# BSH help with kittens colour!!!



## steven_2283 (Jun 6, 2018)

Hello, I'm hoping someone can help me. my beautiful BSH mum silver tabby and dad cream have just had their first litter together and the kittens are now about four weeks old and ever since they where born iv been having trouble trying to get their colours right so they match up with the GCCF gems.

pictures 1/2 are the first kitten
3/4 are second one
5/6 are third one and
7/8 are the fourth kitten.

i will attach some pictures. thank you for any help.


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

All girls will be torties. All look to be silver, all look to be tabbies but not sure if all are black tabby / tortie tabby, and the photos don't show their sides so not sure what the tabby patterns are.


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## spotty cats (Jul 24, 2012)

Silver tabby isn’t a colour. There’s Black, chocolate, lilac silver etc. 

What colours do the parents carry? 

Some look brown tabby on screen but this could be photo lighting. 

Your mentor should be able to assist with the colours too.


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## steven_2283 (Jun 6, 2018)

Hello and thanks for the replys, ones girl is black spotty and she looks golden but with a cream smudge on her head. one boy and he is black and silver and has strips and spots. another girl has black silver and cream strips and spots. the other girl has black strips and a few spots but her other color is sort of browny silver with a cream smudge on chest and head. I don't have a mentor. I have tried to get in contact with the people I got my bsh from but no reply so I'm solo thanks again.


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

The girls are all torties hence their colouring. Which are the girls in the photos?


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## steven_2283 (Jun 6, 2018)

the only boy is in pictures 5 and 6 so the girls are in all the other pictures and thank you


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## gskinner123 (Mar 10, 2010)

Pictures 1/2, 3/4 and 5/6 look to be all BSH fs24, ie black tortie silver spotted tabby. They are definitely all 24 being spotted tabby, however, blue silver can be a dark/slatey colour and it's difficult to tell from your photos whether the kittens are black or blue.

The boy is BSH ns24. Black silver spotted tabby.

Due to the mating/colours of parents there is a high chance of lots of tarnishing (a brownish tinge) on any silver kittens and thus it will be difficult to tell them apart from actual brown tabbies which are a possibility if the silver parent is not homozygous for the inhibitor gene (ie silver).

There is no DNA test for the inhibitor gene but it would be worthwhile testing the silver parent to see if they are carrying dilute and/or the self gene (ie that they are not a homozygous for "tabby" cat)


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## steven_2283 (Jun 6, 2018)

hi and thank you gskinner123, i will actually doing gene test for colors soon. I'm pretty sure that they all have black spots and strips. out of interest is there a code for a cream tortie silver spotted! and would the girl in pictures 3/4 who has black spots but a golden undercoat still be tortie silver spotted! thanks


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

steven_2283 said:


> hi and thank you gskinner123, i will actually doing gene test for colors soon. I'm pretty sure that they all have black spots and strips. out of interest is there a code for a cream tortie silver spotted! and would the girl in pictures 3/4 who has black spots but a golden undercoat still be tortie silver spotted! thanks


No such thing as a cream tortie - all dilute torties are named by the other colour, blue, lilac or fawn. Also do you belong to a breed club? If you do then Langford give a discount on testing.

http://www.langfordvets.co.uk/diagn...eral-info-breeders/registered-breed-societies


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

Should add that the dominant torties are also named according to the non-red colour - black, chocolate or cinnamon.


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## Rufus15 (Dec 4, 2015)

Worrying that a breeder is having kittens with no clue what to do. I strongly recommend contacting one of the British Shorthair Cat Clubs and asking for a mentor.


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## gskinner123 (Mar 10, 2010)

Steven, if you need any help you are most welcome to write to the British Shorthair BAC (Breed Advisory Committee) either via their Facebook page or by email which can be found on the BSH BAC's web page. Any of the committee will be pleased to help.

