Looking for information on tuxedo cats
By Suzieqmom
@Suzieqmom (2755)
United States
August 1, 2010 9:47pm CST
We just got a tuxedo cat (a kitten, really) who is mostly black, with white paws, a white chest, some white on his face and a completely black nose! (When I figure out how to post pictures, I will post one of him). I didn't know anything about tuxedo cats before we got this little guy, who we named Muffin. Is this a breed or does it just refer to the coloration of the cat? Is there a difference between tuxedo cats with white noses and black noses? How much white does a black cat have to have before it is considered to be a "tuxedo" cat? Any information is welcome!
2 responses
@ElicBxn (63235)
• United States
2 Aug 10
Its a reference to a color pattern. If you look at the kitten in my avatar, you will see he's a tuxedo.
Now, in some places they are called Jellical cats.
If the cat has at least white spats (very little white) on the paws, and a white chest, then its considered a Tuxedo, it stops being one when the black is so sparse that the black looks like spots instead of covering the body...
I just finished a book where one of the cats is a Tuxedo named Chester...
@ElicBxn (63235)
• United States
2 Aug 10
Its a pretty new book by Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Scarborough, called Catalyst, the first book of a new series I guess they are writing called "A Tale of the Barque Cats" - Barque is said "bark"
I'm sure you've read the Cat Who books by Lilian Jackson Braun...
my Tuxedo is named Oliver, because he was an orphan when we found him at 7 days old
1 person likes this
@Suzieqmom (2755)
• United States
2 Aug 10
Interesting--is that because of the T.S. Eliot story or some other reference? What book did you read with "Chester" in it? I like books in which cats are part of the story, or at least have honorable mentions. I am reading a mystery series by Lawrence Block that has a tail-less cat named Raffles, but he's a tabby, not a Tuxedo (he's not a Manx, either).
1 person likes this
@Aurone (4755)
• United States
2 Aug 10
Its not a breed just a color pattern. I think the type of cat that is traditionally called a tuxedo cat is one with a white chest and black fur on the back and I think you can have any amount of white and black mixture throughout. They are fun and from what I found on the internet it seems that Shakespeare had a Tuxedo cat. I have two myself. I would post a picture of him but the last few months I can't get my picture to post at all.
@Suzieqmom (2755)
• United States
2 Aug 10
Thanks. I am glad I am not the only one having trouble posting pictures. Our kitten is VERY curious and playful, and seems to be a little bit klutzy. He is small for his age (almost 4 months and only 4 lbs.) Is this a trait in tuxedo cats, too? I noticed someone else on this topic mentioned that tuxedo cats may be smaller than other cats, but if it's not a breed, then I'm not sure why this would be so.
@Suzieqmom (2755)
• United States
2 Aug 10
My kitten is an orphan too--he and 3 brothers were found abandoned at a mall at 1 week old with no mom in sight. All four were rescued by animal rescue and fostered until they were old enough to be adopted, and all survived and have been adopted! (I would have taken more than one but we already have 3 other cats). That may explain his smaller size at the moment. He does have REALLY big ears, so he may grow into them! I can't seem to post any pictures at all, but I'm sure I'll figure it out eventually.
