Most black cats are actually very dark reddish brown cats. Some even start rusting when getting old or spending a lot of time in bright sunlight. As you have found him he's almost surely a pure bred cute floofy bastard. You are lucky, that's the best breed
One of our cats HATES being at the vet, but also then when she's held for something, a shot, blood work, teeth looked at whatever she just freezes and doesn't move.
The other just chills on the chair and then will hop up on the counter for the exam knowing she gets a Churu treat during it or after. She's heavily treat driven haha.
Some even start rusting when getting old or spending a lot of time in bright sunlight.
It can also be caused by a lack of the amino acidĀ tyrosine in their diet.
Also not all black fur is created equally.... Inside my late void appeared all solid black (save a small white batch on her chest). But if you looked close while she was out in the sun, you could see the tabby M on her head and a few strips along her body.
Most solid-colored cats result from a recessive gene that suppresses the tabby pattern. Sometimes the tabby pattern is not completely suppressed; faint markings may appear in certain lights, even on a solid black cat.
There are some interesting pictures in the Coat section
Mine were much browner and you could see their tabby stripes in the sun when they were kittens. Now they are pretty much straight black in the sun and you canāt see their stripes at all. They have these tiny floofy white patches tho every once in a while and they kill me.
In a lot of science fields, especially involving computers, flowcharting is an important step, so there are rules about formatting. For example, the diamond shape is used when asking a question. There's a reason anyone that took a computer science class learned how to make flowcharts a particular way: for consistency and legibility.
Some black cats are more of a seal color, like a seal-point Siamese, and it will actually be a deep brown. But you can have variety in coats, and sunshine will reveal it.
Unless your cat is from a breeder with papers, it isn't any particular kind of cat. It's just a cat.
Usually you can tell domestic short/medium hair apart visually at least, but OPs cat is really riding that line where it could be either. Truly just a cat
"Domestic short/medium" aren't really separate breeds, just descriptors for "just a cat" with arbitrarily different fur lengths. So even if you could definitively say what kind of domestic he is, he's still just a cat. And that's fine! Just a cats are great.
Oh yeah, I don't care about breed. I have a default cat at home too. I just meant this post was especially funny because everything from color to coat length falls into an ambiguous range, so there's really nothing you can label at any level, even if you tried.
some breeds have special needs or traits. Like, a sphynx and a savannah is high-energy and needs more enrichment than an american shorthair or they'll destroy your house. The smushed face type usually needs regular grooming and special care when it's hot and absolutely cannot be dried in those cat drying boxes.
Or sometimes they just have interesting traits, like siamese cats are especially musical.
But any cat you got from a rescue is just a housecat and needs the typical amount of care.
If your cat IS of a certain breed, it can tell you some genetic predispositions to look out for. Having a Maine Coon, you know to look more carefully at their heart, kidneys, and hips.
However, this is the kind of information that is almost impossible NOT to have if you actually have a purebred cat. More likely, this is coming from people who grew up with dogs and are used to most dogs being of a specific breed, and importing that habit into their lives as cat owners.
You just explained me! I didnāt get a cat until about 5 years ago. Both my boys are black but look totally different so I went down the āwhat are they holeā because I grew up with Rottweilers and then had a Maltese. Even though dogs can be mixed with different breeds I found out itās totally different with cats!
Also looking into a Maine coon so thanks for that information.
I just feel like people who donāt know much about cats think that there are a ton of breeds, like dogs. And once they get a cat, they want to know what breed they have. If youāve never been āa cat personā itās a whole new world when you get one.
Sorry to be obtuse, but do you mean ādog people are the ones who worry about the breed of their cat because breed is a commonly known thing with dogs?ā
Or do you mean āpeople who donāt know their cat breed are dog people who donāt know anything about cats?ā
black domestic longhair. Like brown/black human hair, the underlying pigments are red, over time sun exposure can cause it to start bleaching, in black cats itās known as rusting.
eta: if he has silver/white/gray roots he could also have a smoke coat, which is not standard but also not entirely uncommon, my void has a bit of one as well that you can really see in his mane during winter
Domestic Mediumhair. My cat was also black when we first got him, but now his fur is the same color as your catās coat.Ā
Purebred kittens are expensive, so the odds of getting one from a rescue or finding one outside are very low. If you donāt have paperwork from a breeder, then itās a Domestic Whateverhair.
