Cat/feline coats and markings

[aaqucnaona]

I was looking at Lolcats and I saw this guy, whom I absolutely loved -

What breed and colouration is he/she? IMO, its a siberian orange tabby with light markings, but I cant be sure. Anyone know better? Where can you get them and how much do they cost?

Ok, I read that the bright/vivid markings on the back top side of the ears of felines are used to signal their young who might follow them. Is this true? Any studies on how they are used, why/how it works and how it evolved?
Example -

 

[Fraggle Rocker]

Most cats are not purebred. People who own purebred cats are very careful not to let them go out and lie in the street.

"Tabby" is not a breed. It's a pattern of coloration that occurs in many breeds and is also quite common in mixed-breed cats. The various subspecies of the wildcat Felis silvestris have patterns like this, including F. silvestris lybica, the African wildcat, which is the ancestor of all domestic cats. They followed the rodents into the granaries of Ancient Egypt and were welcomed as public servants.

Other species of genus Felis exhibit patterns that are not too dissimilar to this one. Obviously the genes for this are strong and go way back into the ancestry of this genus. Read more here.

 

[spidergoat]

Looks like an ordinary cat to me.

 

[Jeeves]

I have one very like him, only with white points and chest, and a short-haired one that's all over orange, with eyes the same colour as his fur. They're not related, and both were strays. I'd say part Persian, by the long hair, part domestic super-tom - those orange guys are prolific! Get one at any shelter - and for all our sakes, have him neutered!

 

[Buckaroo Banzai]

I recall having read something related with tiger expressions (specifically tigers) and their ear markings, but I think it was more on the sense of "if you ever see a tiger with the ears like that looking at you, you know you have four more minutes to live, three of which will be in excruciating pain as you watch yourself being eaten alive." Not that tigers had a different repertoire of expressions or an use to these markings, except perhaps to identify each other expressions somewhat faster than a cat with a different coloration would (but that's just my guess, which I also think would be more likely an evolutionary accident than an adaptation, if it happens).

 

[Buckaroo Banzai]

Regarding buying a cat, the only reason I'd do that would be if I intended to later on sell kittens/rent the male to breed, if anyone does that. That would be the only thing that really worth the investment. And I like cats, I have one and I have had several. But their breeds are all equally useless. You'd be better off adopting any long-haired cat (he'd be even more better off in comparison), perhaps somewhat tabby-esque and giving him baths with those dyeing shampoos, if the aesthetics is a must. And it's not that unlikely that you could find one for adoption that just looks like that/is going to look like that. It's not that common but there are "breedless" cats with that appearance.

 

[aaqucnaona]

Most cats are not purebred. People who own purebred cats are very careful not to let them go out and lie in the street.

"Tabby" is not a breed. It's a pattern of coloration that occurs in many breeds and is also quite common in mixed-breed cats. The various subspecies of the wildcat Felis silvestris have patterns like this, including F. silvestris lybica, the African wildcat, which is the ancestor of all domestic cats. They followed the rodents into the granaries of Ancient Egypt and were welcomed as public servants.

Other species of genus Felis exhibit patterns that are not too dissimilar to this one. Obviously the genes for this are strong and go way back into the ancestry of this genus. Read more here.

Fraggle, I didnt say it was a tabby, I said it might be a siberian with an orange coloured tabby patterned coat with light mackerel markings. I should have elaborated though.

 

[tonyw1]

I like dogs

 

[Fraggle Rocker]

Regarding buying a cat, the only reason I'd do that would be if I intended to later on sell kittens/rent the male to breed, if anyone does that. That would be the only thing that really worth the investment.

Many of the modern breeds were developed strictly for their appearance. But some of the traditional breeds have considerable difference in character. For example, the temperament of a Persian compared to a Siamese is like night and day.

BTW, you don't "rent" your male. You hire him out for stud service. You're typically repaid by taking your pick of the litter, which you can either sell or keep for your own breeding program.

I like dogs

Me too. But in 1977 when Mrs. Fraggle and I got married we were cat people. Somewhere along the way we got into dogs and when the last cat died we just never got around to getting any more. We also got into parrots, which is more to her liking than mine. Especially since having dogs and birds in the same household is a formula for disaster. Despite the cliche, no one we know has ever had a pet bird killed by a pet cat. But virtually everyone has lost at least one of them to a dog. Ours have killed five.

So we went from having four cats to having ten dogs and so many birds that I've lost count.