Long or Short haired kittens?

Question

This is my first time having a cat and I'm just curious how you can tell if a kitten is a long hair or short hair cat? We took in a stray about 7 months ago and got her checked at the vet as well as getting her shots. She just had kittens around 4-5 days ago. My have they Gotten big!..lol...Back on subject though. How can I tell if they are short hair or long hair? The queen is a LONG hair. She's a mainecoon cat but a small one...So possibly a mix of Mainecoone and something else.

We have many male cats around our home but they are all short hair mostly. So I'm confused on the distinction between long hair and short hair kittens. Do kittens take mostly after their mother or the father?..or is it just chance?

Also one more question....Is it possible for kittens hair color to change as they slowly age in the first months? Both are black with white paws and chest unlike their completely mixed color mother. But one kitten seems to be lightening up or it may just be my eyes lol.

Thanks!

Here are a few pics of her when she was around 1 year old...She about a year and a half now.

http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/2972/kitty023sw5.jpg
http://img244.imageshack.us/img244/2149/kitty020ej0.jpg
http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/7220/kitty007ne0.jpg

I just started posting here today so I still haven't figured out how to attach images...sorry about that. still learning how Yahoo Answers works.

Regarding the male cats...There are 2 full black cats and one black cat with a white chest and white feet as well (Tuxedo cat). Could the kittens be from any of these males or is there a high chance it's from the tuxedo cat since the kittens have the same hair color (all black with white feet and a white chest that slightly covers their face above their nose.)

Once again sorry for not understanding how yahoo answers works...>_<

Answer 1

Being a breeder of Persian cats, I can tell you a few things for sure. Your cat is a domestic longhair {I can't really see any Maine Coon in her} which means she carries two {recessive} genes for long hair, like all longhaired cats do. However, since she was hanging around with shorthaired toms, all the kittens will likely be shorthaired unless the tom is also carrying one gene for long hair {which being recessive, would not be apparent by looking at him}. In this case, your kittens would be a mix--some would be longhaired, others shorthaired, roughly half and half.

Longhaired and shorthaired kittens look about the same at the time of birth. However, by 5 or 6 weeks or so it becomes apparent whether they are long or shorthaired. By 8 or 9 weeks it's obvious, as shorthaired kittens begin to lose their "kitten fluff" and longhaired ones just keep on growing it!

Answer 2

I have a short-haired cat that has always bred with short-haired males. She is a "long-hair carrier", and all but one of the kittens she's ever had have been long-haired. So you can't tell by what the parents look like.

Within the group of cats you'd call long-haired, not all have hair like Persians. Some cats don't have that heavy undercoat, which makes them easier to take care of. Some have hair that's just "long-ish" and some have hair that could be described as "medium". As the kittens get a little older you should be able to tell, at least by the time they're a month old.

Yes, their coat color can change. Sometimes it gets more vivid. Sometimes a kitten will have spots and by the time it is an adult they are almost inivisible. I had a kitten that I thought was a very dark tabby and it grew up to be a solid black cat. I've had other kittens that appeared to be black when they were little and got lighter as they got older. They were what is called "smoke", meaning the underneath fur was light and only the ends of the hair shaft were dark. Beautiful.

Your kitty is just beautiful.

Answer 3

Long Haired Kittens

Answer 4

It all depends on which one carries the dominant or recessive genes. If the mother is a mix it doesn't necessarily mean that her kittens will all be long haired, especially if the tom is shorthaired. The only real way you can control it is the have two of the same breed. You will have to wait until they are older and loose their "fluff". Most long hair and short hairs look very similar at birth. If they kepp more of their fluuf as they get older they should be long haired. However, because they may be mixed you may get some in the middle or wierd combinations of the two. I met an adorable tom who had a longhaired tail and maine, but his body was shorthaired. Just give it time and the mystery will reveal itself!

Most of the time its just their eyes that change colour. Older cats will grey eventually (like my 13 year old who's black and white - recently more white). The problem with their fluff, is that it can hide other colours. Blacks and browns are hard to distinguish in some kittens. They may have some hidden colours that you can't see right now because their so fluffly.

Answer 5

Long fur in cats is generally a recessive gene. If your cat is only part Maine Coon, then it would denfinetly be a recessive gene, and as it probably mated with a DSL, the odds are the kittens are short fur. You can tell if they are long fur right from the beginning, I have two persians, and right from the beginning they were nothing but giant fur balls, they looked a lot like balls of angora wool.
As far as cats changing color, they most certainly do change as they grow. It is more obvious with cats like I have, which are actually Himalyan (mix of persian and simase) the points start out to be very light in color and weekly they take on more and more color. My oldest, Emily was almost all white when I got her. She is now 17 and much darker. She doesn't look anything like the little kitten that I bought. But still a beautiful beast. It's the wonders of cats, they just keep changing, and bringing us joy. If you google persian cats, you will see what a long fur kitten looks like and I'm sure you will see the difference.

Answer 6

Cute kitty, I'd actually call her in-between long hair and short hair, so medium hair, I have had a definite Maine coon mix (big guy with really long fur and a tiny mew) He had longer fur. When he was little we used to say he looked like an Ewok (the little teddy bear guys from Star Wars) A long haired kitten will look very fluffy, my sister's cat is also a medium, she was a bit fluffy, but not terribly so.

As for fur lightening up yes they do change, a bit. My other kitten, was a tabby, with stripes, but as he grew up he not only darkened in color, his stripes faded into his fur, you have to look really hard to see them. So I can only imagine the same can happen with lightening fur.

Answer 7

I prefer hair that is shoulder length or longer, And since that men who like women are more often then not straight, they like long hair because this looks more feminine, as most males have short hair.

Answer 8

I dont think there is a real way to tell unless they get older because some could be short haired and others could be long hair and if the dad was short haired there could be a good chance there could be a mix

Answer 9

long hair is nice but requires maintenance and u have to grow that out for a long time

Answer 10

well do you have picture of the cat see how she or he look like ? i odnt think cats can be different breeds ? maybe you can go to word search and typle cats pictures then you can look up see if there is any pictures online that can tell you what kind of cat you got . or you can go to animalsplanet.com to see if there are other cats and kittens photos of youre cats.