# I guess i'll post this here, I just wanna chat I guess



## newcatowner7 (Oct 25, 2004)

I found out what kind of cat my Shadow Blade is, she's half-brindle calico, half-black cat.

I hear brindle calico cats are hard to breed, i'm not keeping her to breed though, she can't breed 'cause she's fixed. Anyways, yeah, is this true that brindle calico cats are hard to breed?

*feels the cat put her paws on her lap* ^_^ Awwwwww *pets her*


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## ForJazz (Dec 30, 2003)

Cats aren't really referred to as "brindle" -- that is more of a dog term. You may be talking about a tortie. It's a color, not a breed. And I'd have to see a picture to know what you mean -- maybe a calico, maybe a tortie with white, maybe a tortie. 

I'm not sure what you mean by "hard to breed," but if you mean that not all of the kittens born to a tortie mama will be torties, then that's true. But then again, that's true of any color of cat, really. Torties/calicos are almost always female, and in the unusual case of a male, they are almost always sterile. That may be what you heard.


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## Perdy_Pepa (Oct 9, 2005)

I am not arguing with you Forjazz it's just that my moggie is a brindle/tortie and her name is Emmy I don't know about the whole 'Hard to breed' thing but brindle can be used for both cats and dogs. Brindle means the colours interlock if you know what I mean, my guinea pig Sapphire also has a thick brindle stripe.


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

Emily, this article might prove to be of interest to you:

http://www.messybeast.com/tricolours.htm

Here's an exerpt:

There are two main theories regarding brindled torties and patched torties. One (the "early/late deactivation theory") suggests that the time at which X chromosome deactivation occurs during foetal growth determines whether the cat has well defined patches or is brindled with intermixed black and orange hairs. Skin cells multiply during growth and spread out across the skin; as the embryo grows the skin cells multiply. If deactivation occurs early on each pigment cell has room to multiply into, a "red" cell will multiply into more red cells while a "black" cell will give rise to patches of black. If it occurs later, the patches are smaller as the cells have less room to multiply into; some "patches" will be no larger than a single hair! Genetically, all "red" cats are red tabbies - where there are large red patches, the tabby pattern will usually be discernible.

The other (the "migration theory") is that brindled torties occur when there are more pigment producing cells produced from the neural crest (which becomes the back and spine area). The cells are assumed to have undergone X chromosome deactivation before migration. The migrating cells carry either O (red) or o (black) and they migrate at the same rate into their final positions. Where there are many pigment producing cells, there is more competition (imagine cells jockeying for position on the skin) and they become intermingled. Where there are fewer pigment producing cells, each cell has room to grow into patches of colour (imagine plants forming clumps in a flower border).


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## Perdy_Pepa (Oct 9, 2005)

thank you that was interesting from reading that I can definatley tell you for sure that my cat is a brindle she has blackundercoat and a sort of orange overcoat (i think thats right) and I know i'm not the expert.


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