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I'm wondering if someone would be kind enough to teach me about some of the different cat breeds out there. :)
I know Calicos, and tabbys, (I own one of each) but I've seen so many beautiful cats that I don't know the names of. For example when someone mentions having an "orangie" is that a type of cat or are they only referring to the color?
Anyone?
(Can you tell I've always considered myself a dog person. ;) )
I'd say about 80% of the cats you see are just domestic short, medium or long hair and not a particular breed. For example tabby and calico is just a color or type. And orangie is just that, and orange cat. However certain breeds do have orange tabbies, for example a Maine coon could be an orange tabby.
lets start here.....
calico is a color
tabby means stripes....could be brown tabby, blue tabby, silver tabby and even orange tabby.
and "orangie" is a cute way to say an orange colored cat. Also known as red or ginger colored cat.
tuxedo is a pattern.......white bib, paws, and varying degrees of white on the face and tummy. Can be black, blue or even red or tabby.
What other terms are you curious about??
Orangie just means color. We love those orangies around here.
My Ripley is part Maine Coon, that is a very large size breed. We have several MC/ MC mixes here on PT.
That is just one of many different breed and we have several breeds represented here. Hopefully people will chime in and show you examples (good way to see pics :D ).
Yup, what they all said :)
But its true that the different colors and patterns also have different temperments. It can be said that calicos and Tortis are tempermental and have a lot of "cattitude"
Orangies tend to be majorly mellow love-muffins.
Brown tabbies are just the most wonderful kitties in the world (gee which is my favorite? :p )
There's something about an all black cat too.
Of course there are cats that don't fit that profile, but for the most part, their coloring can be a good indicator of what they'll be like.
Yup, what everyone else said. However orange Maine Coon males are just SO SPECIAL (of course, I'm not prejudiced, nuh-uh, nope, not at all :rolleyes: :p :D ) Just ask Mishi! :D
HAHAHAHAHA.....Quote:
Originally posted by PJ's Mom
(Can you tell I've always considered myself a dog person. ;) )
ANOTHER VICTIM!!!!!!
I was always a 'dog person'....Once they sink their claws into you .............IT"S OVER!!!!:D
i like black and white ones the best, like my first kitty, pinto. :D
I have a stupid question of my own.
my friend said that female ginger colored cats are rare.
is that true?
A Calico,is a Multi colred Cat,primarily,with White,Orange,and Black,in varying shades.Tortoise shell,usually are darker,with Black,Red,maybe Brown,Orangies,are the Cute Name,for Orange DSHS<Domestic Short Hairs.Some Calicos,have Yellow,as the colors,tend,to blur,depending,on the Father,or Fathers.
Its rare, but not too rare. We have a lot of female orangies on PT. Rare are the calico or tortie malesQuote:
Originally posted by Vette
I have a stupid question of my own.
my friend said that female ginger colored cats are rare.
is that true?
They are rare because the males are usually sterile.Quote:
Originally posted by catnapper
Its rare, but not too rare. We have a lot of female orangies on PT. Rare are the calico or tortie males
Other wierd cat facts:
Pure white cats with blue eyes (other than Siamese/Oriental) are genetically deaf.
Polydactyl (extra toed) cats stem from a primary strain owned by Ernest Hemimngway on Key West FL. (another strain claims to come from the ship Mayflower)
A Siamese cat is genetically an all black cat. They are born white, the points are heat sensitive and darken as the cat grows.
A female can have simultaneously have a litter of kittens from different father cats.
I'd love to hear any other breed or genetic facts anyone knows about out there.
:)
Here are some of my favourite links:
Cat Fancy Magazine Breed Profiles
Cat Fanciers Color and Genetics info
I read on www.catchow.com one time in their questions and answers that 2/3 of all orangies are male leaving 1/3 to be female. Like my Weezier Peezier!Quote:
Originally posted by Vette
I have a stupid question of my own.
my friend said that female ginger colored cats are rare.
is that true?
