How To Know Your Cat Colour Type...

There are many types of colour a cat might have. It depends on the matter of genetics. Basically, cats come in three basic colours which is red (orange), black and white. Have you heard of the terms "tabby", "calico", "ginger" and "tortie"? How to differentiate them?


Tabby
Tabby cats constitute the oldest and most common pattern seen, and are one of the most popular. They are easily differentiated by their stripes, whorls, and spots, (generally found on their tummies). Tabby usually has an "M" mark on its forehead.

Chocolate ticked tabby

Ginger tabby

Calico
Calico colouring is a mix of phaeomelanin based colors (red) and eumelanin based colors (black, chocolate and cinnamon). Some might have blocks of tabby pattern, which produces an extremely colorful and beautiful cat. Most calico and tortie cat are female due to a result of X-inactivation, in which different patches of fur receive coding for different hair color due to the activation of an X chromosome from either the mother or the father.

Calico

Tortoiseshell / Tortie
As for tortie, their coats weave the three colors throughout, creating a tapestry of color. It's also same as calico where most tortie cats are always female.

Flame, a tortie-and-white cat

Sympathy 2...

Another update of the calico mother cat that I mentioned on my previous entry.

I went back to my parent's house last weekend and the next day I went back to my apartment. As I was about to enter my apartment, I saw her downstairs carrying her kitten in her mouth. It was odd because she used to be in a box with her kittens at 1st floor and the moment I saw her carrying one of her kittens, she was at 2nd floor.

Ok, this doesn't look normal to me, because she looks like she's trying to find other place to hide her kittens. I hurriedly put my stuff, grab some cat food and a bottle of clean water and go downstairs to find out what she's doing. I was shocked that this cat wanted to put her baby in this water hose room.

I can't imagine if someone accidentally close the door.

Carried both the mother and her baby back to her usual place.

Her other kitty is sleeping and luckily didn't notice his mother was missing..

Gave her cat food and clean water.

I really hope she's fine now.

Sympathy...

There's one female calico cat around my apartment, where she gets pregnant twice a year and everytime she gave birth, it would be like 6-7 kitties at one time!! I feel bad to see her taking care of her kitties by herself since she's a stray cat. But there are some kind-hearted person who puts her kitties in a box so they won't get cold. Sometimes I gave her some cat food and so the other kind tenants of block C3..

Last year she gave birth to 6 kitties.. They are adorable.. but after few months when her kitties finally can walk by themselves, I can see their numbers become lesser. I'm not sure what happened to her lost kitties.. Maybe they were adopted by the tenants around the apartment. Hopefully...

Last month, she gave birth again.. Now with 7 kittens...!

Picture's taken on 7/04/2008.. I really adore the ginger one!

After few weeks, now left only 2 of them...

Pictures taken on 1/5/08

I do hope the other kitties were still alive and safe. Anyone who got the chance to meet her, please treat the mother something nice.. I do hope someday this small family will found a nice place to stay rather in a box with no proper water and food.