Which breeds does she resemble?

Roxabelle

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Hey all, first post!

The first question people ask me about my kitten is what breed is she. As far as I’m concerned she’s of no specific breed, she’s just a very beautiful mix. But pet insurers will also always ask, and I’m quite curious too I guess :) I’m certainly no expert but I love cats and I’d like to learn more!

Her name is Sinclair, she’s 9 weeks old, and I would describe her as a cream tabby with broken stripes. I’m sure there’s a more technical way to describe here so I’m looking forward to hearing your answers 😊 Many thanks in advance!
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Kieka

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For pet insurance, shorthair domestic. Without any breed paperwork you want to stick with the shorthair domestic.

First, thats what she is as named breeds is a new human hobby and reality is that only a very very small percentage of cats actually are the named breeds. Even cats that look exactly like a named breed may have no lineage connection to the breed.

Second, with insurance they will raise rates based on breed or refuse to cover specific conditions with specific breeds because the breed is known for problem x. Unless you have breed paperwork she isn't the breed no matter what she looks like. Claiming the breed on your paperwork will only hurt you, I always insist my vet puts shorthair domestic on our paperwork as the breed to prevent problems.

All that said, her coloring is really something. Her coat pattern is tabby with white but I am not good with the different tabby markings or colors. Hopefully someone else will come along with that but remember that tabby is a coat pattern not a breed.
 
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Roxabelle

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That’s so helpful about the insurance, thank you! I’d never thought about it like that. I’d only very recently learned that tabby wasn’t a breed as such, and just a description of markings. Very confusing when most drop down boxes for breed include ‘tabby’ as an option... Definitely domestic shorthair for paperwork purposes. Any other description is purely for her Instagram bio, haha x
 

Kieka

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My boy is the same story, he is a domestic shorthair but lookalike for snowshoe siamese. His look doesn't change that he is technically a domestic shorthair with sealpoint and white coloring. He has no actual pedigree or paperwork to document any specific breed connection and his coloring is actually not uncommon.

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Don't feel bad for being confused, there is a lot of confusion about cat breeds out there. People who say any colorpoint cat is a Siamese. People who say that tabby is a breed. People who claim most cats are related to specific breeds or claim their cat is based on looks (most cat breeds are slightly refined naturally occuring appearances, so they can and do pop up in the general cat population outside of the breed). Backyard breeders selling cats by breed because of appearance (which then causes the buyers to lock onto the breed because they were scammed and dont want to admit it). Shelters tagging cats as a breed based on appearance or ignorance which then continues the misconceptions. Businesses that structure their systems around dogs and dog breeds (which are a lot more established and defined) then try to apply that model to cats. Really it should be default cat breed domestic with options to change breed, select hair length, select coat pattern, select coat color (but I am a data analyst and understand the complexity of varying parameters when you use the same system for both).

Its a mess out there. But reality is a lot simpler, domestic cats are varied in both size, structure and coloring. Felines in general are widely variated on the same basic structure because of their superior adaptability.
 

lutece

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Your kitten is adorable! The pictures you took are really nice, too, so cheery and full of light.

I would describe your kitten as a brown mackerel tabby and white domestic shorthair. As Kieka Kieka explained, most cats are not any particular breed, and are also not "mixes" of breeds. But that doesn't make them any less special... domestic shorthairs are great cats :)

Mackerel tabby refers to her pattern of vertical stripes. Since her stripes are slightly broken up into spots, you could also refer to her pattern as "broken mackerel," however it's actually pretty common for mackerel tabbies to have broken stripes like that.

Brown (black-based) tabbies have black stripes on a brownish background. The background color can vary between warm rusty brown, cold grayish brown, or creamy beige like your kitten. "Cream tabby" would refer to a different color, with cream stripes on a light cream background.
 
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Roxabelle

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Your kitten is adorable! The pictures you took are really nice, too, so cheery and full of light.

I would describe your kitten as a brown mackerel tabby and white domestic shorthair. As Kieka Kieka explained, most cats are not any particular breed, and are also not "mixes" of breeds. But that doesn't make them any less special... domestic shorthairs are great cats :)

Mackerel tabby refers to her pattern of vertical stripes. Since her stripes are slightly broken up into spots, you could also refer to her pattern as "broken mackerel," however it's actually pretty common for mackerel tabbies to have broken stripes like that.

Brown (black-based) tabbies have black stripes on a brownish background. The background color can vary between warm rusty brown, cold grayish brown, or creamy beige like your kitten. "Cream tabby" would refer to a different color, with cream stripes on a light cream background.
Thank you :) She is definitely a photogenic little kitten. She’s got a wonderful personality already too :hearthrob: Thanks for your advice!
 
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