I think most cats I see are mixed-breed domestic shorthair or longhair, but I have some guesses as to the background of my cats and others I know. Here are some pics as examples of colors or possible breeds:
Bailey is a domestic shorthair - we think his father was part Siamese, actually - he was a big guy who fathered many kitties in our old apt complex, which is where we adopted him from - they found 3 kittens in the shed, and our Bailey was the only male. He's a gorgeous brown tabby with white, but we don't know much about his background:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...4/f528d056.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...e/f4f81a06.jpg
As for Leila, well, she is so tiny, yet limber and fast - she's also kind of long. She's very playful and acrobatic too. She's also tabby - she's what they call a calico tabby, b/c she has that calico pattern mixed with the brown tabby pattern. We think she's part oriental of some sort, b/c of her face and some of her behavior.
This picture really shows her markings well:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...4/f50b12c8.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...7/f4f81a68.jpg
Leo is a good example of an "orangie" - he's an orange tabby. We're not sure of his breed background - it's mixed - the people at the shelter think he's part Persian b/c of his laid-back nice attitude, and I also think he could be part British Shorthair b/c of his larger, rounded head and his swirly tabby markings.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...7/f507e15a.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...0/f507e15c.jpg
Claudia is a Snowshoe (mix), which is part Siamese, part domestic shorthair bi-color, I think - we don't know if she's full snowshoe or not, b/c she was from the same shelter that we adopted Leo from, but she certainly has the personality of a snowshoe, and she has the correct markings (and the blue eyes) also. Someone else told me she looked like she could be part ragdoll. Her hair is kind of long, even though she was short-haired last summer. She is also kind of short-legged, but solidly built.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...5/f4f8205d.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...d/f50b04fd.jpg
Any breed guesses would be appreciated. :)
My mom's cats - the first one is Smoky, and he's part Birman, part Himalayan, something like that. He's got the perfect markings of a Birman, for the most part. He also is a polydactyl, with 6 claws on each of the front paws, and 5 claws on each of the back paws - needless to say, trimming those extra claws is sometimes difficult!
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...7/f5080aa8.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...1/f5080b7f.jpg
Here's her new cat Belle, who we adopted for her - for a companion for Smoky/part Xmas present for Mom & Dad - she came from the same rescue group as our Leo & Claudia - her breed background is unknown to me, but she's domestic shorthair, white and black with green eyes - she's got really tall ears - we can't figure it out. Any guesses?
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...f/f5080b7e.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...c/f5080b7d.jpg
Sometimes cats like her are called 'torbies' also for 'tortie-tabby.' I think that started in Britain where they don't have 'calico.' They call them 'Torties with white' even if they are like my sister's Little Sam and are almost all white with only a few orange and black patches.Quote:
Originally posted by Jayna78
As for Leila, well, she is so tiny, yet limber and fast - she's also kind of long. She's very playful and acrobatic too. She's also tabby - she's what they call a calico tabby, b/c she has that calico pattern mixed with the brown tabby pattern.
[
Whatever you call them, all your cats are beautiful, though! I love their pretty faces.
Terms are sometimes different in other countries. My Maya is a female calico. Here in Belgium, nobody says "calico", but "lapjeskat". Which is Dutch for "patchwork-cat". Some people even call her a "belgian cat", because our national flag also consists of 3 different colours (black, yellow, red).
Lut, that is really interesting! I would love to know more about the differences.
Of course, I like to joke that my tuxies ARE a breed..but, they aren't. I have 2 DSHs, 2 DMH, 2DLH (though I think Tenny has something else in him...maybe himmy or persian) and 1 VERY bad DSH (with maybe some siamese) blackie.
It is the characteristics of the cats that make me think there is something else in them...Tenny has the laid back, loving, gets along with the world temperment like a himmy or persian. Monte has the overly vocal ways of a siamese.
Course, they are loved for whatever they are, or aren't!!
