Colors of scottish cats

The Scottish cat is a very popular breed of feline. Previously, one of its most common colors was gray (blue). However, over time, new color options have appeared.

Scottish fold (Scottish fold) is considered to be the discoverer of the breed Scottishman William Ross, who noticed kittens with an unusual color and strange shape of ears from a friend of the farmer. To obtain new, more diverse types of coloring, the Scottish breed was first crossed with others.

Especially often interspecific crosses occurred with British cats. However, now representatives of the Scottish fold breed have all the necessary genes to reproduce almost any color, so in our time the crossing of a purebred Scotch with other breeds is very, very undesirable.

Like other animals, the Scots have a certain set of genes responsible for coloring. Two shades are predominant: red and black.. Each of the flowers, or rather, certain genes that are responsible for a particular color, is both dominant and recessive. The saturation of a certain shade of wool, which is formed by the diluent gene, depends on this.

A very unusual genetic combination in white cats. Two cases are possible: either complete lack of color, or suppression of other genes. In this regard, white Scottish cats are divided into albinos and dominant white ones.

Solid (solid, solid) - the description of this kind of shade can be understood based on its name. Cats of this color have a single, solid tone that does not imply the presence of other colors (complete absence of inclusions, spots, stripes and everything else). If other colors are still present, then it is necessary to carefully study the impregnation itself - it can talk about a different color option, and indicate a birth defect, which reduces the cost of the individual and the rating at the shows.

Solid colors are divided into the following types.

• Blue (what ordinary people mistake for gray). Not so long ago, the blue color was considered a classic for Scottish cats, but over time, other plain colors appeared. There are various variations: some closer to gray, others closer to blue and blue. Kittens can have a variety of wool drawingsthat should disappear a few months after birth. Amber eyes, nose and paw pads correspond to the color scheme of the fur.

• Black (ebony). 1-2 light hairs are allowed, no more. The presence of large red or other spots of rusty tones indicates the uncleanness of the animal. Eyes of amber flowers. The nose and paw pads are black, matching the color of the wool, and often merge with it.

• White. Such cats are multi-eyed, and can also have amber, blue, copper-colored eyes. In kittens or individuals up to two years old, the presence of spots of extraneous shades is allowed, which, however, should completely disappear by two years. White color should be crystal clear, without yellow tint. The nose and paw pads are pinkish.

• Brown (chocolate). Rare enough color. Eyes are golden, yellow or copper.

• Purple (lavender or light coffee with milk). In fact, the last name of the shade is incorrect, since this subspecies is much lighter. Wool of a gentle gray shade gradually turns into a lavender tone, but retains its uniformity. Such a mixture gives the effect of a pinkish-blue color. Cats have amber, orange, copper eyes and a light, slightly brownish nose.

• Young deer (faun or light purple). A bit like the previous view, but in reality it is clarified cinnamon. It is easy to distinguish between these two species - the nose and paw pads of kittens of this shade are painted in a beige-pinkish tone.

• Cinnamon. Lighter than chocolate, but darker than red. The tint is a bit like cinnamon. The paw pads and nose are brownish, pink or beige.

• Red (red). In kittens, as in mature individuals, the tail is colored unevenly. This defect does not disappear with age. If the cat has a pattern on the head or legs that has not disappeared by the age of two years, this is a deviation from the generally recognized standards of the breed.

Eyes of amber flowers. The nose and pads are plain with wool. Pretty rare color.

• Cream (peach). These cats are significantly lighter than red ones. Subtle, smeared patterns on the limbs and tail, including in adult animals, may be present. However, leopard spots are not allowed.

Eyes in gold. The paw pads and nose are pinkish.

Bicolor - a peculiar coloring of the hair when the animal acts as a carrier of two basic tones. Snow-white acts as the basis and there are patterns of blue, cream, red or tabby.

The more symmetrical the pattern, the higher the value of such an individual. The predominance of a white tint in the color is a must. In purebred bicolors, which have ancestors of animals of the same color, the tummy, neck, chest, legs, chin, and face are white. On the face itself you can find a speck, a bit similar to the inverted letter V. Eyes come in different tones, as well as golden or blue.

Bicolors are divided into the following types:

• particolor (calico) - an animal with white color as a base color and patterns of tortoise coloring or spotted tabby;
• harlequin - an individual of white color with a black tail, ears and crown;
• van - almost the entire cat is snow-white, except for the tail. Sometimes the presence of several spots on the top of the head is allowed.

Point (or color point) - light hair, but the limbs, face and ears are much darker. There are various subtypes of this color.

