British cat of chocolate tortoiseshell color. British cat. Description, features, care and price of a British cat. Myths about British Blue cats

Cats with aristocratic roots were bred in Great Britain and to this day are the pride of the country. Large and medium-sized Murkies with short plush fur and a charming “Cheshire” smile are a British breed that officially appeared in 1987 and has won millions of fans. The first officially recognized representative was pure white. The desire to breed a large, strong, hardy, calm and intelligent cat has led to the fact that the colors of British cats include more than 25 species. Some of them are considered very rare and are highly valued not only in breed, but also in monetary terms.

Intensive work on popularization, attraction of other popular breeds to breeding, and obtaining offspring from cats from different continents has led to the expansion of breed species. The first Britons had a thick undercoat and short coat. The relationship with the Persian cat gave birth to the British semi-longhair.

Associatively, a British cat appears to be smoky or blue in color; many “cat lovers” cannot even imagine what colors British cats come in and how unusual kittens can appear in a family of two “standard” parents. The types of colors of British cats are divided into groups depending on the pattern, the predominance of color and the method of pigmentation.

Blue solid

The standard color of the breed, popularly called gray or classic. The British Blue's coat is monochromatic, without light hairs; the undercoat may be slightly lighter. The skin is exclusively blue. Representatives with a lighter tone are more valuable for the breed. Kittens are allowed to have a residual pattern, which disappears as the animal grows.

Myths about British blue cats!

№1. It is a common belief that Blue British kittens should have bright orange eyes - this is not true. Kittens of all breeds and colors are born with blue or gray “cloudy” eyes; the iris gradually gains color.

№2. If a breeder offers you an exclusive British Blue Fold, say “Thank you” and walk away. At best, you are offered a Scottish cat, at worst, a mixed breed. There are no shorthaired British Folds.

Golden color, suggests darkened pigmentation on 1/8 of the length of the hair, the rest is painted in a rich golden color. Gray tint or undercoat is not allowed. At the same time, the collar is light, often white, and the ear tassels are silver. Despite the light tone of the coat, cats predominantly have black paw pads, dark or black eyeliner and nose. “Home name” is golden chinchilla.

Tortoiseshell

A prerequisite is an equal presence of tones, the absence of a pattern in red/beige areas. Red/cream spots on the face are desirable. The eyes are copper or orange. According to the laws of genetics, only females can have a tortoiseshell color, so obtaining the ideal color is painstaking work and calculated “for luck.” Tortoiseshell is a rare and difficult to obtain color that combines several colors:

• black/brown/chocolate;

• red/cream;

• blue/lilac.

This is interesting! The birth of males of the correct tortoiseshell color has been recorded in the world. However, an error in the genetic code makes cats infertile.

Patterned, aka tabby

One of the colors allows a difference in the color of the fur at the base. British tabbies have a variety of body patterns, from stripes to large and leopard spots. Tabbie breeds are divided into silver, golden and color point subspecies.

The British have not only an independent character and good manners, but also a variety of colors, among which patterned ones are recognized as the rarest. Patterned colors are distinguished by a clear contrasting pattern with regular lines and symmetrical spots on the coat.

It was this color variant that was inherited by domestic pets from their wild ancestors - Nubian dun cats, which were found in Africa, Asia, India, Kazakhstan and Transcaucasia, as well as forest cats that lived in European territory. The second name for patterned colors is “tabby” or more correctly “tabby” (from the English “tabby”).

It comes, according to one version, from the Attabiya district of Baghdad, which became famous for the production of exclusive striped fabric. According to another theory, this name comes from the word “tabbis” - this is a beautiful type of painting on silk fabric, brought to Foggy Albion from India in the 17th century.

