The Lilac Briton was developed relatively recently as a result of experiments by breeders who were interested in the development of the breed. In the light shades of this color you can guess the blooming lavender, and the dark ones are more like the color of traditional English milk tea.
The cat with unusual fur quickly gained recognition in the international expert community. Let's find out if there is a relationship between the color of the fur coat and the character of the pet.
The history of the appearance of true British colors
The main role in the formation of new colors in cats belongs to genetics. The first cats bred without any rules, since the survival of the species was the main goal. But when the cat became a pet and settled next to a person, the situation changed dramatically.
The owners wanted to make some parameters more predictable in order to get kittens with a certain coat color.
Important! Based on the variety of registered colors (more than 200), the British cat ranks one of the first places in the hierarchy of cat breeds. The trademark is solid coat colors.
The gray-blue shade has been recognized as the main color for British Shorthair cats. The further evolution of colors began with him. The main achievements of the debut period are attributed to the English artist Harrison Weir, a great lover of British cats and a specialist who compiled the first standard of this breed.
During the selection, a line of solid colors was fixed, where, in addition to the main one (often called British), a palette of white, black, blue, cream, chocolate and red appeared. And at the end of the twentieth century, a purple tint was added to them.
Important! According to the rules of solid colors, the fur of a lilac British cat must be dyed from root to tip in one even color, without half-tone transitions.
What do they say about cats with blue eyes?
Cat eyes have four primary colors – blue, green, yellow and copper. What eye color your pet will have depends on genetic characteristics. If he is predisposed to the presence of a large number of melanocytes, then his eyes will be dark, if there is little of this pigment, they will be light.
There are no blue eyes as such. If a cat has eyes of this shade, then its body does not produce enough pigments. We simply mistake the reflection in their transparent part for the blueness of the eyes. However, scientists have not established a connection between a cat’s health and its life expectancy.
Types and standard of lilac color
There is no such thing as monotony in nature, and the lilac color of the British is proof of this. It exists in three versions:
- Lavender light shade – close to the cold silver color of the metal.
- Warm cream lilac is the most common color.
- Dark Isabella – rich coffee with cream.
- Black color in cats is represented by the variants B (black), bb (chocolate) and blbl (cinnamon, cinnamon).
- Saturation depends on the lightening gene D, which exists in the combination dd (there is lightening) or Dm (caramel).
- A lilac cat and a red cat give birth to lilac boys and lilac-cream girls.
- From the lilac cat and the red British cat you can only expect lilac and cream babies.
- But lilac kittens are never born from a ginger (red) couple.
- Tortoiseshell, where purple is a modification of black.
- Bicolor - lilac and white, rarely found in British cats.
- Smoky shades, when the root part of the hair is weakly colored or remains white, and the pigment only works on the ends of the hairs.
- Acromelanic color point - a lilac mask of varying saturation on the face and body parts: ears, paws, tail.
- Tabby is a purple coat pattern that sometimes fades into darker colors.
The alleles (types) of two genes are responsible for the process of coloring lilac British cats:
The aa (non-agouti) locus is required for solid colors. It is responsible for the lack of tabby pattern on the coat.
The color tone of British lilac kittens depends on the hereditary instructions that are passed on to babies from their parents. Breeding programs do not recommend mating with two partners with shades of lilac.
This leads to a deterioration in color - kittens are born with a dirty gray coat. Therefore, for mating with lilac, ginger cats (males) are usually taken.
British genetics have already identified patterns that can be used to predict the color of kittens in a litter.
In addition to the continuous cover, the lilac color appears in various combinations with other types of color.
The lilac color in the British cat occurs in approximately 15-20% of matings, but solid colors are not common - they predominate in targeted breeding.
This is interesting! Over the century and a half of its existence, British cats have conceded the palm to other breeds several times. But since the beginning of the 21st century they have come back into fashion and become the most widespread group in England.
Main reasons for color change
Eye color depends on the amount of pigment in the cells of the cornea, the formation of which begins in the embryonic period.