Hey, thanks!!Quote:
Originally posted by Cataholic
Lut, that is really interesting! I would love to know more about the differences.
Well, another important difference is that tabby's are called "tigered" here!
This is pretty interesting. I only know the American and British terms. It would be nice to have a thread about all the different terms from all over the world. Everyone could help out. I would really enjoy learning about them.
The Siamese cat I had when I was growing up, Syee, gave birth to a litter of kittens. The all black male, Winchester, was bred and the kittens from his fathering had Siamese markings. Those kittens went on to be shown (probably in the household pet category) and even won ribbons! I always thought that was strange (the women who adopted him was odd), but know I know - it is possible! I learn so much from PT!Quote:
Originally posted by rosethecopycat
A Siamese cat is genetically an all black cat. They are born white, the points are heat sensitive and darken as the cat grows. :)
So, tuxies aren't a breed of their own...I always thought they were. :o Male calicos are very rare, Richard used to be a dog person, too. Persians, Siamese and Himalayan are breeds.
This is what I've learned so far. :D
One question...what kind of cat is Catnapper's Allen? He (and cats like him) are very handsome! :)
Another interesting thing is that tabby cats usually have a "M" marking on their forehead right above and between their eyes. You can see it here on Rocky but his isn't even as prominant as others.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v110/jazzcat99/p6.jpg
Ripley, Scout and Rumor also have it but it's a little harder to see on Scout and Rumor, it just looks more like lines.
As for Catnapper's Allen I believe he would be called a Domestic Short Hair (breed) orange tabby (for color and markings), if I have that right.
Lut, that was very interesting.
Here is something I read many years ago. Orange cats came from a mutation in the gene of black cats so if you bred two black cats, it is possible to get an orange kitten. Sorry, I can't remember where I read that from, though.
I believe Allen would be an orange tabby, DSH, not really a breed either, and I agree, he is very handsome ;)Quote:
Originally posted by PJ's Mom
One question...what kind of cat is Catnapper's Allen? He (and cats like him) are very handsome! :)
HERE is a good site to look at and read about all the cat breeds :)
My Emma is a Maine Coon mix.
I was always a dog person ;), I consider myself a dog AND cat person, Started getting very interested in cat breeds a couple years ago, they're all gorgeous!
Emma is very pretty...so is Tigger! :)
Um.... the lazy spoiled kind? Allen thanks you for thinking he is so handsome.Quote:
Originally posted by PJ's Mom
One question...what kind of cat is Catnapper's Allen? He (and cats like him) are very handsome! :)
Robyn got it right... I'd consider him an orange domestic shorthair tabby.
Hi PJ's Mom,
If you or anyone else is interested in seeing some stunning pictures of Siamese cats check this out:
(the bottom 4 females have some out-of-this-world eye color
http://chitchatcats.com/our_cats.html
Also, if you care to check out how the Siamese breed gets it's 'points' :
http://chitchatcats.com/point.html
Great links. Thanks, Rose. I love their eyes! :)
Whoa their eyes are amazing!! I think I went off into some other world :p ;)Quote:
Originally posted by rosethecopycat
(the bottom 4 females have some out-of-this-world eye color
http://chitchatcats.com/our_cats.html
Thanks, lady_zana, for the compliment on my cute kitties! :)
Anybody have any ideas about what my mom's cat Belle is? She's just not your average white and black cat - she has a different look to her. I posted her pic earlier in this thread with mom's other cat, Smoky.
I am not sure what kind of cat Belle is, but she has a long-lost twin in Bahrain, called Ally!!Quote:
Originally posted by Jayna78
Anybody have any ideas about what my mom's cat Belle is? She's just not your average white and black cat - she has a different look to her. I posted her pic earlier in this thread with mom's other cat, Smoky.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...f/f5080b7e.jpg
Look at their tails, their markings - they even both have little black beauty sports on their noses - how cute!!http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...8/fb66c4df.jpg