• Pilak Point. The combination of white wool with tan marks of unobtrusive lavender flowers.

• Blue point. Light tones of hair, limbs have a pale blue tint.

• Chockleit Point. Snow-white wool interspersed with shades of dry cocoa or coffee.

• Cream Point. Basic cream, light coat color with dark cream areas.

• Torty Point. A very unusual, exotic color, which implies the presence of basic mandatory marks on the tail, paws and face, which will alternate and make up various combinations with cream, red and other colors. The pattern should be distributed symmetrically throughout the coat. This coloring belongs exclusively to cats. In cats, this is a genetic abnormality and indicates infertility.

In addition to the combination with red and cream, it can be a combination of chocolate and red, blue and cream, purple and cream shades and so on. All sorts of options are allowed. Eyes are yellow, nose and paw pads are either pinkish or black.

• Tabby Point. Striped paws, like a muzzle and a tail.

Smoky (fig or smoky) color. In cats with this color, the hairs are painted in different shades along the entire length. That is, the basal area of ​​the hair will be silver or white, and the other half, which is closer to the tip, of a different shade. This division of wool into color segments is called tipping. and is the result of the presence of a dominant silver gene. With this color scheme, the animal should not have a pattern or pattern.

It is unclear why, but currently cats of a smoky color are not allowed to participate in exhibitions.

Shaded color a bit similar to smoky, but they differ in that with shaded colors, almost the entire hair will appear white or light, and only the uppermost, third segment of the hair remains colored. The ends of the wool, which make up the top layer of the fur coat, are of any tone inherent in the Scots. The fur should not have a clear pattern, only the presence of the letter "M" on the front of the forehead and darkened rings on the legs are allowed.

The coloring of the tabby (or tabby) suggests the presence of a zonal pattern. This may be the letter “M” on the forehead, eyeliner of the nose and eyes, a necklace on the chest, rings around the tail and paws, bright spots on the back of the ear and curling patterns on the cheeks. Norms prescribe that all strips should have a small width, and in marble colors a smooth, gradual transition into spots should be observed, which then add up to the drawings on the belly and neck of the cat. The pattern is often very bright and stands out against the background.often contrasts with it. The tip of the nose and eyes seem slightly outlined.

Types of color tabby are divided according to the following principles.

1. Tiger (aka mackerel) - It has vertical, narrow, distinct strips on the sides.On the neck, the pattern forms the likeness of a wide collar, the tail is striped. The stripes on the sides rise higher and form a pattern on the back that resembles a saddle in some way.
2. Spotted (spotted) implies the presence of spots of various shapes and sizes, but the contours of such spots are usually very clearly defined. Spots can create a line along the spine that runs from the head to the base of the tail, which is also covered with stripes. On the abdomen there are also spots, but already much smaller.
3. Marble (shaded, whiskas) - a pattern of spots and stripes scattered randomly throughout the coat. Representatives of this variety can have almost any color, but a distinctive pattern will always make up a bright visible contrast with the basic shade. This breed got its name, as its coloring is a bit like patterns on well-polished marble.

• Silver. The main background is silver, the patterns are black.
• Silver blue. With snow-white undercoat, sides, face and tail.
• Red. Light red base with deep red tones.
• Brown. Hue of an old, darkened copper with a black pattern.
• Blue. The base of cream or blue tones, the pattern is saturated.
• Cream. The base is very light, cream, the pattern is much darker, may be beige.
• Cameo Tabby. The base is snow-white with stripes of red tones.

The appearance of a chinchilla coloring is based on a familiar concept - tipping. These varieties are characterized by the color of approximately one eighth of the hair, while most of it remains snow-white.

There are three types of chinchillas: silver gold and unique, and therefore valuable - blue golden chinchilla. Silvery on the tail may contain outlines - the “shadow” of the stripes. The eyes are green, the nose is beige. The snow-white undercoat is a bit like breaking gray hair. The tips of the ears, chin and belly are snow-white.

The golden chinchilla has a reddish tint on the back, tail and sides. Unlike gold, in blue and golden chinchilla, the undercoat resembles the color of melted milk (delicate, light caramel), and the wool is painted in a blue tone with shine. The eyes have a rich green color and resemble large pure emeralds.

Ticked (another name is Abyssinian) color belongs to rare ones. If in cases with tipping the hair is dyed in two different tones, then the ticked color implies the presence of three colors on one hairline.

Ticking - uniform zonal staining with alternating dark and yellow rings on the surface of the hair and a dark top. Each wool has strips of different shades, that is, each wool becomes unique.

The following video will tell about the rarest colors of Scottish cats.