10 of Bicolor in Cats
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There are 10 identifiable grades of bicolor in cats, plus several patterns with their own names. The cat labelled "bicolor" is the preferred pattern in show-quality bicolor purebred cats.
A low-grade spotting black-and-white bicolor cat is often known as a "tuxedo cat" or a "Billicat". To be considered a tuxedo cat, its black coloring should be solid throughout, with white limited to the paws, belly, chest, throat, face, and possibly the chin: it should appear as if the cat were wearing a tuxedo.
Another type of black-and-white bicolor cat is nicknamed "cow cat" or "moo cat" (for a perceived resemblance to Holstein cattle) and includes the magpie, cap-and-saddle and mask-and-mantle patterns. A cow cat does not have the solid black "jacket" of the tuxedo cat. Instead, it has big black patches over a mostly white body, often with a black mask over the head. "Black Mask Cats" are so called because they look like they are wearing a black mask over their head. The Turkish Van (white and red) is one good example of a bicolor breed. Van pattern is known to animal geneticists as the Seychelles (Seychellois) Pattern and is classified into 3 variants:
- Seychellois Neuvieme - white with colored tail and head splashes (classic Van Pattern)
- Seychellois Huitieme - white with colored tail and head splashes plus additional splashes of color on the legs
- Seychellois Septieme - white with splashes of color on the legs and body in addition to those on the head and the colored tail.
This is high grade white spotting of types 9, 8 and 7 on the bicolor chart above.
Read more about this topic: Bicolor Cat, Grades 1
Famous quotes containing the word cats:
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—Robertson Davies (b. 1913)