Is it possible to determine the species of a cat simply by the way it looks?

Question

Currently, I have two cats. Both of them were strays, one is about 4 months old, and the other about 1 month old. I've yet to determine the species of the cats simply because I don't know how. Any help given would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance!

would it help if i post their pictures through my avatar?

And what's the difference between breed and species?

Answer 1

Do you mean species or _breed_ of cat?

Species, I would guess Felis silvestris catus - that's what domestic cats are. For breed... you ought to ask the vet, but the bet is on mongrel... (of course, there are exceptions, but without pedigree documents... breed will be for your information only).

I think Jaded Ruby covered a bit about species vs. breed.

Actually, domestic cat is a sub-breed (of Felis silvestris). All domestic cats, no matter how they look, are of that breed. Dogs are Canis lupus familiaris, people are Homo sapiens... that's species.

A Siamese, or a Maine Coon, is a breed of cat.

A tabby / tortoiseshell / tricolor / tuxedo / white / blue / smoke whatever are descriptives of how a cat looks, also among the traits. They can be shared by different breeds of cats, as well as any number of mongrel cats. Even if a cat has all the _traits_ of a breed, it doesn't mean it is of that breed (although it's strongly suggestive that at least one parent was of that breed). It can have offspring with a pedigree cat of that breed... and the offspring can have very different traits.

Answer 2

Breed is the difference between, say a Persian and a Siamese. Species is the difference between, say a housecat (no matter the breed) and a mountain lion!

So yes, it is definitely possible to tell the species just by looking at it. And usually the breed too, if you're good.

Answer 3

Lots of colors is a " Calico"
Black/White with a "bow tie" at the neck is a "Tuxedo "

But the Species is simply "cat" then you break it down by breed....

Answer 4

Species..is cat, dog, human....breed is where they lie within their species. Yours is a breed question. Unless it is a purebred which you can distinguish traits.....they are most likely kittie mutts. Or what we call ferral or strays. This means they are mixed breeds...and no...you wouldn't be able to tell what they are. You can't just say oh it's Siamese because it displays a pointed pattern. However you can properly name what color it is....ie. Short-haired tortoiseshell, brown tabby...etc.

Answer 5

if they were starys they a probably a mixed breed they may look like tabbys or calico or whatever but you will never know if you just look at them go to a vet and ask if they know if they don't then there is no other way to tell you probably would end up with a whole bunch of speices if the vet knew what kinds it was...

Answer 6

Most strays are mixed domestic breeds. But hopefully one of the sites below can help you or a good vet would know.

Answer 7

yes most people can tell what a cat looks like when they see a cat. I think you might mean breed.

here is a link you can look at the cats and read about them and try and figure it out from there when you take your cats to the vet you can ask him/her

http://www.cfainc.org/breeds.html

Answer 8

Assuming you mean "Breed" of the cats and not "Species", go to this website:

http://www.cfa.org/breeds.html

All the info you need is here.

But remember, it's "Breed" not "Species"

Answer 9

Ummm yes if its a Siamese or a persian. They are so distinct you can always tell with them. Other cats r tough to pin down to heritage

Answer 10

post some good pics. keep in mind a purebred cat is almost impossible to find as a stay or at a shelter,