# What Breed is CJ??



## bassque (Dec 28, 2009)

Hey everyone. We've been going back and forth on my 4 year old's breed. We're not sure if he's a Maine ****, Norwegian or a mix. We know that the Norwegians are pretty rare but he has a lot of qualities (fur between the toes, hair from the ears, what seems to be a triangular shaped head) that they are known for. Any help would be great! We love our little (I say that loosely!) guy!

Thanks!

Jeff

CJ


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Oh, _my_! He's a GORGEOUS cat! :luv 
Welcome to CF. Unfortunately, without a pedigree/certificate/registration, he is simply a domestic tabby longhair who happens to carry various genetic traits in a combination that is similar to several breeds. 
All cat breeds are, is a cat that someone at some point in time, took a fancy to and collected as many cats with similar characteristics and bred them, culling and selecting until they had cats that bred true-to-type consistently and they registered them as a breed. In the earlier years, geographical isolation kept certain cat populations 'pure' or 'limited' and as people developed the ability to travel, many of these cats (_and birds, dogs, horses, cattle ...all animals_...) and their genetics were disseminated throughout the world.
ALL of the various genetics for all cats are out there: short, medium and long hair, soft hair, coarse hair, undercoat, no undercoat, hair between toes, no hair between toes, ear tufts, no ear tufts, coat color, white markings, lack of white markings, agouti (_tabby pattern_) and non-agouti (_no visible tabby pattern - solid color cat_), eye color, long tail, short tail, no tail et cetera, et cetera... 

Because of this, there is no way to say definitively what breed any cat IS, though in some instances we can say the kitty *resembles* various and/or specific breeds, especially if we have definite genetic markers to observe in the cat's phenotype. _An example is any pointed cat or smush-faced cat can with near certainty be said to have a relation to Siamese or Persian genetic influence._
This is what I can tell about CJ's genetics, based upon his appearance (_phenotype_):
He is black based and carries agouti which expresses his Mackerel Tabby pattern. All cats are tabby cats, with one of these variations: Classic (_blotched_), Abyssinian (_ticked_) or Mackerel (_striped, broken striped, spotted_). These tabby patterns can sometimes be faintly detected in solid colored (_black, blue_) cats, but they are most visible in the 'tabby' cat because the cat carries at least one copy of the "agouti" gene. Cj also has a moderate amount of White Spotting. 
I have a 'soft spot' for tabby/whites, they are my favorites. :wink: 
heidi =^..^=


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Agreed, there is no way to know. But while he exhibits some characteristics of MC/NFCs, there are others he doesn't...no lynx tips on the ears, feet look too small to me, very short ruff. As an owner of a Maine ****, what I see here is a very cute DLH, maybe even DMH...a member of the very popular Cutie Patootie breed.


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