If you aren't already, it would really be worth joining The Tabby Cat Club and this will also give you the benefit of reduced cost DNA testing with Langford. Please let me know if you would like a TCC membership form.

The BSH BAC is holding its seminar in the Midlands this November which is a lovely way to meet other breeders and have a relaxed, enjoyable day whilst learning more about your breed.


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## steven_2283 (Jun 6, 2018)

Rufus15 said:


> Worrying that a breeder is having kittens with no clue what to do. I strongly recommend contacting one of the British Shorthair Cat Clubs and asking for a mentor.


thank you rufus15 but i didnt create this post to have people be negative and rude towards me. i do have a clue thank you, just need a little help with the colors. if you can't be helpful then do not post on here. it's called being descent.


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## steven_2283 (Jun 6, 2018)

thank you to everyone who was helpful, i know about Langford as that's where i got all their tests done when they where younger and i am looking around at bsh clubs to join. life has just been a bit busy but everything else is in order. thanks.


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## SusieRainbow (Jan 21, 2013)

Rufus15 said:


> Worrying that a breeder is having kittens with no clue what to do. I strongly recommend contacting one of the British Shorthair Cat Clubs and asking for a mentor.


To be fair the OP has only asked about colour, which is quite specialised.


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## Rufus15 (Dec 4, 2015)

SusieRainbow said:


> To be fair the OP has only asked about colour, which is quite specialised.


All of this can and should be provided by a mentor, it's what they're there for  it is very frustrating for someone who has done all the preliminary work to see people who haven't and are breeding without the well-rounded knowledge needed.


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## steven_2283 (Jun 6, 2018)

Rufus15 said:


> All of this can and should be provided by a mentor, it's what they're there for  it is very frustrating for someone who has done all the preliminary work to see people who haven't and are breeding without the well-rounded knowledge needed.


thank you once again for insulting me.... much appreciated.

for your information i did my research for over two years and i now all i need to know to be a good breeder. we all need a little help now and then......


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## steven_2283 (Jun 6, 2018)

how has my post turned into a place where people want to be rude and insulting instead of being kind and helpful like a normal nice human being


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## SusieRainbow (Jan 21, 2013)

steven_2283 said:


> how has my post turned into a place where people want to be rude and insulting instead of being kind and helpful like a normal nice human being


You've had lots of helpful replies, only one being critical. 
As you say everyone needs a helping hand sometimes , no-one knows everything. I know absolutely nothing about colour genetics , but then I've only ever had rescue moggies.
Are you in touch with your breeder at all ?
Good luck with your gorgeous babies, they really are adorable !


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## SusieRainbow (Jan 21, 2013)

Rufus15 said:


> All of this can and should be provided by a mentor, it's what they're there for  it is very frustrating for someone who has done all the preliminary work to see people who haven't and are breeding without the well-rounded knowledge needed.


Not everyone is in touch with their breeders, life circumstances change. I understand you're very knowledgable but why don't you want to share your knowledge for the good of ethical breeding ?


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## QOTN (Jan 3, 2014)

SusieRainbow said:


> Not everyone is in touch with their breeders, life circumstances change. I understand you're very knowledgable but why don't you want to share your knowledge for the good of ethical breeding ?


Unfortunately not everybody is as knowledgeable as they try to appear. It is a great pity if those who come here for advice are criticised by other novices.

I bred my chosen breeds for 20 years and still could not *always* say for certain when kittens were very young exactly what their colours were. It really depends on the range of possibilities in any given mating.

@steven_2283 I wonder if your difficulties could stem from the choice of mating in the first place. Perhaps @gskinner123 could provide recommendations for silver tabby breeding in BSH?


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## SusieRainbow (Jan 21, 2013)

:Locktopic
Closing this, it's getting personal. 
I understand the frustration of the experienced hands on breeders but have been trying to still the troubled waters , ineffectively it would seem. 
OP, you've had good advice , I hope the answers help you to solve your dificulty.


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