Can You Identify A Cat?

by Michael
(London, UK)

This is an email I received from David, a visitor to this website:

I was wondering if you could help me identify a cat that my ex-roommate had. He is a white cat with brown markings on his face and a striped tail. He also has blue eyes and a pink nose. I didn't see him on the list of cat breeds but I may have just over looked it. I have pictures I could email you of him. Thank you for your time and creating such a sweet website, David.

Here are two pictures of the cat:

Here is my answer (this is Michael PoC Admin). Oh by the way, if anyone would like to comment, that would be great.

First, this cat is very cute with interesting markings. There is the classic “M” mark on the forehead (actually it is a sort of double “M”). This signifies that this cat is a tabby cat as does the striped tail, which we can’t see but David has mentioned. Both purebred and non purebred cats including the wildcats are tabby cats (new window).

Next, there are the interesting white paws. All four paws are white it seems, although this is not clear from the pictures. There is also an inverted “V” marking on the face in white. It is pretty symmetrical. These marking remind me of the Snowshoe purebred cat, a very distinct looking cat. The white facial markings and “snow shoes” (white paws) are a result of:

… the white spotting gene that causes the bicolor pattern through its interaction with a recessive allele… of the agouti gene

I would have thought the same process is happening for this cat. However, I do not think that this cat is a purebred cat. It may have some purebred blood, however (a purebred mix). We will never know it would seem.

On the basis that the vast majority of domestic cats are moggies (no pedigree and not purebred) and based on the pictures kindly provided, my conclusion is that this really cute and interesting looking cat is a moggie.