# Color question!



## meg_in_NJ (Dec 2, 2014)

I recently adopted a kitten who was born in a storm drain and fished out the day before I took him home. I fell in love with him as soon as I saw him. I named him Charlie. 

I am a genetics nerd but don't know much about cats. I've have been trying to figure out his color. The closest thing I could find is seal sepia or mink ragdolls. I did order a DNA test to find out for sure, but until I hear back, I would love some input. He will be neutered at the appropriate age - this is just for my curiosity!

Here's Charlie! He's definitely got some shading but it's tough to capture his color. His eyes are basically olive green - sort of greenish-yellow.





He's not this light in person. This was the day we brought him home - one day after he was fished out of the storm drain. 


I think his coloring looks just like some of the cats on this page: 
Sepia Ragdoll Cats and Kittens Available in Virginia

He also had a brother who looked a lot like the bottom kitten on this page:
Sepia Ragdolls Cats & Kittens - Sepia Ragdolls Information

His mother was a black and white feral cat, I believe she was short-haired. She was just trapped and spayed last week - apparently she'd had 2 other litters that did not survive and was very trap savvy. Another sibling was black, one looked like him, and there was one who was colored like him but with lots of white markings.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

It seems like you're asking two different questions.... the DNA test will give what breeds he might have in him... but I don't think it'll tell you what color he is. I don't know that much about the DNA testing though. I've never been that interested in what my boys are... they are perfect so you don't monkey with perfection. 

I'd say it's a chocolate. I'm not sure that's a official coloring but that's what I'd call it.

What ever he is, he's very very beautiful!


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## bunnygrrrl3000 (Oct 30, 2014)

Too cute! That face shape and mane shape kind of look like Maine ****, to me. Notice how the fur is long but without the thick undercoat? The ragdoll pictures all show cats with shorter fur and a noticeable, cottony undercoat.

Who knows. Sometimes I see pictures of ragdolls and just think they are non-extreme-type Himalayans, so I'm probably the wrong person to ask haha.


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## Jakiepoo (Jan 5, 2013)

I don't think a DNA test will tell you what colour he is? To me he looks brown/chocolate, so similar to the "sepia" and "mink" ragdolls (which to me is just different ways of saying varying shades of brown, same way someone might call a light red cat cream). Solid brown cats are pretty uncommon, and the kittens tend to darken to a black as they age, though some keep their distinct brown coloration, only time will tell! 

As far as cat genetics if your interested I'll try and recall some of the information I remember looking up in the past, wish I could remember the source I got it from because it was excellent, and I'm probably remembering some things incorrectly, but here we go:

As far as I can remember, cats can be one of two colours: red or blue. All the other colours are some sort of varying shade of a red or blue. So a cream coloured cat is generally a dilute red, while a lilac cat would be a diluted blue cat. So technically speaking I think brown cats are just a different shade of "red" as it were, but I'm not entirely sure, since people are able to breed true for brown (Havana Brown cats) without having other shades pop up, so maybe it's some sort of recessive shade. Any one of these colours can have varying levels of white spotting, which will result in tuxedos, the van pattern and any other level of white imaginable. Cats who are all white (not pointed) still have some sort of underlying colour, but the white spotting gene covers their entire body, instead of only a portion. So those white cats may have the gene to code for red or blue, but none of that is showing, because they are completely covered by white spotting. 

That was probably a little more than you were looking for, but it was a good bit of procrastination for me  not even entirely sure I got it all right


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## meg_in_NJ (Dec 2, 2014)

Sorry, I am not asking about breed. I'm sure he's mixed, I was just wondering about color and his looks an awful lot like the color of the ragdolls I posted.

The DNA test does give color so that will give a definite answer. This is the one I went with - Cat Coat Color
I sent out earlier this week. I'm not sure what the turnaround time is for these tests but I will post once I hear back.

Based off the shading I'm thinking he could be either cb/cb or cb/cs. Maybe there's some ragdoll or burmese somewhere in the mix to give this color? Either way I just love this little guy!


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

To me, he looks like he has fever coat and will eventually turn all black.


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## BotanyBlack (Apr 6, 2011)

I was thinking fever coat also.. Will have to just wait and see if he grows out of it.


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## Zephyriddle (Mar 28, 2012)

Blitz looked almost exactly like this when I found him at five weeks only he was black and silver. He passed away just before his second birthday of bladder cancer, but at that point he was totally jet black. It took about 8-9 months for the fever coat to grow out. I wish I could post pictures on the phone app. 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

I agree with the fever coat thoughts. He looks chocolate in the pictures which would more likely make him female I think, but he may turn solid black. He is ADORABLE though!!!


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## meg_in_NJ (Dec 2, 2014)

I'd never heard of a fever coat before, interesting stuff. Hopefully the DNA test will be back next week so I'll know for sure. In person he looks just like this cat without the white (again - colorwise, not breed).










I know that coloring is highly unlikely in a feral cat but I guess I will find out soon enough! 
He is definitely a boy though! LOL


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## meg_in_NJ (Dec 2, 2014)

In case anyone is interested, I just got the DNA test back and Charlie is b/b so he is chocolate! He is also D/d so he carries dilute. His brother must be chocolate + dilute so I guess that's lilac? 
Glad I finally know what to call him!


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

WOW! That's Cool! 
Mystery solved!!


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## TabbCatt (Mar 26, 2014)

Charlie the choco fluff! Sounds so cute and yummy, lol. Glad you got your answer and shared it with us!


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## TranquilityBlue (Nov 13, 2014)

Fellow genetics nerd here (one of the many things I'm studying for premed): that's pretty cool stuff! I'd be interested to see the full results of testing my kitten, but since I know he's blue pointed I can already make several assumptions...


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## meg_in_NJ (Dec 2, 2014)

I am also a student (biochemistry/chemical biotechnology double major). Everyone thought I was nuts spending the $$ to get Charlie tested but I HAD to know to satisfy my OCD LOL Especially since he was from a feral colony, he could have been anything.


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