RECOGNIZED
CATEGORIES/DIVISION/COLORS:
Traditional
Category, Tabby Division, Brown Spotted Tabby, Brown Marbled
Tabby, Silver Spotted Tabby and Silver Marbled Tabby only.
Sepia
Category, Tabby Division, Seal Sepia Spotted Tabby and Seal Sepia
Marbled Tabby only.
Mink
Category, Tabby Division, Seal Mink Spotted Tabby and Seal Mink
Marbled Tabby only.
Lynx
Category, Tabby Division, Seal Lynx Spotted Tabby and Seal Lynx
Marbled Tabby only.
HEAD
Shape:
Broad modified wedge with rounded contours. Longer than it is
wide. Slightly small in proportion to body, but not to be taken to
extreme. The skull behind the ears makes a gentle curve and flows
into the neck. Allowance to be made for jowls in adult males.
Overall look of the head should be as distinct from the domestic
cat as possible.
Ears:
Medium small compared to
size of head, with wide base and rounded tips. Set as much on
side as top of head, following the contour of the face in the
frontal view, and pointing forward in the profile view. Light
horizontal furnishings acceptable; but lynx tipping undesirable.
Eyes:
Oval, almost round. Large,
but not bugged. Set wide apart, back into face, and on slight
bias toward base of ear. Eye color according to coat color. The
more richness and depth of color the better.
Chin:
Strong chin, aligns with tip of nose in profile.
Muzzle:
Full and well defined, with
prominent whisker pads and high, pronounced cheekbones. Slight
muzzle break at the whisker pads.
Nose:
Large and wide; slightly
puffed nose leather.
Profile:
Curve of the forehead should flow into the bridge of the nose with
no break. Bridge of nose extends above the eyes; the line of the
bridge extends to the nose tip, making a nearly straight, convex
curve.
Neck:
Long, slender, but muscular;
in proportion to the head and body.
BODY
Torso:
Long and substantial, not oriental or foreign. Medium to large.
Consideration should be given to allow for smaller size, in
balanced proportion, of females.
Legs:
Medium length, slightly
longer in the back than in the front.
Feet:
Large, round, with prominent knuckles.
Tail:
Medium length, thick, with rounded tip.
Boning:
Sturdy, firm; never delicate.
Musculature: Very muscular,
especially in the males, one of the most distinguishing features.
Allowance to be made for the generally slighter musculature of the
females.
COAT
Length:
Short to medium. Allowance
for slightly longer coat in kittens.
Texture:
Dense and luxurious, close
lying, unusually soft and silky to the touch.
Patterns:
Spotted or marbled. Coat may be glittered or not glittered, but
glitter only preferred if all else equal.
The
Spotted Pattern:
Spots shall be random, or aligned
horizontally. Rosettes showing two distinct colors or shades, such
as paw print shaped, arrowhead shaped, doughnut or half doughnut
shaped or clustered are preferred to single spotting but not
required. Contrast with ground color must be extreme, giving
distinct pattern and sharp edges. Strong, bold chin strap and
mascara markings desirable. Virtually white undersides and belly
desirable. Blotchy horizontal shoulder streaks, spotted legs and
spotted or rosetted tail are desirable. Belly must be spotted.
The
Marbled Pattern:
Pattern shall consist of
horizontally flowing colors and patterns with sharp contrast,
distinct shapes, and sharp edges to the markings when the cat is
stretched with a chaining look being preferred. Vertical striping
and/or classic bulls eye are undesirable. Preference should be
given to cats with three or more shades; i.e., ground color,
markings, and dark outlining of those markings. Contrast must be
extreme, with distinct shapes and sharp edges. Virtually white
undersides and belly desirable. Belly must be spotted.
Colors:
Five colors recognized are
brown tabby, seal sepia tabby, seal mink tabby, seal lynx tabby,
and silver tabby.
