What breed is my 2 month old cat?

[Zhala]

Inside and outside of ears are creamy white(unlike looks black in some photos but it isn't black), his chest has white hairs, all his hair's roots are white and edged are black or brown, his eyes not quite yellow but will get yellower(I had same rescued cat before, but he couldn't make it so I found new rescued cat but same exact breed), some of his hairs are brownish and dark reddish, his nail are very-very curvy(unlike most European short hair cats). I do believe he is York Chocolate or close to Chantilly-Tiffany but probably mixed. Still I am not sure, pls help!

 

[lutece]

Your kitten is cute! From these pictures, I would describe him as a black domestic shorthair. Most cats are not any particular breed.

He appears to have big ears and long legs, which might indicate some ancestry from a "foreign-type" or "oriental-type" cat, such as the Siamese or a related breed, or it might be a developmental stage, as many kittens go through a stage where they are gangly and have big ears. Where in the world are you located? In some parts of the world, domestic cats are naturally more slender than in other regions.

If the roots of the hair are white all over the cat, your kitten's color might be black smoke. However, it's hard to say at this age. Black kittens often have ghost tabby markings and some lighter areas of the coat, which may appear brownish or smoky gray. White hairs are common, too. What do you mean by inside and outside of ears being white? Do you mean that there are some white ear hairs?

 

[Zhala]

Your kitten is cute! From these pictures, I would describe him as a black domestic shorthair. Most cats are not any particular breed.

He appears to have big ears and long legs, which might indicate some ancestry from a "foreign-type" or "oriental-type" cat, such as the Siamese or a related breed, or it might be a developmental stage, as many kittens go through a stage where they are gangly and have big ears. Where in the world are you located? In some parts of the world, domestic cats are naturally more slender than in other regions.

If the roots of the hair are white all over the cat, your kitten's color might be black smoke. However, it's hard to say at this age. Black kittens often have ghost tabby markings and some lighter areas of the coat, which may appear brownish or smoky gray. White hairs are common, too. What do you mean by inside and outside of ears being white? Do you mean that there are some white ear hairs?

No the color of his ears is white creamy color but hairs are black. I am in South Caucasus which makes him being York Chocolate very hard to be honest. But I have seen Chantilly-Tiffany in some cities. Maybe he is mixed. The one I tried to rescue before was exactly same with this one. His hair also was starting white and ending black or brown or dark orange-reddish. After he died, I rescued another kitten and after examine him I realized

they are the same breed. It was strange thou, there are cats like Bombay black in the street but doesn't look like my kitten or late cat.

 

[Zhala]

Also I found these pics on the internet. I believe he will grow up be like this cat.

 

[lutece]

No the color of his ears is white creamy color but hairs are black.

Do you mean the color of the skin is white, and the hairs are black?

 

[Zhala]

Do you mean the color of the skin is white, and the hairs are black?

yes, because some black cats have black skin ears

 

[lutece]

Also I found these pics on the internet. I believe he will grow up be like this cat.

It's certainly possible that he may turn out to look like that. Note that these do appear to be pictures of a black cat, not a chocolate colored cat. It's normal for black cats to have slightly brownish or grayish fur in parts of the coat, especially if it is longhaired. The cat in the pictures looks like it might be a longhaired cat with a coat that is relatively short and fine (similar to a Turkish Angora or Oriental Longhair). Since your kitten is so young and its coat is slightly fluffy, it's possible your kitten's coat might turn out to be either longhaired or shorthaired.

The York Chocolate and Chantilly-Tiffany breeds are not being bred any more, but it can be confusing because of all the breed descriptions on the internet (which are mostly articles written and copied by people who have no personal experience). A lot of people see these breed descriptions, think their cats are York Chocolate or Chantilly-Tiffany, and then post pictures saying that is their cats' breed... this adds to the confusion. Chocolate cats do appear from time to time in the domestic cat population, as this is simply a recessive color gene (although relatively rare). However, your kitten appears to be either black or black smoke, not chocolate in color. I think your other cat might have been black smoke in color, from the pictures. Black smoke cats have white roots, and the hair tips are black (or blackish brown / blackish gray).

 

[Zhala]

I believe he is classified as domestic cat because no official breed document, and we don't really need no official breed certificate I picked up him because there is rituals and tortures toward black cats in Georgia. He has part brownish hair(like the pic on the internet but no specified breed) but he is very active because of his age and is very afraid of everything and also likes dark places so it is very hard to get his pictures unlike my late tortured cat. My late cate was dying so I took a lot of pics to send vets with blood test and also had to examine every single points of his body in case something gets worse or better. So comparing them they are identical but with age and health difference. My little one is definitely mixed but I have seen exact Chantilly Tiffany on the street and very shocked because I know there are very rare also no the breed belongs to Azerbaijan(neighboring country-all considered South Caucasus so animal breeds are the same). These are his pics:

 

[lutece]

My little one is definitely mixed but I have seen exact Chantilly Tiffany on the street and very shocked because I know there are very rare also no the breed belongs to Azerbaijan(neighboring country-all considered South Caucasus so animal breeds are the same). These are his pics:

These latest pictures are also of a black cat. It is normal for black cats, especially longhaired cats, to have some brownish fur just like those pictures. People often think it is a "Chantilly-Tiffany" and post this all over the internet, but it is just the way many black longhaired cats look... it is normal (although beautiful in its own way!)

 

[Zhala]

Really? It looked the same as Chantilly-Tiffany as pics on the a a lot of websites and cat breed apps! And I was shocked because they are native to north America and we have ocean and Europe between us.

