Il cat’s fur it is what distinguishes one specimen from another by broadly defining its breed. In fact, if in the macro families of cats it is possible to distinguish generalized behavioral characteristics and peculiarities of the hair, each cat specifically brings with it its uniqueness.
At the origin of its domestication, the cat was characterized by a brindle coatsaid tabbywhich allowed him to blend well into the natural environment in which he lived.
Over time, the genetic mutation, the selected crossings made by man and the no longer strict need for survival in a wild nature have softened not only the character, but also have selected a type of by the uniformdivided into what are now referred to as non-naturally occurring pedigreed cat breeds.
What determines the color of the cat’s fur?
The color of the cat and its shades are due to two elements contained in melanin which give different coloring to the scape (to the hair that is stroked).
One pigment produces red and yellow, the other black and brown. Depending on how much pigment there is, the hair can take on a completely black, brown, red or white color when the cat has no traces of melanin in its hair.
What are the types of cat fur?
The types that classify cat hair are:
Self or solid
We speak of self or solid when the cat’s hair has a single color, without particular shades or designs on the coat.
Tricolor
The tricolor coat usually has a white base to which different colors are associated. Of this type of hair are distinguished in turn:
- black and white;
- the harlequin;
- tortoiseshell hair;
- with or without black or white;
- the Van coloring, an all-white cat with colors only on the head and tail. This variety is typical of the Turkish Van cat breed;
- the Mitted, which has white only on the legs, as is the case with the Ragdoll.
Argento
The silver hair has a white base and colored tips with tipping, i.e. color spots on some parts of the feline’s body that give life to various shades, often determining a particular breed of the cat itself.
The silver hair of the cat, in fact, can be:
- smoke o fume;
- white with tipping (white, black, red) on two-thirds of the coat;
- shaded, when the color is found on about one third of the body. The nuances of the shaded coat can be cameo colored, when there is a hint of red, black, blue, lilac or chocolat. Usually cats with this coat have the particularity of having a reddish nose bordered by a black line.
- The silver chinchilla fur, on the other hand, is a very light gray type of fur that has a slight colored tinge on the tips of the fur on the feline’s body (usually on the back), while the rest is completely white.
Colorpoint
The colorpoint is the typical color of the Siamese cat. The body of the cat is therefore basically light brown, with a dark brown colored tail, feet, and face mask, which are contrasted by the blue eyes.
This type of hair turns out to be photosensitiveso much so that Siamese cats, or Siamese-like cats, tend to change the shades of their coat during the course of their lives and with the seasons.
The kittens, in fact, are born white then yes they darken as they grow, reaching, in some cases, a very dark brown color on the legs, back, head and tail.
Tabby
The Tabby is a type of striped coat whose color is given by two contrasting basic shades.
Depending on how the melanin produced by the animal is distributed on the coat, there are different pattern textures.
What does Tabby cat hair look like?
The drawings present on the fur of the striped cat can be of various types.
The Abyssinian-type coat is a type of hair that has bands of different colors alternating with a uniform color base that can be chocolate, cinnamonblack or fawn.
Apparently the coat of the feline appears to be “highlighted” or even better “sprayed” (from English “ticked tabby”) here and there by darker colored spots. This type of coat is very reminiscent of the savannah and the idea of a wild feline. This is, therefore, the typical coat of the Abyssinian cat.
Mackerel
Il brindle Mackerel it has a fish scale design on its back, the main line, usually black, tracing from the head to the tip of the tail.
Thin, parallel spots are visible on the flanks, shoulders and thighs. While on the paws, these marks give the idea of tracing like rings.
On the head, this plot traces an M which leaves the outline of the eyes uncovered by the tiger striping.
The eyes are surrounded by other thinner lines, which contrast with the lighter color of the coat, which highlights the entire texture of the fur. This type of brindle is similar to the hair of the tabby cat.
Tabby spotted
The spotted tabby is a type of streaked hair that looks like a spotted pattern with uniform spots. As the tabby mackerel this type of hair can have a streak that traces an uninterrupted dark line from the tail to the head, on which an M is formed which leaves the eyes free.
More streaky spots are found on the sides of the face and on the legs, while the back appears to be sprinkled with small spots.
Tabby blotched
The Blotched Tabby traces a design on the back that resembles that of a butterfly and as a brindle it stands out because the designs are traced with precisionas if it were the hand of a well-trained brush that created it.
This is not a well-marked striped streak, but appears rather concentric, especially on the sides of the body. The variant of the blotched tabby coat rosso it is the most particular and showy one.
Is there a link between the color of the fur and the character of the cat?
Although there is no scientific proof of this, many believe that the color of a cat’s fur determines its character.
This is usually said for common cats, while for purebred cats, it is the family they belong to that determines their characteristics.
- The black cat: good, reserved and very loyal to its human companion, it has always been mistreated because many believe it to be a symbol of bad luck.
- The white cat: calm, devoted to the family that hosts it and docile, it appears to be a very elegant and delicate presence.
- The red cat: defined as very lively and active, as puppies they are the most terrible, curious and spontaneous among the cat breeds.
- The tabby cat: good and kind character, often does not communicate and appears to be wary of humans.
- The gray cat: calm and calm is an excellent company.
Each cat has its own personal character. You can meet calm red cats or possessed black cats that never sit still.
The character of a cat depends on theenvironment in which it grows, those rescued from the street tend to be more wary and less sociable. Usually a cat recognizes only one human in the family as its point of reference.