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GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY
Albinism: Lack of the pigment that gives
color to skin, hair, and eyes. In cats, true
albinism is very rare, but partial albinism
gives rise to pointed coat patterns, as in
the Siamese, and color variations, such
as silver tabby.
Allele: Variant form of a gene. Cats have
two alleles of each gene—one inherited
from each parent.
Almond-shaped eyes: Oval eyes with
flattened corners, seen in breeds such
as the Abyssinian and Siamese.
Awn hairs: Slightly longer bristly hairs
that, together with the soft down hairs,
constitute the undercoat.
Bicolor: Coat pattern combining white
with another color.
Blotched tabby: Alternative term for
Classic Tabby.
Blue: Light- to medium-gray coat color,
a diluted form of black. Blue-only cat
breeds include the Russian Blue, Korat,
and Chartreux.
Bracelets: Dark horizontal bands on
the legs of a tabby cat.
Break: see Stop
Breeches: In longhaired cats,
extra-long hair on the upper back
part of the hindlegs.
Breed standard: Detailed description
produced by a cat registry that defines
the required standards for a pedigree
cat’s conformation, coat, and color.
Calico: Tortie and white patterning.
Cameo: Red, or its diluted form cream,
where white covers two-thirds of the
hair shaft.
Carnivore: Meat-eating animal.
Cat fancier: Enthusiast for breeding
and showing purebred cats.
Cat registry: Organization that sets
breed standards and registers the
pedigrees of cats.
CFA: The Cat Fanciers’ Association, the
world’s largest registry of pedigree cats,
based in the US.
Chocolate: Pale- to medium-brown
coat color.
Chromosome: Threadlike structure
within a cell nucleus containing genes
arranged along a strand of DNA. Cats
have 38 chromosomes arranged in 19
corresponding pairs. (Humans have 46,
arranged in 23 pairs.)
Classic tabby: see Tabby
Cobby: Compact, muscular, heavy-
boned body type, seen in breeds such
as the Persian.
Colorpoint: see Pointed
Crossbreed: see Random-bred
Curled ears: Ears that curve backward, as
in the American Curl.
Diluted/dilution: Paler version of a color
caused when the dilution gene comprises
two recessive alleles—for example, black
becomes blue and red becomes cream.
Domestic cat: Any member of
Felis catus, pedigree or mixed breed.
Also commonly known as a house cat.
Dominant: Describes an allele inherited
from one parent that overrides the effect
of a paired recessive allele inherited from
the other parent. For example, the allele
for a tabby coat is dominant.
Double coat: Fur consisting of a thick, soft
undercoat covered by a protective topcoat
of longer guard hairs.
Down: Short, soft, fine hairs that form
an undercoat in some breeds.
Feathering: Longer hair on areas such
as legs, feet, and tail.
Feral: Describing a domesticated species
that has reverted to a wild state.
FIFe: Fédération Internationale Féline,
the leading European federation of
cat registries.
Folded ears: Ears that fold forward
and down, seen in breeds such as the
Scottish Fold.
GCCF: The Governing Council of the Cat
Fancy, the leading organization for the
registration of cats in the UK.
Gene pool: The complete collection of
genes within an interbreeding population.
Ghost markings: Faint tabby markings on
the coat of a solid-colored cat that show
up in certain lights.
Ground color: Background color in tabbies.
There are many variants: brown, red, and
silver are among the most common.
Guard hairs: Longer, tapering hairs
that form a cat’s topcoat and provide
weatherproofing.
Hybrid: Offspring of two different species—
for example, the Bengal, which is a cross
between the domestic cat (Felis catus) and
the Asian leopard (Felis bengalensis).
Leather: Hairless area at the end of
the nose. Color varies according to coat
color and is defined in the breed standards
for pedigree cats.
Lilac: Warm pink-gray color, a diluted form
of brown.
“M” mark: Typical “M”-shaped mark on
the forehead of tabby cats; also known as
a frown mark.
Mackerel tabby: see Tabby
Marbled: Variation of the Classic Tabby,
mostly seen in wildcat hybrids such as
the Bengal.
Mascara lines: Dark lines running from
the outer corners of the eyes or encircling
the eyes.
Mask: Dark coloration on the face, usually
around the muzzle and eyes.
Mitted: Color pattern in which the paws
are white. Also called mittens or socks.
Moggie: Informal term for a non-
pedigree cat.
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