Brown
Tabby: All variations are
allowed; however, a degree of rufinism yielding a yellow, buff,
tan, golden, or light orange ground color is preferred over a gray
or dark orange red background. Markings may be virtually black,
tan, or various shades of brown. Light spectacles encircling the
eyes and a virtually white ground color on the whisker pads, chin,
chest, belly, and inner legs (in contrast to the ground color of
the flanks and back) is desirable. Rims of eyes, lips, and nose
should be outlined with black, and center of nose should be brick
red. Eye color may be gold, copper, green, bronze, brown or
hazel, the more richness and depth of color the better. Tail tip
must be virtually black. Paw pads may be virtually black,
eggplant, or rosy pink with no speckling or mottling allowed.
Silver
Tabby:
Ground color should be a sparkling
silver-white overlaid with intense black horizontally flowing
markings, contrasted markings may be distinctly charcoal to dark
gray. Rims of eyes, nose and lips outlined in black. White
spectacles encircling the eyes and a white ground color on the
whisker pads, chin, chest, belly, and inner legs (in contrast to
the ground color of the flanks and back) is desirable. The silver
tabby genetically is a shaded cat expressing the agouti pattern,
therefore the undercoat should be white. A small degree of
tarnishing is acceptable, especially along the spine, legs, muzzle
and face. Paw pads should be deep charcoal or brownish black, no
speckling or mottling allowed. Nose leather brick red. Eye color
may be gold, copper, green, bronze, brown or hazel, the more
richness and depth of color the better.
Seal Sepia
Tabby: Ground color should
be ivory, cream, or light tan with pattern clearly visible. Seal
sepia tabby pattern may be various shades of seal sepia to a dark
seal sepia. Ivory or cream spectacles encircling the eyes, and
ivory or cream whisker pads and chin are desirable. There should
be very little or no difference between the color of body markings
and point color. Paw pads should be dark brown with rosy pink
undertones allowed. Tail tip should be dark seal brown. Eye color
should be gold, but may also be gold green, the more richness and
depth of color the better.
Seal Mink
Tabby: Ground color should
be ivory, cream, or light tan with pattern clearly visible. Seal
mink tabby pattern may be various shades of seal mink to a dark
seal mink. Ivory or cream spectacles encircling the eyes, and
ivory or cream whisker pads and chin are desirable. There should
be very little or no difference between the color of body markings
and point color. Paw pads should be dark brown with rosy pink
undertones allowed. Tail tip should be dark seal brown. Eye
color should be aqua (blue green) but may also be green, or green
gold, the more richness and depth of color the better.
Seal Lynx
Tabby:
Ground color should be ivory to cream with pattern clearly
visible. Pattern can vary in color from dark seal brown, light
brown, tan, or buff, with light spectacles, whisker pads, and
chin. There should be little difference between color of body
markings and point color. Paw pads should be dark brown with rosy
pink undertones allowed. Tail tip must be dark seal brown. Eye
color must be blue, the more richness and depth of color the
better.
ALLOWANCES
Allowances: Smaller size,
in balanced proportion, of females. Slightly longer coat in
kittens. Jowls in adult males.
PENALIZE
Penalize:
More than one vertical stripe or bar on either side forming a
mackerel tabby pattern on spotted cats; circular bulls eye pattern
on marbled cats; substantially darker point color (as compared to
color of body markings) in Seal Sepia, Seal Mink, or Seal Lynx
cats. For any distinct locket on the neck, chest, abdomen or any
other area. For a concave break where forehead meets the bridge of
the nose. Do not penalize for mousy undercoat.
WITHHOLD ALL AWARDS
Withhold All Awards:
Belly not spotted. Kinked or abnormal tail. Incorrect number of
toes. Improper bite.
TEMPERAMENT
Temperament
must be unchallenging; any sign of
definite challenge, i.e.. attempt to swat, claw, or bite shall
disqualify. The cat may exhibit fear, seek to flee, or generally
complain aloud but may not threaten to harm.
