What Breed Might My Kitten Be?

[mcginnisr201]

Hello!

This kitten showed up on our doorstep. What bread might he be? Right now his eyes are partially closed because he has a cold.

 

[abyeb]

What a sweetie! Thanks for rescuing him! I’m guessing that he has blue eyes? In that case he would be a chocolate point Domestic Shorthair. All pointed cats have Siamese ancestry somewhere, but it might be a while back.

 

[sivyaleah]

Gosh, he's adorable. I'd agree with the above, there's Oriental genes in his background for sure.

FYI, I hope you've brought him to the vet. His eyes do look like they could use medical attention. He looks pretty young still and kittens are prone to eye infections when living in poor outdoor conditions. You need to get a handle on that quickly, in order to avoid it getting worse. I'm sure a few days of it being treated they will look a lot better and he'll be feeling more comfortable too. Thank you for rescuing him! He truly is a handsome one!

 

[mcginnisr201]

Gosh, he's adorable. I'd agree with the above, there's Oriental genes in his background for sure.

FYI, I hope you've brought him to the vet. His eyes do look like they could use medical attention. He looks pretty young still and kittens are prone to eye infections when living in poor outdoor conditions. You need to get a handle on that quickly, in order to avoid it getting worse. I'm sure a few days of it being treated they will look a lot better and he'll be feeling more comfortable too. Thank you for rescuing him! He truly is a handsome one!

Thank you! He just showed up yesterday, but we are planning to take him to the vet next week, ASAP. According to a neighbor who saw the litter of kittens in her yard shortly after they were born, he is about 4 months old, but he is VERY small and thin. I thought he was younger. He’s been eating a lot since yesterday.

The poor little guy seems pretty uncomfortable physically. He rubs his eyes a lot, his ears look infected, and he is sneezing frequently. Temperament-wise, he is very social, playful, cuddly, and affectionate. He sleeps on our laps, rubs up against us, purrs, plays with us with balls and toys, etc. He also instantly knew how to use the litter box. I’m not a big cat expert, but I assume he must have been handled by people and socialized somewhat. He does hide under the bed to sleep at times, but he certainly isn’t what I would call feral at all.

We love him so far and are really happy to have him. Thanks for the input!

 

[StefanZ]

Its very possibly he is that friendly because he wants in, so he does his outmost to please himself in.... Its a wise and good trait for a wanna be home cat, if you are a semiferale...

The photo istnt terribly good. Are you sure its a boy? Because he seems to have some spots, and I wonder if some of these spots may be tortie spots, I dont see them clearly..... ie if its a tortie point.
Tortie boys arent common, but tortie girls are common.

 

[lutece]

I would describe this kitten as either a seal point or seal tortie point domestic shorthair. I agree with StefanZ that the picture (although blurry) makes the kitten look more like a tortie point... the kitten might also have a skin condition affecting its fur and causing a mottled appearance.

Most cats are not any particular breed, so we call them domestic shorthair or longhair depending on coat length. The colorpoint gene (responsible for pointed coloration) originally came from the Siamese breed about 70 years ago, but at this time it is widespread in the domestic cat population and doesn't indicate recent Siamese ancestry.

What a sweetie! Thanks for rescuing him! I’m guessing that he has blue eyes? In that case he would be a chocolate point Domestic Shorthair. All pointed cats have Siamese ancestry somewhere, but it might be a while back.

Chocolate is very rare in the domestic cat population, so it's very unlikely that a random-bred pointed kitten would be a chocolate point, and the point color in the picture is definitely dark enough to be seal point.

 

[sivyaleah]

Its very possibly he is that friendly because he wants in, so he does his outmost to please himself in.... Its a wise and good trait for a wanna be home cat, if you are a semiferale...

The photo istnt terribly good. Are you sure its a boy? Because he seems to have some spots, and I wonder if some of these spots may be tortie spots, I dont see them clearly..... ie if its a tortie point.
Tortie boys arent common, but tortie girls are common.

I think the spots may be some kind of skin condition - it looks like there are some balding patches to me. Hopefully the vet visit will clear up everything that the kitten has that's ailing it.