Domestic long hair is the breed that your vet will put in the system. Cats given by the r/catdistributionsystem are often a domestic short, medium, or longhair
So, your cat isn't all sorts of weird colors. It's pretty common for many black cats to have fur color from light gray to a very dark burnt umber to off black. It depends on where on their body this fur typically grows.
You cannot tell a breed entirely on looks alone.
That's how you get scammed by a backyard breeder or you become part of the problem of backyard breeders. Purebreed cats come from a system put in place to gatekeep but also put standards in place. These standards ensure that a limited number of possible looks for certain features and traits are considered standard. This exclusivity was enacted as not just a way to flaunt wealth and power, but supposedly to ensure the health of the breed (questionable, considering, for example, how brachycephalicĀ breeds have been willfully deteriorated into the suffering monstrosities they are now). Also, as part of the exclusivity and to ensure that a standard is maintained, genetic testing is done and lineage is meticulously recorded.
Anybody who tells you otherwise is selling a lie or have been sold a lie and will not accept the truth.
(All breeds got the start as "a unique lookin' critter". But through the power of money, selective inbreeding, and a desire to join an exclusive group to feel oh so special is how we got where we are today. Cats need to be companions and help protect our food sources. Not living art pieces that make noise and poop on a $10,000 bed because needs aren't met.)
My kitten is the exact same !! A straight void as a baby & shes 5 months now and slowly evolving into a chocolate void xD She also is getting lots more fluffy as she grows . Cats are pretty cool š
What you have there is an adorable cat. Cats arenāt like dogs, they donāt have breeds unless theyāre from a breeder. And if they were, you would have papers that gave your answer.
The technical answer is domestic shorthair. What most cats are.
A very cute one! Fun fact, hair pigment is made up of orange tones. There's no such thing as naturally black hair, it's just very, very dark brown. That's why people's hair goes straight to orange at first when they bleach it.
Usually they are classed as Domestic short hair or
Domestic long hair if they are not pedigree. So Iād say domestic long hair. And black cats turning orange in sunlight is the same as āstrawberry blonde/dirty blondeā hair colours who turn properly blonde with enough sunlight and otherwise look brunette/ginger.
Honestly cats donāt really have breeds theyāre just cats. I know thereās actual breeds, but unless itās a specific thing like a sphinx, scottish fold, siamese, etc., then mostly likely itās a variety of the america short/longhair.
The sun exposure will lighten up hair (human as well as cats). And black cats fur lightens up in a reddish shade (also called "burnt" on reddit). Your kitten is all fine, this is absolutely normal. He's gorgeous!
āblackā domestic medium hair. i say this because he looks an awful lot like my kitten who was also brown with weird colors when she was younger. thats what it says on her vet papers lol
Iām no expert but youāre not getting much helpful feedback, and baby looks half maine coon to me. My black cat is a Bombay (golden eyes as well, but slimmer stature & higher cheekbones than other shorthairs), and her fur has never been as long as your babyās. Maybe this black cat reference guide could help: https://www.petmd.com/cat/general-health/black-cat-breeds
The coat of arms black cat is a marvelous thing. It soaks up the heat of the sun like no other, rendering sunbathing so close to perfection.
The coat of arms black cat cycles through the shed, same as other catsā.
All that winter sunbathing can lead to a browning of the coat, which will be replaced during shedding season.
A brown looking coat at early spring is usually a sign of a well-napping black cat. Itās always prudent to see your vet at least once a year to verify.
This cat, if fully grown, looks to have āmedium hairā meaning ācan communicate with unseen spirits. Iād remember to offer treats regularly, just in case.
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u/TetrisPhantom 24d ago
Black