British shorthair cats with tabby color are characterized by the following mandatory exterior elements:

1. 1. On the animal’s forehead there must be a “scarab sign” - a mark in the form of the letter “M”. This pattern is characteristic of all patterned cats. There is a very interesting legend about his appearance, which says that the Prophet Muhammad stroked a patterned cat, after which the letter “M” appeared on the animal’s forehead.
2. 2. The coat contains two types of hairs: the first have an uneven color and form the immediate background. The second ones are painted completely along the entire length; it is from them that the pattern with a deep shade is formed.
3. 3. The cat’s chest is dressed in a kind of “necklaces” (the more of them and the clearer and thicker they are, the more valuable the individual).
4. 4. The paws and tail are ringed with continuous stripes.
5. 5. There is a single or double row of button spots on the belly.
6. 6. There is also an unusual pattern on the muzzle: several parallel lines in the shape of curls extend from the corner of the eye.
7. 7. The eyes and nose are outlined with a darker outline, matching the tone of the main color of the skin.
8. 8. On the outside of each ear is a small, light-colored spot resembling a fingerprint.
9. 9. Depending on the color of the skin, the color of the Briton’s iris is also formed, which varies from orange-golden, copper and honey to green. There are also individuals with blue eyes.

This breed only allows an even, contrasting pattern. If it looks blurry, then such an animal is subject to culling. This may be due to incorrect mating, where one of the parents was patterned, and the second had a solid color.

Cream color of British cats– this is a beautiful, even and very soft color.

CREAM BRITISH: COLOR STANDARD

Cream cats are often called Beige Britons or Peach Britons.
The hairs of this color are dyed to the roots, the tone of the coat is light cream, the same in tone throughout the entire body of the animal.
A cream-colored British cat should not have tabby markings: spots, stripes, tail rings, specks, etc. The nose and paw pads are pink.

British cream colored eyes can be of the following colors:

• copper;
• dark golden;
• orange.

The color of a British cream cat should not contain pigmentation of the nose, paw pads, and the coat color should not have undyed white hairs. These shortcomings are rejected.

GENETICS OF COLOR

Cream (Cream) The color belongs to the colors of the red group and is a lightened version of the red color.

OO DD – red color

We add the weakening gene and get the genetic formula for color:

OO dd – cream color

Although this color is included in the British breed standards, it is not common.

CONCLUSIONS.

1. A cream-colored couple can only produce cream-colored kittens.
2. A pair of red colors can produce cream-colored kittens, provided that both sires are carriers of lightening (d).

1. A pair of cream + cream will never produce red kittens.
2. A cat of cream color can never give birth to a male kitten of the black color group (black/chocolate/blue/lilac/cinnamon/fawn).

CREAM BRITISH KITTENS

Cream-colored kittens can only be obtained from cream-colored parents or from carriers of this color in the genes.

Cream-colored British kittens look very elegant and gentle, so they are always in demand.

BRITISH CREAM CATS: PHOTOS OF ADULT CATS AND CATS

The gallery contains photos of cream-colored Britons.

BRITISH CREAM KITTENS: PHOTOS OF SMALL KITTENS

The British cream-colored kittens in the photo have the correct even color and excellent breed type.

British cat breed is one of the oldest, and for the first time it appeared on the territory of Foggy Albion in the first century AD. Claudius, who was the uncle of the famous Emperor Caligula, sent there a solid army consisting of selected Roman soldiers during a military invasion of British lands.

According to official historical sources, the legionnaires brought with them not only weapons and armor, but also the ancestors of the cats, which later became the national pride of England.

British blue cat received laurels as the winner of the very first specialized exhibition around the globe, which was held in London in 1871.

Features of the breed and character of the British cat

Characteristic feature british cats is a round large head on a massive body. The weight of adult individuals ranges from six to nine kilograms, and when looking at the animal from above, the neck should not be visible.

The breed standards also include the presence of short paws, which give the cats a very squat appearance. The large head has powerful, dense cheeks, and the ears are small in size and usually set wide apart with a slight tilt forward. These eyes are round and large, usually blue or yellow.

