Cats with the Himalayan Gene

[RubbishMantra]

Was looking at some photos of MKitten (a si-rex) and noticed how his little 'bandit mask' has darkened. Also he's developing a milk-chocolate patch over his shoulders. Also, his skin has gone from pink to cinnamon coloured.

Anyone else care to share any before and after photos?

I have a photo somewhere of Oneago and his litter brother (both chocolate points) at a week or two old and they're virtually pure white. I'll see if I can find it.

Ooh yes please Cozie.

I find the fact that they're albinos, yet their points darken fascinating. Let alone their blue eyes which glow red. I didn't realise his skin colour would change either.

Here's MK at about a week old.

He's already got quite dark points even then! If he had been a Siamese, his breeder would likely have been saying 'Seal Point, that one'. (Still haven't found that photo - we have very few until the family started using digital.)

One thing I find difficult to get used to with non-Siamese is pink paw pads. Are MKitten's paw pads brown?

They started off pink, now they're a dark cinnamon. Not exactly brown. Also his little bald belly is becoming mottled, like a piebald horse or dog!

I wonder if he is a seal point? he's registered as a chocolate and white point. Do they need to have the darker (mink?) fur for that?

• I meant I though mink fur went with seal points, was a bit unclear.

Your use of the 'cinnamon' descriptor would be a giveaway for a chocolate point in a Siamese. (They tend to have cinnamon and 'warmer' colouring than the seals.) I'm afraid I'm at a loss when it comes to rexes though.

Devons were out-crossed to Siamese in the early days, to expand the gene-pool. So likely share the same colour patterns?

The point colour 'options' for Siamese-patterned cats are the same regardless of the breed. If any cat (including moggies) has two copies of the recessive 'cs' colourpoint allele they'll express a Siamese-type pattern. The actual point colour will be a slightly diluted version of one of the standard cat coat colours, eg genetically black cats with cs/cs genotype will have seal points. MKitten is absolutely gorgeous :)

Thanks for explaining it Gerund. I've done a fair bit of googling, but what you've said is much easier to understand.

MKitten says thanks for the compliment.