Guess the colour of a Jellybean!

[GarnetFox]

Otherwise known as our younger kitten. ;)

http://www.newrider.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=1542&pictureid=13467

Jellybean is a 12 week old female kitten. Her dad was a white Turkish Angora, and her mother was a brown tabby domestic long-hair, with some Maine Coon characteristics.

She is proving to be quite a conundrum when it comes to her colouring. When she was born she looked to be black with white legs, belly and chin, but when we picked her up she had developed silver shading and faint tabby stripes. These have got noticeably stronger in the two weeks since she arrived. Today I noticed a bulls-eye marking on her flank, so under the black she has classic tabby markings.

So, what colour do you think she shall be as an adult?

At 12 weeks she has silver hair mixed in with the black, and silver tabby markings, but I have never heard of a black cat with silver tabby stripes! She could grey out and be a grey tabby I suppose. Some of her black hairs have a white root, which suggests black smoke but it's not noticable unless you pinch a couple out, and some are all black.

She's a mystery! :confused: But a very cute one. :D

[pink-pony101]

id say she'd grey out to be a silver tabby:)

[GarnetFox]

That would be very pretty! One of her littermates was a silver tabby, and the other was white. :D

[Ashlea]

id say she'd grey out to be a silver tabby:)

I dont think cats have the same "greying" process as horses...but Im no expert!

Alot of "black" cats have their "natural" markings disguised by the "black" colouring....Panthers are a classic example....they ae actually jaguars, but the "black" makes it hard to see their real markings...

I have a "White" kitten...but you can see her tabby markings in certain lighting.....my "black" cat (who I left with mum when I got married) also had classic tabby markings that could be seen if you really looked/in certain light.

I your cat is definately NOT a silver tabby though - they are white based, which greys out, and have black tabby markings. If you pull back the fur of a tabby, it should be very pale - white on a silver if its a silver tabby......but the base of most cats are lighter than what is seen on the surface...

If the cat is grey/black and has tabby markings that are clearly visible, then its a SMOKE tabby and white (smokes arent usually bi-coloured). It may become more/less grey depending on season/condition.
At a first glance Id say it was black and white....but if you are clearly seeing tabby markings and grey colouring with no other colour other than white, then she is a smoke.....possibly black smoke......smokes dont often start out dark, and lighten, but I think it CAN happen.

Shes lovely looking though! I wouldnt mind her myself:D

[Ashlea]

p.s. as with horses and dogs, some cat coats are vulnerable to the sun - so a black coat me be bleached orange/brown, or even a lighter greyish colour....
older cats may lose their shine and look more "grey" too.....so when shes really old, she may well look even less black and white than she does in the pic :D

ETA - some cats that have been sick, or stressed develop what is called a "fever coat"....it can add extra "white" hairs, and also turns the base of the hairs a greyish/white...Im not saying your cat has it - she looks very happy....just thought Id throw it out there as another reason for such appearances in a coat....

Particular breeds, such as siamese darken and change colour as they get older, but not very many lighten......You seen in silver tipped chinchilla persians that they start off slightly darker, but the roots grow out lighter so that they are "silver tipped".....but your little kitty doesnt look like a "silver tipped" either.
I think shes just a bog standard balck and white kitty whos "natural" markings can be seen - probably from her mothers side!
ALot of people want those natural markings as it has been bred out of many breeds :D

[GarnetFox]

Thanks for such informative posts Ashlea, very helpful indeed!

I was wondering about the silver tabby, because she has the colours the wrong way around. She's in negative. ;)

I'm not imagining the stripes, the vet commented on them herself! They are best seen in strong light, though as she gets older the stripes are becoming more defined. I hope that they stay! In dimmer light she looks like a silverback gorilla. :D

My other kitten is a brown classic tabby, so I have been comparing the two of them. Jellybean has faint silver stripes on her head and patches of half silver/half black over her shoulders. She has a silver 'frill' around her, er, bottom and area, which goes a little way up the underside of her tail and down her back legs. At first there were just a couple of vague stripes on her side but last night I clearly saw the flank circles.

It's very exciting to watch her colouring develop, I just wish I had a better camera.

These shows off her overall shading more, I have a roan cat. ;)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v358/ichikitsune/IMG_0380.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v358/ichikitsune/IMG_0381.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v358/ichikitsune/IMG_0389.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v358/ichikitsune/IMG_0390.jpg

You can just see the silver around her armpits and butt here:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v358/ichikitsune/n666102387_1561548_3173.jpg



I am afraid that you can't have her Ashlea, she's so adorable that fancy smoke or plain black, she's staying for life! She's a real people cat and, while Drifter will only sleep next to you on the sofa, Jellybean is asleep on your chest, belly, legs, shoulders, neck, arm, hip, anywhere connected with you. She also kneads her little paws into us when cuddling, and has also tried to suckle, though didn't get very far as it was a flannel dressing gown. ;)

[Ashlea]

Oh! Just looked at the other pics of Jellybean...looks like shes got whats called "frosting"...where it looks like the coat has "frost" on it....
ETA - it makes what is an otherwise "normal" coat, look like its going silver. Its sometimes known as "reveresed ticking".... :D

[GarnetFox]

But if you pluck a selection of hair out, the silver ones are ALL silver, not just the tips!

She's a confusing madam!

[Sleepybear]

I didn't notice the stripes before I just thought she was black and white but you can see them a bit on that 1st pic.

Could be an interesting one? The breeder of Smokey said she would change from her black smoke to silver tabby but she never did. Did you see the new pic I put up of her outside when she was younger it really shows of her ruff well and her smoked fur.:)

Well have to wait with baited breath and see what happens with Jelly bean :D

[Dogrose]

I'd say black and white, she isn't tabby. She may turn smoke but they usuaklly have noticable smoking on the face as a kitten. Black kittens often have strong tabby markings until their fur darkens as they age. I think someone said that already :D
My siamese was a mystery for ages- his mother was a chocolate silver tabby point and his dad a lilac point, he was very pale, pretty soon you could see he was tabby based but he was well grown before we were sure he was a lilac tabby point.

[vixie]

shes a smoke.

poss black smoke w/white.