common. So even if you dont have no half-bengal at home, "just" a broken mackerel tabby, you DO have a rarity - this very nice cat whom is also unusually colored. :)
 

Blondyhan

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Meet Winslow. I adopted her a few weeks ago due to her previous owners being unable to care for her anymore. They did not tell me much about her other than she was the only one to survive from the litter.i have had her for about a month now, and I would say she acts more like a dog than a cat. She constantly follows me around everywhere I go! Also, she has a curly tail (I've never seen this before on a cat) let me know what you think!



This cat definately resembles and behaves like a Bengal. Also Ive heard anout american ring tail. Would be interesting if you dud DNA test.
I have half a bengal for sure and yours resamble her a lot. Also the behaviour is very Bengal. They are more social, greet their owners, love water, and follow their owners around. You can throw a toy and they'll bring it for you. You can train them to come to you on command. And take them out for walks.
Also your cats pattern is more define than the common tabby.
 

Kieka

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This cat definately resembles and behaves like a Bengal. Also Ive heard anout american ring tail. Would be interesting if you dud DNA test.
I have half a bengal for sure and yours resamble her a lot. Also the behaviour is very Bengal. They are more social, greet their owners, love water, and follow their owners around. You can throw a toy and they'll bring it for you. You can train them to come to you on command. And take them out for walks.
Also your cats pattern is more define than the common tabby.
DNA testing is unreliable for cats. Cats have been able to freely intermingle and catch rides with humans for thousands of years. Selectively breeding for appearance is a new human hobby and there aren't very many cats related to any specific breed out there. Really, the math just doesn't work for more then a very small percentage to be related to anything we consider purebred (something like 1-5% by my guess). Most DNA tests rely on self identified breeds and those are highly inaccurate since people assume their cat is a breed based on appearance. Those that don't have a very small genetic pool because there really aren't that many purebred cats in the scene of things. Cat DNA testing is more useful in identifying health items. But since you paid the test manufacturer's will tell you your cat is a mix of X, Y and Z.

Behavior is also highly unreliable for breed identification. Cats have been mostly bred for looks, not behavior. Some behaviors do seem to be found more within a breed but it's usually related more to parents temperament and breeder raising practices then the breed as a whole.

The only way in the cat world to say a cat is a breed is with pedigree paperwork. My cat is a fairly good example, by all appearances she could be labeled a snowshoe...
20200113_193023.jpg

However, she is a street cat and I watched several generations in her colony so I know for sure. Her litter just happened to get the colorpoint gene from both sides and she got the black and white base color. She had a sibling that was lynx and another like her. But all of them were 100% domestic cat. The colony was just heavy with bicolor and tabby cats and a random colorpoint every few generations. Nothing purebred anything, just a pretty moggy.

Looks and behavior don't make a cat a breed. Their lineage does and without breed paperwork to document that they are the wonderful domestic cat we all love.
 

Blondyhan

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Do you have a picture of her side and tail a little closer and better light? It's hard to tell breed or mix with these photos. Going out on a limb with what I can see I am saying tabby, not quite spotted enough for a bengal. They tend to have more deine spots and patterns. Not to say there might not be some in the family tree.

That said, cats can be born with crooked or twisted tails for no other reason then malformed. There is a little boy on Instagram with a stubby beaver looking tail and x-rays showed that under the fur it's a lighting bolt shape.
I have no idea how good the DNA testing is on cats.. but then again if he had any asian leopard cat on him, surely it would show.
And tbe point if curiosity, is not labelling the cat, all cats are amazing!!!! but getting to know the breed better. As lets say he has Leopard cat in him, it would explain a lot about his character as its very unique to that breed.
 

Kieka

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I have no idea how good the DNA testing is on cats.. but then again if he had any asian leopard cat on him, surely it would show.
And tbe point if curiosity, is not labelling the cat, all cats are amazing!!!! but getting to know the breed better. As lets say he has Leopard cat in him, it would explain a lot about his character as its very unique to that breed.
Asian Leopard Cat would be highly unlikely for any general domestic cat to have in them. If you are talking the commercial cat dna testing it's unlikely to show that and even then doubtful if it is accurate. There isn't enough research into cats to have a good DNA database to determine anything about breeds. Cat DNA testing by general consumers is a fun way to spend a few hundred dollars, it's not good science.

Again, behavior is not breed linked or breed exclusive. One of the other cats in my house is a black cat who was bottle fed and cuddled nearly non-stop as a kitten. I have dozens of pictures from his napping on my Mom for hours. As an adult he loves to be tucked in for a nap, is within 10 feet of my Mom at almost all times, plays fetch and makes a chirp sounds instead of your typical meow. He is just a wonderful domestic cat not a special breed. Most cats breed is just domestic, that is the breed. Trying to assign some fancy purebred or exotic label to them is labeling them. Getting to know the breed better is knowing that domestic cats come in a wide range of colors, temperaments and sizes. Accepting and loving the domestic cat as they are for what they are instead of insisting on labeling them as something they aren't for fun isn't fun. It's fun to guess what they most closely resemble but resemble and related to are not the same thing.
 
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jefferd18

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Its a hard one to call, she just doesn't seem to have the typical patterns of a tabby. She sure does sound like quite a find and has all the earmarks of being your best friend.
 

glittercat

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She is a stunner whatever she is. Gorgeous girl!!

I've had Bengal cats in the past (3 males, 1 female). All were purebred, registered and fully papered. One had properly defined rosettes on cream / gold coat, two had solid black spots on russet fur and one had less definite spots (ticked coat) but good classic 'wild' head, body and tail. All had nice 'glitter' on their coats.

Of the 4, only one played fetch, they all hated water (other than drinking from the tap) and although they greeted us, they didn't really follow us about that much

I currently have 3 black moggies (2 sisters, 1 unrelated boy). All of them will play fetch (though they each have specific toy preferences for this). They greet me every day when I get home from work, and I can't go anywhere in the house or do anything without 3 shadows tailing me :)

So behavior sadly not an indication of breeding. But Bengal / part Bengal or not she is a beauty :)
 

lutece

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Note that this is an old thread... it looks like the OP (missdc5) hasn't been on this site for over 3 years.

I would describe missdc5's cat as a brown tabby domestic shorthair with a "broken mackerel" pattern (mackerel stripes broken up into spots), and B Bgolfn333 's cat as a brown classic tabby domestic shorthair. They are both beautiful cats! I am not seeing indications of Bengal ancestry in either of these cats. Most cats are not any particular breed.

As far as missdc5's cat's tail flipping up along the back like that, some cats do that, but I don't think it means anything about the cat's ancestry. Bengals are actually supposed to have low-set tails, so it's definitely not a Bengal characteristic.

I also agree with glittercat glittercat and Kieka Kieka that behavior is not a reliable indication of breed ancestry. Your post made me laugh, glittercat :)
 
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glittercat

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Note that this is an old thread... it looks like the OP (missdc5) hasn't been on this site for over 3 years.

I also agree with glittercat glittercat and Kieka Kieka that behavior is not a reliable indication of breed ancestry. Your post made me laugh, glittercat :)
Whoops, didn't even notice the date!

Glad my post made you laugh :) cats are nothing if not individual!!
 
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