Yet another coat color question :)

[clixpix]

I take pictures of cats for a local rescue for their website. Today I took pictures of this gorgeous little DSH 5 month old kitten. The marking on the top of her head is either smoke or shaded (if I'd had more time, I'd have gotten a close-up of it. Her tail has a lighter version of the spot. The rest of her is white (with occasional smoke/shaded hairs). Her eyes are gorgeous...bluish/seafoam green. Perhaps they're aqua, but maybe they'll continue to change as she grows up?

Anyway, I wanted to gather some opinions on how you would describe her coat color for her description? Thanks! She's also the sweetest little thing!

 

[staceyloobug]

I'm not an expert, but somewhere I read that any cat that is mostly white, but with markings (black/gray/orange) on their head and tail (and sometimes one or two spots on their back) is a van cat.

My Mom has one like this (Bubbles

), and he lives up to what I've read the personality of a van cat is.

Anyway, someone will come along and help you out more than I can, but that's how I'd describe her as far as coat/breed, as a non-expert anyway.

 

[goldenkitty45]

She is very pretty. She would be a van if color is on head and tail. As far as the real color that's hard to tell just by the picture. She does look black smoke and white, but I think its just off color black.

I'd have to really see the cat in person to tell correctly. The base of the black fur has to be white. The "smoke" color usually doesn't show up on the surface but many blacks if they have been sick at some recent time can get "fever coat" where the black fur appears to be smoked out.

 

[northernglow]

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

She is very pretty. She would be a van if color is on head and tail. As far as the real color that's hard to tell just by the picture. She does look black smoke and white, but I think its just off color black.

I'd have to really see the cat in person to tell correctly. The base of the black fur has to be white. The "smoke" color usually doesn't show up on the surface but many blacks if they have been sick at some recent time can get "fever coat" where the black fur appears to be smoked out.

Agreed. Definitely not shaded (she's way too dark).
It almost looks like someone brushed mascara or paint to her fur.

She is very pretty!

 

[nekochan]

Do you think maybe she could be tabby, but the colored spots are so small that you can't really see distinct tabby lines or spots?

 

[goldenkitty45]

Was thinking that at first, however there are no black tabby cats - the darkest color is a brown tabby and the color doesn't hint of being a brown base - so no, I don't believe its a tabby. Its black & white in a van pattern color.

 

[clixpix]

Fever coat is a possibility. This girl was born and raised outside in the dead of winter. I did look at the hairs, and they're definitely tipped black. I didn't know if her unusual eye color was indicative of a specific coat type, or if she's just lucky.

I looked through the pictures, and this is the best view of her head markings.

 

[bunnelina]

She's SO gorgeous! I love the symmetry of her markings, and those outlines on her ears are really unique. She's so unusual! I hope she finds a loving home.

 

[lyrajean]

No answer to your question, but god she is adorable! If she's friendly, I bet she finds a home soon.

 

[epona]

It looks to me as though her black patch has a lot of 'roaning' (like a roan horse - the dark areas have white hairs sprinkled throughout), it looks more like that than shaded or smoke but it is hard to tell from a photo. It happens with some moggie bicolours, especially if they are a higher proportion of white to coloured areas, and is less seen in pedigrees due to selective breeding as it is not usually a desired feature on the showbench. My Radar is a harlequin bicolour (70% white, 30% black) and has heavy roaning in his black patches. If some hairs are black down to the root (although they may fade to more grey looking at the root) and other hairs within the black patch are white to the root then it is roaning. If the hairs are black at the tip and clear white at the root then it is shaded/smoke, depending upon the proportion of the hair shaft that is coloured.

May I say that she is absolutely gorgeous, I can't see her having any trouble getting a home! And you take great photos