The cat's gestation period ranges from 55 to 63 days. In this short period of time, inside the mother, two united cells must develop into a relatively large, smoothly working organism.
The mother's resources are limited, so the melanin she synthesizes is primarily sent to the skin and fur cells of the fetus. This allows you to quickly form reliable covers for effective thermoregulation and protect the kitten from an aggressive external environment. In this case, the cells of the iris are deficient in melanin, which is why they remain colorless during birth and several weeks later. As the kitten grows, its eyes gradually open, vision becomes clearer, and the eyes acquire a color dictated by breed and heredity.
Anatomically, the cat's cornea consists of two layers: stroma (upper) and epithelium (lower).
The degree of saturation of the stroma with melanin determines the shade of the kitten’s eyes. If there is little of this substance in the cells of the iris, the eyes will be blue or blue. If a little more - green. With a high melanin content, the eyes turn coppery brown.
General appearance of the breed and its changes since the beginning of breeding
The appearance of the British cat changed depending on the celphelinologists and breeders. To understand what this cat was like at the very beginning of its pedigree, you can turn to the work of the artist Harrison Weir, discussed above. He was a great animal lover, participated in many clubs and often depicted pets in his paintings.
The first images show a medium-sized cat, in a solid gray-blue color or bicolor (white with dark accents). At the end of the 19th century, the British still had long hair, which they obtained as a result of crossing with other breeds.
Later, work was carried out to consolidate individual characteristics. Breeders paid attention to the color and quality of the coat. As a result, the British cat's fur coat became like a thin plush with a stable gray-blue color.
During the First World War, purebred animals became a rarity. Long-haired Persians and other exotic breeds came into fashion, and the descendants of local rural cats faded into the background.
To save the native species, breeders even crossed the British with the French Chartreuse-Carthusian breed, which were not genetic relatives, but were very similar in appearance to their English counterparts.
Somewhat later, the descendants of mixed “marriages” with Persians were identified as a separate long-haired breed, and by 1970 the true British formed the type of cat that exists today.
For British cats, more than 200 types of colors are allowed, including new colors - silver, gold, lilac.
The British - who are they?
Britons are one of the most popular domestic cats in Europe. The breed went through a difficult development path before acquiring its modern appearance. Today they are large (the average weight of a cat is six kilograms), powerful and stocky animals with a large round head, expressive eyes and small ears. Particular attention is drawn to the luxurious fur with its huge variety of colors and patterns: the famous “plush” for short-haired ones and thick, fluffy for long-haired ones.
According to legend, the distant ancestors of modern Britons were brought to Foggy Albion about two thousand years ago by the Romans. It can be assumed that those cats were predominantly wild in color - tabby, but have since changed greatly, crossing with local stock and adapting to the cold climate.
Video: everything about the British cat breed
Do external factors affect the preservation of coat color?
All possible types of color transformations are subject to five rules:
Over the years of its life, the British lilac cat goes through several stages of color change. You need to carefully monitor such processes and, as far as possible, try to preserve the rare shade by all known means.
PHOTOS OF LIVEL BRITISH KITTENS
Below is a gallery of photos of lilac British kittens.
The British are real beauties. They are strong and resilient, moderately proud and soft. Today there are a huge number of colors of these fluffies. Breeders note that some are easier to obtain, while others are much more difficult. This includes the British lilac cat. One can only envy her appearance.
Characteristics of the breed Attachment to the family 4 Playful activity 2 Intelligence 3 General health 4 Hair loss 1 Love of meowing 1 Total 2.5
Character and behavior of shorthaired lilac British
The influence of coat color on the behavior of an animal has not been studied enough, but some practical observations are known that allow us to draw conclusions about the presence of such connections. White cats, as a rule, are docile, and black cats are obstinate, striped tabbies tend to hunt wildly, and color-point cats are secretive and even treacherous.
The character of lilac cats is within the behavioral instincts of their breed, but leans towards a more loyal view of owners and family members. Typical British Shorthairs are reserved and often seek solitude.