Just look at photo of british cat, in order to personally verify that these animals have short, dense and shiny hair with a thick undercoat.

Due to the peculiarities of its own coat, this breed is excellent for businessmen and people who are forced to devote a significant part of their free time to work. Not only do they resemble funny plush toys in their appearance, but they also require minimal care.

The photo shows a golden British Shorthair cat.

British shorthair cat is a very calm animal with a developed sense of self-esteem. In addition, it is quite unpretentious and adapts to virtually any conditions without the slightest problem.

Representatives of this breed simply adore children and play with them with great pleasure. Character of British cats fully lives up to their name, and they are distinguished by a truly English stiffness, mannerism and slowness.

The owners are considered as a single clan, without singling out one family member as a favorite. In general, representatives of the breed are unpretentious and affectionate, but they can also harbor resentment in the event of violence or, conversely, excessive affection and too persistent courtship.

Then the animal hides for a long time in a secluded corner, indifferently ignoring all persuasion and calls to come out. In apartment conditions, the British cat feels quite at ease, without feeling the need for walks in the fresh air.

Description of the British cat breed

Currently, the breed standard allows more than fifty different British cat colors. The gray-blue color “British blue” is classic, but no less popular are bicolor (a combination of one of the primary colors with white), color point (dark markings on a main light background) or ticked, which is divided into three varieties.

It is also not uncommon for a British cat with tortoiseshell or tabby coloring. Any color, except smoke and silver, must have uniformly colored hair right down to the roots.

The photo shows a British blue cat

Cats of this breed are significantly larger in weight and size than cats. There are several standards, each of which differs in a number of requirements for the appearance of the animal.

Thus, according to WCF standards, the most points can be obtained due to the head, body, coat length, eye color, texture and color itself.

The FIFE standard puts forward slightly different requirements for the appearance of the animal. For example, a cat with an incomprehensible eye color or with protruding ears like a hare's definitely has no chance of winning in an exhibition held according to such standards.

A characteristic feature of the breed is “plush” wool, so in the case of a poor coat or atypical colors like the currently fashionable “cinnamon”, you can’t really count on participation in competitions and exhibitions.

When purchasing a kitten, such a disadvantage can only be determined by tactile-visual means. The undercoat should be smooth and very dense, and the eyes should have a distinct color.

Another important factor that is directly related to the appearance standards of cats is the special fat tail located in the abdominal area.

You need to be extremely careful when bringing such an animal to a veterinarian, because some incompetent doctors mistake this feature for an inguinal hernia and immediately rush to operate on it.

Care and maintenance of a British cat

Being completely self-sufficient, representatives of this breed can do without human attention for a long time. To care for an animal, you need to periodically comb it with a soft brush, smoothing out the tangles formed from the fur.

British cats have excellent health, but they also have weaknesses, which are expressed in a tendency to obesity and tartar. To prevent such problems from occurring, it is necessary to feed the animal a balanced diet and periodically show it to the veterinarian.

According to the breed standard, the coat of British cats should be thick, erect and have a double texture. Therefore, when caring for an animal, it is necessary to remove guard hairs as much as possible, without affecting the undercoat if possible.

The best tools for such purposes are combs with metal teeth or special massage brushes made of thick rubber.

In the photo there is a kitten of the British breed

Regular washing is not necessary for British cats, so you can get by with standard shampoo for short-haired animals. Despite the fact that representatives of the breed are not overly graceful, it is worth providing them with a separate corner with a play complex.

Animals should also have a comfortable bed and a place where they can sharpen their claws and teeth without hindrance. Feeding British cats food from your plate or providing them with a place to sleep in their own bed is strongly discouraged.

Despite the fact that representatives of the breed usually reach sexual maturity at the age of seven to nine months, by mating of British cats It is best to start no earlier than when the animals reach the age of ten months. Otherwise, there is a high risk of various problems with the pet’s behavior.

