2. Fur & Markings
The camouflage of felid coats evolve to match their environments.
Tigers are thin but incredibly strong, built for weaving through forests and ambushing relatively large prey. Their coats are striped so they merge into a background of stems, trunks and palms. Lions are plain in colour to help them to blend in to their un-contrasting open plain environment. Cheetahs and servals have speckled comouflage, ideal for cooling off in the mottled shade beneath savanna trees and for concealment amongst sparse shrubbery. Most leopards bear distinct, dark rosettes for life amongst the leaves in the trees, whereas snow leopards appear to be white with less defined rosettes ideal for life amongst snow and rock.
Scottish wildcats have noticeable similarities to domestic cats, as they bear the classic tabby markings ideal for a shadowy deciduous forest. These individual adaptations help the different evolutions of the felidae to effectively stalk their prey and evade threat.
The intensive & selective breeding of domestic cats has produced coats with an array of colour, length & pattern.
From all over Blue russians to mottled tortoiseshell, long fur to none at all. Striped or spotted leopard like cats to soft toy like ragdolls.
Detailed coat descriptions & diagrams
A note about the cat fur trade
There is a demand for fur in the fashion industry as it is regularly used to embellish garments, shoes or accessories. There are rules & regulations in place to control cruel farming, illegal acquisition & trading of fur. Real fur is still widespread in the shops on our high streets, as a great quantity still finds its way to our country cleverly disguised as fake fur. In the past even cats in the U.k. have been illegally abducted for their coats, which have then been disguised, used & re-distributed as components in high street goods. Cruel fur farming of a variety of animals such as cats still thrives, please avoid buying anything which contains fur or even fake fur unless you are sure of its originality. If something you have seen is suspicious, please report it to your local authority or charitable organisation such as the RCPCA. If you wish to see regulations & inspections on the importation of fur & "Fake" fur, please write to or petition your mp.
Where there is a demand, there is potential income & people or organisations eager to exploit it, any way they can.
Classic tabby pattern
Classic red tabby
Mackerel tabby pattern
Spotted tabby pattern
Patched tortie
Mottled tortoiseshell
