Darlin’ give me a body with fur, long beautiful fur
Shining, gleaming, streaming, flaxen, waxen
Fur, fur. Fur, fur, fur, fur, fur, fur
Flow it, show it, long as I can grow it, my fur.
Fur, fur, fur, fur, fur, fur, fur, fur
Flow it, show it, long as I can grow it, my fur.
Fur, fur, fur, fur, fur, fur, fur, fur
Flow it, show it, long as I can grow it, my fur.
Flow it, show it, long as I can grow it, my fur.
Flow it, show it, long as I can grow it, my fur.
Flow it, show it, long as I can grow it, my fur.
With apologies to “Hair”. You can hear the original Broadway version here.
Kommando: Why does it say “Apologies to Hair?” It’s about fur.
Snoops: It was originally about human hair.
Kommando: Why would anyone write a song about that? It’s disgusting.
Snoops: They wrote a whole play about it according to Mom.
Kommando: Humans are so weird. It’s not like it even covers their whole bodies. You have to look at all that disgusting skin.
Snoops: Seriously. Those pores and bumps. And those marks when they fall down.
Kommando: Yeah. And when they bleed. Ugh. Revolting.
Snoops: That’s why we’re talking about fur today.
Kommando: Pawsome!
First, we are identified by the type of coat we have. There are hairless, short-haired, and long-haired.
Hairless – Hairless cats are not hairless (but they are cats). They are covered with very fine hair that feels like suede. Hairless cats are actually quite a bit of work. They have to be bathed regularly to remove some of the oil from their skin (the rest of us have fur to do it). Also, these cats shouldn’t be outside in cold weather (no coat). And they sunburn (Don’t put aloe on it; it’s poison to cats). Examples include the Sphynx and Peterbald.
Short-haired – These cats are low-maintenance. The fur is no more than 1.5 inches long and requires very little brushing. Examples are the British Shorthair, the Burmese, the Manx, the Bengal, and the Savannah.
Long-haired – These cats are furballs with feet. Their fur is longer than 1.5 inches, but it can grow up to 5 inches long. They require a lot of brushing, and they shed year-round. They are also prone to coughing up hairballs. Examples are the Maine Coon, the Ragdoll, and the Persian.
Now we move on to colors and patterns. As many varieties of patterns there are, cats are limited to 8 colors: white, black, red/ginger, bluish/gray, cream, brown, cinnamon, fawn. If cats were good at math, we’d tell you how many combinations that is; we’re not, so it’s lots.
Solid/Self Color – These cats are easy to spot, if you can find one. If there are furs of other color (any furs), they are not a solid.
Bi-Color – a base of white with patches of color. There are many variations: random, random with colored tail, colored head and back, and between the ears and a colored tail.
Tabby – the most common patter in domestic cats; they are striped or marbled. The markings trace back to the ancestral wild cats. There are four sub-groups:
Striped or Mackerel – vertical stripes running from spine to belly.
Classic or Blotched – no distinct stripes, but a marbled effect.
Spotted – Spots instead of stripes.
Ticked – Each hair is more than one color, often with striped legs and tail.
Tortoiseshell – they come in a variety of shades. The most common is gingery-red and black; the lightest is blue-grey and cream (diluted). Sometimes the colors are mixed/brindled and sometimes they are in patches.
Torbie – a mixture of tabby and tortie. The markings are a mix a blend of tabby and tortoiseshell.
Tri-Color/Calico – a mixture of gingery red, black, and white in any variation. They dilute down to grey, cream and white.
Color Point – one color, but darker on the face, paws, and tail; the parts that are the coolest.
Kommando: Gee. I had no idea that fur was so complicated. Imagine if we each got to pick out our own coat. The line would go on forever while cats looked at samples.
Snoops: That is a very strange idea. Even from you. But there’s more. Some cats only have a top coat. That’s the longer guard hair. Others have that and an undercoat. The undercoat is very fine and cottony; excellent insulation. Those are the cats that don’t mind being outside in the winter.
Kommando: We have double coats, and we don’t like cold weather.
Snoops: Good point. I guess fur is only part of it.
Kommando: These cats are all beautiful. I guess that’s the advantage of being a cat.
Snoops: Very true. We’re all gorgeous.
Kommando: Of course, the best looking are the bi-color with random black spots.
Snoops: Not even close. It’s the classic calico.
Kommando: Bi-color!
Snoops: Tri-color!
Kommando & Snoops: Mom! We need you!
Pictures courtesy of Google Images.
Very interesting. I never heard of ticked until we adopted our brother and sister cats about 15 years ago. Alex was a black cat but when you rubbed his fur backwards you could see he was white underneath.
I meant to mention their names, Alex and Abbey.
We appreciate that Mr. Charles. Purrs, Snoops and Kommando Kitty
That’s pretty cool. Rascal, a previous cat, had three colors on each fur.
That must be rare.
Humans are hideous compared to kitties. I have never seen an ugly cat.
Exactly. Thank you. Purrs, Snoop and Kommando Kitty
😻😻😻😻😻😻😻 Lovely
Thank you!
catz coatz due total lee rock dont they !! 😉 ♥♥
Agreed There’s nothing as gorgeous as our fur. Purrs, Snoops and Kommando Kitty
i could read all day about cats’ different coats! I never knew that hairless cats needed to be bathed-that is a lot of work!! but you are right – we humans are unfortunate not to have any hair!
All those baths would be horrible. Purrs, Snoops and Kommando Kitty
Ahem, what about the Tuxedo? Super stars and dressed for every occasion, MOL But in life what does actually count is personality-—just like humans.
Purrs
ERin
oooh. Our bad. You tuxies are beautiful. Purrs, Snoops and Kommando Kitty
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaw We think you’re both gawjus. And mommy begs to differ with short haired cats bein’ low maintenance. Sis Lexi shedded more than me and had way more hairballs too. MOL Big hugs
Luv ya’
Dezi and Raena
We both shed a lot too. Mom calls us furballs.