Cats show indifference to other pets, and in case of conflict they prefer to retire to a safe place.
Against the general psychological background of their breed, lilac-colored Britons demonstrate more softness and even delicacy. The nature of these cats does not have the habit of active games, but the lilac ones are ready to take part in general fun and can even sit for a short time in the arms of the owner.
Character
The character does not particularly depend on whether we are talking about short-haired lilac British or marbled ones. These two types of furry pets are very soft, charming and playful. They are not characterized by English stiffness and arrogance. The peculiarity of the breed is also that the pets remain playful until old age. Feeling good, they can resemble children even in old age.
Animals like to climb onto the highest furniture in the apartment and from there watch the people below. Cats are loyal and devoted to their owners, although they often do not show their love openly. The British try to stay close, but at the same time stay away. Breeders note that animals of this breed perfectly sense the owner’s mood, so when it wants to be better, the pets stay away, fearing to fall under the “hot hand.” Despite the non-conflict nature of the cat, it is better not to have a dog in the house, because the animal may develop jealousy and will stay away.
Proper care and feeding
The British lilac cat is easy to care for, and its maintenance does not take much time.
Hygiene
Once a week it is necessary to comb the cat’s fur, and during active shedding, the procedure is repeated 2-3 times a week or even daily. A special mitten or standard combs work well with short lilac hair.
British cats do not like water, so instead of bathing, you can treat the fur with a damp cloth. Lilac British cats are taught hygiene procedures from an early age.
You also need to regularly remove the discharge that forms in the corners of the eyes and around the nose. Treating the ears of straight-eared Britons is not a problem. Use a cotton swab to remove dirt from the upper part of the ear, and the ear canal is cleaned with special drops or lotion.
Diet
The basis of the cat's menu (up to 90% of daily intake) is meat and fish. The diet must include vegetables, cereals, yeast and cottage cheese (milk). Adult British cats with lilac coloring are often given balanced industrial food, which contains the required amount of fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and microelements.
Sometimes the composition of the products has a negative effect on wool with a lilac color. For example, iodine, which is found in seafood, can change a cat's fur to a purple color, which is unusual for the British. Therefore, when changing food, you need to monitor the condition of your pet’s coat and adjust the diet in case of unexpected color changes.
BRITISH KITTENS BICOLOR, VAN, HARLEQUIN, TRICOLOR: GENETICS
British kittens with white (bicolor, van, harlequin, tricolor) can only be born to parents of this color (or at least from one of the parents). This color is dominant. If the parents are not carriers of this group, they will never give birth to a bicolor, van, harlequin, or tricolor kitten.
Important! For those who are engaged in breeding these spectacular elegant colors, it is important to understand that it is very desirable that both parents be white, because a kitten may be born mitted (not white enough), and this is rejected by breed standards.
British bicolor, van, harlequin, tricolor kittens are born with colored spots, over time the color becomes more saturated, and the edges of the other color even out and become clearer.
The S gene is responsible for this color.
Formula:
SS - dominant color with white. Producers with this formula will always produce only white kittens, regardless of the color of the second parent
Ss - color with white, carrier of a solid color. A pair of Ss+Ss can produce kittens with or without white.
ss - color without white. A pair of ss+ss can never produce a white kitten.
Upbringing
Breeders believe that the lilac color of British cats affects their character. Such pets demonstrate an increased level of learning ability. Unlike blue-gray Britons, they love communication.
Lilac cats enjoy being the center of attention, as long as they choose to do so. A cat that gets into a large family at an early age shows less independence and independence, which is characteristic of the British breed.
Features of the Lilac British cat breed
The ancestors of these strong creatures with the habits of a titled nobleman, according to felinologists, were brought to the lands of Foggy Albion by the ancient Romans. Mixing with the indigenous representatives of the cat world, they gave birth to offspring that gradually adapted to weather realities and living conditions.
The modern breed standard was formed in the 19th century. At the same time, for the first time, London society saw plush charms at the exhibition. They instantly won the hearts of English aristocrats and became the No. 1 pet of high society.