British cat price and owner reviews

British cat price today it starts at 15,000 Russian rubles. To those who wish buy a british cat with a decent pedigree from good breeders, you will have to pay an amount at least two to three times higher than this figure.

British cat kittens the so-called “Show-class”, which meet all the strict standards of the breed, currently cost from one thousand US dollars and more.

According to numerous reviews from owners, the difficulty of caring for British cats from them class. That is, a “Pet-class” animal does not take part in exhibitions, and excessive attention to the appearance of such representatives of the breed is absolutely useless.

Another thing is purebred specimens, which require regular combing, treatment with special products and visits to veterinary centers that provide trimming services.

Types of British breed cats

British fold cat was first bred only in the mid-twentieth century in Scotland, and the breed acquired official status even later (in the early nineties).

It is distinguished by a characteristic rounded head with peculiar flattened ears. Due to the rather wide chest and not very proportional paws, a deceptive visual effect of clubfoot of these animals is created.

Pictured is a British Fold cat

British longhair cat is a full-fledged variation of classic British cats. It differs from its relatives in the presence of long, rough, medium-sized wool, which fits quite tightly to the body and seems softer to the touch than that of short-haired representatives of the breed. The wool does not shed or fall into numerous tangles even if it is rarely groomed.

The photo shows a British longhair cat

Black British cat is the owner of a thick coat of black color, saturated directly to the very base of the roots. Eye color can be copper, orange or intense golden. According to the current standard, the presence of even one white hair in the coat of representatives of this breed is unacceptable.

Pictured is a British black cat

British chinchilla cat is not a separate breed, but is just a color feature of an exquisite silver color with barely noticeable transitions from dark to light.

The photo shows a British chinchilla cat

Every person who has at least once been to exhibitions where British cats participated was surprised by the diversity of these animals.

And this is true, because the British have such a colossal range of palettes of their wool that some cannot count them. One of the colors that is included in this number is tabby.

Marble color

This color is that the color of the coat can be completely different, but there are patterns and certain elements on it.

Such elements may include:

• necklace (stripes around the neck);
• clear stripes around the tail and paws, slightly darker than the base color of the coat;
• richly colored hairs;
• on the forehead, a darker color than the main one, the letter “M” is clearly visible;
• the nose and eyes should be outlined with a clear outline of the color of the coat;
• the back wall of the ear has an imprint in a color slightly lighter than the main one.

According to established standards, the British tabby color can have only three types of pattern:

• marble (see);
• spotted;
• brindle.

Brindle color

However, it is interesting that such basic elements can be present on a kitten of any color. They include: tortoiseshell, golden, smoky, silver, etc. Thanks to this diversity, the tabby color is impressive.

Let's look at these three main drawings in order.

Marble

From the withers to the shoulder blades, along the entire back and to the tail, there is a clear dark pattern of stripes that resembles the wings of a butterfly.

Marble color

Such lines should always be dense, dark and wide. Rings are formed from the same lines on the neck. They must be made of wide stripes and the circle must be closed.

Spotted

From the name it is clear that the animal has spots. They are mainly on the back and sides of the pet. On light wool, such elements stand out very clearly. They also appear on the paws, and very rarely on the tail.

Usually, fuzzy stripes resembling soggy lines can be seen on the tail. Such spots are never the same; they are all different shapes and sizes. Can be round or oval.

brindle

Naturally, such colors will resemble the patterns found on a wild tiger. One clear dark stripe runs along the entire back, and other thin stripes branch off from it towards the sides of the animal.

There is also a necklace on the neck, but it is formed from thin lines. Just like a marble cat, a tiger cat has lines on its paws that connect into rings.

However, what is interesting is that experts do not primarily evaluate the British for their tabby color; for them, a very important factor is their head shape, as well as their massive build. Only after such conclusions do connoisseurs move on to the color of the fur coat and its designs.

Also, for specialists, the expressive eyes of a pet are quite important, which should be copper or orange in color.