 

[lutece]

Yes, black cats with that appearance often come up on this forum. Here is a thread that has a lot of great pictures of sivyaleah 's black Maine Coon cat, Luna, showing her coat going through phases with brownish or smoky gray appearance to the coat:

What breed does Frankie most resemble?

Another thread showing great pictures of Luna: Black Cat - Rusting

The web sites and "cat breed apps" often have pictures of black cats mislabeled "Chantilly-Tiffany." There is lots of misinformation online...

 

[sivyaleah]

Luna's mom here - again!

Everything lutece says about black cats with browning fur is correct. The OP's cat is gorgeous, but most surely black. I joined several FB groups dedicated to Maine Coon's, and another that group that analyses coat colors. Nearly all of the people in that group are breeders or those who study feline genetics.

The consensus, surprisingly to me after all I now know, is Luna IS black smoke. Not solid black. The brown coloring is remarkably common in black cats now that I'm more familiar. There are so many MC's that look exactly like she does although she is a bit more of a conundrum due to her smokiness not being as pronounced as others.

As the OP could see, she looked extremely brown in many photos. She still does. This is a very recent photo of her while recovering from foot surgery (she had a malformed dewclaw which grew into her, got infected and had to be removed, unfortunately). You can see the brown tones really well here. Her underbelly, however, and other hidden areas are more grey.

 

[lutece]

Why do they think she is black smoke in color? Has her coat become white at the root?

 

[sivyaleah]

Why do they think she is black smoke in color? Has her coat become white at the root?

It always has been in some places. Her belly fur is completely grey/white from the entire shaft of the fur. No black at all. The lighter fur on her mane and britches is the same.
About a dozen people looked at close ups of her fur that I took, and all of them said they felt she was black smoke.
They could be wrong of course, but at this point I'm going with it - especially since I won't have to change her registration paper then LOL.
I've now seen so many other black smoke cats, some with brown tones, that I feel fairly comfortable calling her that. I'm not completely sold though - I think she's an anomaly and difficult to say yea or nay to either solid or smoke. Wish I knew someone nearby who could lay hands on her that knew this stuff.
EDIT: or her breeder would answer me - that would be ideal but I have no hope for that.

 

[sivyaleah]

FYI, she also has developed several all white hairs on her back.
Not sure if this has anything to do with anything.

 

[Aipolukhina]

I think your kitten might be a York Chocolate. The longer lighter wispy hairs on ears, chest, belly and legs is common. They also tend to have unique honey colored eyes, or golden or hazel. Eyes are almond shaped. Ears and large and far apart. They are large but have graceful lines because of some Siamese heritage. Attached is a pic of my 4 mo kitten. He looks anywhere from black to dark brown depending on the light. I think mine is a York Chocolate too.

 

[sivyaleah]

I think your kitten might be a York Chocolate. The longer lighter wispy hairs on ears, chest, belly and legs is common. They also tend to have unique honey colored eyes, or golden or hazel. Eyes are almond shaped. Ears and large and far apart. They are large but have graceful lines because of some Siamese heritage. Attached is a pic of my 4 mo kitten. He looks anywhere from black to dark brown depending on the light. I think mine is a York Chocolate too.

This is an extinct breed which was never recognized anyway as a breed. It's impossible to have one.

 

[lutece]

I think your kitten might be a York Chocolate. The longer lighter wispy hairs on ears, chest, belly and legs is common. They also tend to have unique honey colored eyes, or golden or hazel. Eyes are almond shaped. Ears and large and far apart. They are large but have graceful lines because of some Siamese heritage. Attached is a pic of my 4 mo kitten. He looks anywhere from black to dark brown depending on the light. I think mine is a York Chocolate too.

Your kitten is very pretty, but is not chocolate in color. He's a black kitten, and appears to be likely to turn out long haired. Super cute! The white wispy hairs may or may not go away as his adult coat develops, you will just have to see.

York Chocolate cats are not being bred any more. Also, the cats in this thread are not chocolate in color, they are black like your kitten.

 

[Aipolukhina]

Your kitten is very pretty, but is not chocolate in color. He's a black kitten, and appears to be likely to turn out long haired. Super cute! The white wispy hairs may or may not go away as his adult coat develops, you will just have to see.

York Chocolate cats are not being bred any more. Also, the cats in this thread are not chocolate in color, they are black like your kitten.

Thanks for the information! There are a lot of sources out there that say otherwise, which is why I posted the same question about my kitty in a separate thread (which you basically just answered). Several sites said the breed was recognised but it likely wasn't a reputable organization given what you said. Appreciate your kind tone as well. Hopefully others will see that it is possible to correct others and be nice

 

[lutece]

Thanks for the information! There are a lot of sources out there that say otherwise, which is why I posted the same question about my kitty in a separate thread (which you basically just answered). Several sites said the breed was recognised but it likely wasn't a reputable organization given what you said.

Historically, the York Chocolate breed was recognized many years ago by CFF (a small cat registry that has a few shows per year in the eastern United States), but even back then, there were only a few breeders and the breed never became popular. I used to live in that region, and I did see a few York Chocolate cats being shown about 30 years ago. CFF still exists, but is an extremely small organization with few shows. As far as I know, the York Chocolate breed is technically still accepted in CFF... but these cats are not being bred any more, so sivyaleah is correct that it's impossible to have one, as the breed no longer exists.

In any case, you have a lovely kitten! Feel free to post more pictures in the other thread about your kitten