# What cat breed mix?



## ChaoTheory (Feb 14, 2009)

I've been sneaking around this forum and, for the most part, when people ask about their cat breeds they get a DSH SMH DLH response. I was wondering if, instead, I could get suggestions as to what kind of mixed breed this cat (named McCleod) is? He was found very sick with a few other kittens and they all looked the same. These pictures are him at six months, and the vet said he's going to be very big when he matures. Personality wise he's unlike any cat I've met before, very, very energetic, he fetches and he pants when we eventually tire him out. He's also very long and stretchy, has odd swirls on his sides (and spots on his belly) and is quite vocal. (the photos are on flickr under the account chaostheor)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected] ... otostream/

Thanks for the input


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Welcome, and sorry...your cat is a: *drum-roll* Domestic Short Hair, with agouti present and showing his tabby markings to be "classic". I only looked at his first pic and it was a bit too fuzzy for me to tell coat color though he appears to be black based. If he is a light gray, then he has a dilute gene that turns his black to blue(gray).
heidi

Classic DSH Tabby. 

Sorry for the "plain brown wrapper" but without pedigree papers there is NO WAY for anyone to tell what sort of Tabby, a tabby cat is. This isn't as easy as a meezer-mix(Siamese, Burmese, Himalayan, Ragdoll, Birman, et cetera) or a flat-faced and long-haired Persian. Even Maine **** is difficult to tell for certain, though that is usually only claimed if a cat has a distinctive longhaired coat, size and temperament...it STILL looks like many other long-haired tabbies.
h


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Cats are not like dogs where there is a wide variation between breeds, so it's often fairly easy to distinguish what breeds a mutt may have in them. It's often just subtle differences in head shape or eye set or body style that set cat breeds apart. Yes, there are the obvious coat length differences, cats with pointed coats have a narrower range of possibilities, and cats with smushed in faces that Heidi already mentioned. We can rule out a lot of breeds fairly easily, but saying that a cat is of a particular breed or mix of breeds is darn near impossible.

The other thing to keep in mind is that TICA & CFA (The primary cat breeding registries in the US) only register what is comparatively a handful of cats each year in comparison to the total number born. A quick search only yielded numbers for 1994 for CFA, which was 75,000. Let's say that it's doubled since then and both registries get the same number. That means that over the last 15 years an average of 225,000 have been registered per year. Assume they live an average of 15 years, that means there are 3.375 million purebred cats out there. Of a total 81M cats in the US in 2007. That's about 4%. The vast majority of those 3M+ cats are not out there mating willy nilly, most have been spayed or neutered according to the breeder's contract. So the chances of a cat of unknown origins having a large percentage of an identifiable breed in them is virtually nil. And that's why the answer whenever someone asks the question "what breed is my cat" the answer is invariably Domestic Short (medium or long) Hair.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Oh, Doodle! I love your explanation! 
In the past I have tried to point out that purebred cats are rarely let outside to breed with the 'locals'. If it is an expensive, registered purebred, its' worth is in keeping its' bloodlines and traits pure and they are closely watched and housed to protect them from accidental breedings and injuries/death that could occur from free-roaming. All of our breeds of cats were developed from the varying differences present in all cats. It was through selective breeding that breeders were able to develop the particular body types and coat colors/markings for their particular strain of cats and it took years and many generations before they would breed "true".


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Another thing is that it's a lot more difficult to come by a pure bred cat, they're not readily available in pet stores like dogs. And there's not as much money involved and demand for them to inspire as many back yard breeders. The more popular breeds may have more of that kind of activity. Also since there are so many people out there that tend to view cats as disposable and let them outside unattended which reduces their life span significantly, they won't spend the money on a purebred cat. Those that will spend the money, tend to keep them inside. I've heard many people say things like "yeah my two DSHs go out, but I won't let my Ragdoll outside, I paid too much money for her to let her roam loose". In addition, getting a purebred cat involves being screened by reputable breeder who has spaying/neutering requirements in the contract. And will follow up to ensure it's been done.


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## Silver deer (Dec 31, 2007)

I think the tendency is to believe that the more beautiful the cat (and your cat is _gorgeous_) the more it HAS to be a breed or a mix of a certain breed. But I think some domestics (DSHs, DMHs, DLHs) are just that much prettier than others.


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## cjh27 (Feb 23, 2009)

Hi,


personally I prefer DSH cats and you can call yourself lucky if McCleod is one! A good breeder will check his cats for genetic disorders and not breed with affected cats. People who just mix cat breeds for the fun of it often don't bother with expensive health checks- and this can result in very sick kitties  

For example ist is estimated that 38% of all Persian cats are PKD carriers- PKD is a kindney disorder that is normally diagnosed at the age of 7 and irreversibly results in kidney failure   

http://www.manhattancats.com/Articles/p ... sease.html

Nowadays a cat can be genetically tested for PKD, which is something I would expect from a breeder- but not from someone who's been fun "breeding" Persian mixes.


Christine


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## Xanti (Nov 4, 2008)

doodlebug said:


> Another thing is that it's a lot more difficult to come by a pure bred cat, they're not readily available in pet stores like dogs. And there's not as much money involved and demand for them to inspire as many back yard breeders. The more popular breeds may have more of that kind of activity. Also since there are so many people out there that tend to view cats as disposable and let them outside unattended which reduces their life span significantly, they won't spend the money on a purebred cat. Those that will spend the money, tend to keep them inside. I've heard many people say things like "yeah my two DSHs go out, but I won't let my Ragdoll outside, I paid too much money for her to let her roam loose". In addition, getting a purebred cat involves being screened by reputable breeder who has spaying/neutering requirements in the contract. And will follow up to ensure it's been done.


I DO NOT view my cat as disposable just because I let him out, I find that a very insulting comment.

He gets the best food I can afford, has been vaccinated fully and is also insured, so I certainly do spend money on him and would continue to do so if he ever gets ill.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

That's not what I meant. Let's see if I can recover from this  

Just because someone allows their cat to roam freely doesn't mean they consider it to be disposable. But I believe the reverse is true.....if they consider a cat to be disposable to begin with, then it follows that they will allow it to roam freely. It's a fine line I know, but here's the attitude I'm talking about:

I knew someone that lived in an area that was very rural, lots of predators. Her cats were allowed outside and she never had one for more 2 years. When I asked her why she didn't keep them in, her response was "I can't be bothered trying to control a cat, there's plenty more down at the shelter". She viewed her cats as disposable and easily replaced, she would never have spent money on a purebred cat, yet she had several purebred dogs. 

Those are the people I was talking about and there are a ton of them out there.


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## Xanti (Nov 4, 2008)

Oh, I see what you mean, sorry  

Yes, that is true, i am sure there are enough people like that


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## cjh27 (Feb 23, 2009)

... sadly you'll also find some people that regard their pedigree cat as a status symbol and not a pet  

Personally both our dsh moggies and the pedigree coonie were allowed out once they had been spayed and fully vaccinated. I don't really see any difference there- a cats a cat 8) More important would be the area you live in and how safe it is for a cat.

Christine


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## ChaoTheory (Feb 14, 2009)

Well thank you all so much for the indepth explanations! I'm glad to see how passionate all of you are about cats  Also, you can't really tell with my blurry pictures but he is a silvery colour, and I think he's gorgeous too


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