 

[mcginnisr201]

I think the spots may be some kind of skin condition - it looks like there are some balding patches to me. Hopefully the vet visit will clear up everything that the kitten has that's ailing it.

Even in person, I can’t quite tell whether the spots are part of his coloring or some kind of skin abnormality. Hopefully, if it is some medical issue, it won’t be anything too serious. We are quite attached to Snowball already.

 

[mcginnisr201]

I think the spots may be some kind of skin condition - it looks like there are some balding patches to me. Hopefully the vet visit will clear up everything that the kitten has that's ailing it.

Now I’m starting to worry. Do you think the skin condition could be contagious? I have a 2-year-old.

 

[lutece]

Does it look like fur with mottled colors, or does it look like patches of hair loss?

 

[mcginnisr201]

It’s definitely not bald, but it’s truly hard for me to tell whether the patches are possibly thinning. I have a vet appointment Thursday. I have read that malnourishment can also cause thinning fur, and he is only a pound at 4 months old, so fingers crossed he is just malnourished. He doesn’t seem to be itching his face, nor is it red. God, I don’t want my whole family to end up with big bald spots on our scalps over this. Is that likely to happen?

 

[lutece]

If it doesn't appear to be hair loss, it's probably just mottled fur color. Don't worry, but do take the kitten to the vet.

 

[sivyaleah]

Now I’m starting to worry. Do you think the skin condition could be contagious? I have a 2-year-old.

It's just what it looks like to me - it's hard to tell from that photo exactly what it is. It's best to see a vet to be sure and I see you have an appointment already. At least it doesn't sound like something that's bothering him so that's a plus.

 

[mcginnisr201]

If he has ringworm, will we have to find another home for him? Or what should we do? I have two small children at home.

 

[lutece]

The kitten probably doesn't have ringworm if you don't see any patches with hair loss. However it's a good idea with a new kitten to have the vet look closely and check with a Woods lamp just in case.

If the kitten DOES have ringworm, you would need to treat the kitten and clean your house. But don't panic! Ringworm is annoying and takes work to treat, but it is not dangerous. Although it's technically possible for humans to experience hair loss, humans affected by ringworm are more likely to have small patches of reddened scaly skin. Don't start worrying about everyone's hair falling out... it's not likely.

Are you sure it's a male kitten? Do you see testicles? If it's actually a female kitten, it's likely that the mottled appearance is just tortie point coloration.

 

[jefferd18]

What a darling kitten, looks like there is Siamese somewhere down his/her line.

You mentioned sneezing and rubbing his eyes. I think he has a cold/infection and that can easily be cured by a vet. And no, you or your family won't catch it.

 

[mcginnisr201]

I found out from the vet that he dones have ringworm as well as feline HIV. He currently has multiple infections and needs a lot of medical care. I have a toddler at home and no place to quarantine him for the ringworm. The vet said he can’t be outside, either. I don’t think I can keep him, and it’s heartbreaking. I don’t think many people would want to adopt him in this shape. I tried hard for him.

 

[lutece]

Do you mean that he has FIV ("feline AIDS")? I am so sorry to hear that!

Even if you do not keep him, since the kitten has had close contact with you, you may see some ringworm spots appear on family members. Ringworm spores can potentially live in your environment for a long time, so you will want to clean your house and treat any symptoms that may appear. Ringworm is not dangerous, just annoying.

 

[mcginnisr201]

Do you mean that he has FIV ("feline AIDS")? I am so sorry to hear that!

Even if you do not keep him, since the kitten has had close contact with you, you may see some ringworm spots appear on family members. Ringworm spores can potentially live in your environment for a long time, so you will want to clean your house and treat any symptoms that may appear. Ringworm is not dangerous, just annoying.

Thank you! This whole situation has been so heartbreaking.

 

[sivyaleah]

I'm so very sorry to hear this. In spite of the outcome, thank you for rescuing him. Even though you are not able to keep him, at least he isn't on the street now. Perhaps, someone will be able to take him in. There are many kind hearted people out there who are expert at caring for cats with various health conditions of all types. You tried, and for that you should be proud