by Sheffelf
(Huntington, IN)

Blue Maynard

Blue Maynard is, in my opinion, from internet research, an Egyptian Mau; he has all the characteristics and he is just plain beautiful.

I believe I saw a test kit somewhere for cats DNA. Does anyone know of this? I'm going to do research on this but I wanted to show him. Thanks for your responses.

Sheffelf

Hi... Thanks for asking. The Egyptian Mau is a spotted cat. It is said to be the only naturally occurring spotted cat. It is also said to be a domesticated African wildcat. The African wildcat has spots but not clearly defined. The feral Egyptian Maus in Egypt have spots that are in a line looking a little like mackerel tabby stripes.

The cat fancy has enhanced the appearance by selective breeding and purebred Egyptian Maus have clear, bright, contrasty spots on the body as evidenced by Helmi Flicks wonderful photographs. The legs and chest area have stripes.

Your very attractive cat, Blue Maynard, appears, from the photograph, to have stripes on the body (but please see the updated section below). My initial thought is that your cat is a silver mackerel tabby random bred cat.

This is the most likely answer as to the type of cat he is. The vast majority of people who keep purebred cats have certificates to prove it. Without certs it could be argued that even a genuine purebred cat is not a purebred as there has to be evidence beyond appearance.

Currently, as far as I am aware, it is not possible to test for a cat breed through an analysis of the cat's DNA.

However, DNA testing can be carried out to check for certain genes that are markers for specific diseases. These tests are designed to tell cat breeders whether their cat carries an inherited predisposition to a certain disease and if so to take that cat out of the breeding programme.

I hope this answers your question and I am sorry if it disappoints you.

Update:

I have just noticed the other photos you uploaded. Here is one:

The stripes and some spots are clearer in this photo. I still think my assessment is correct. This page: cat coats tabby, shows a lot of mackerel tabby cats. Your cat also has a body shape that is a little too cobby for an Egyptian Mau that is more "foreign" (slender) in shape.

Although, when I see this picture (which I have just discovered that you uploaded too):

and this one:

I can see how close on appearance Blue Maynard is to an Egyptian Mau. Stripes become spots. There is quite a fine line between the two. The face too is Mau like.

Well, without papers and a no chance of a DNA test your cat will have to remain a random bred cat it seems to me although he might have Egyptian Mau genes in him. He might be more than a look-a-like, is what I mean.

You might like to read: What breed is my cat?

Is my cat an Egyptian Mao? Genetic Testing? to Egyptian Mau cat