Smoke cat

SMOKE

A smoke cat has a white undercoat with colored tips,

which makes it look smoky when it moves.

Solid cats can carry the silver gene. Then we speak of smoke.

With dilute colours you have 2 genes for dilution (dd) and 2 genes for solid (tt). This is therefore a colour that is quite rare compared to

many other colours. Like the Chinchillas and the Shaded Persians, the Smokes are characterized by their white undercoat and topcoat

with contrasting tipping.

In Smokes, however, the tipping extends at least over half the length of the hairs. At a casual glance the cat looks solid, until it moves

and the beautiful, light undercoat is visible through the topcoat. The ruff and the ear tufts are usually the light colour, which makes

these cats among the most beautiful Persians.

Smokes have been known since about 1860 and originally arose as a result of accidental matings between Chinchillas and Black, Blue

and White Persians.

Grooming

Smoke Persians require, even more than other varieties of the Persian, regular and expert grooming.

It often takes weeks of great dedication to get the contrasting coat into perfect show condition.

A bath is necessary a week before a show. In addition, the undercoat is brushed up well, so that it is visible through the darker topcoat.

This little job requires patience and experience: if you brush too hard, you pull out the undercoat.

The coat is sometimes bleached by bright sunlight, so winter is the best time to exhibit the Smokes.

Breeding

To improve type, you can cross with Black, Blue or Tortoiseshell Persians. This will produce Black, Blue or Tortoiseshell Smokes.

The copper colour of the eyes is preserved in this process. Silver Tabbies should not be used, because this would reintroduce the green

eye colour and the tabby pattern, both of which are undesirable. The undercoat is improved by crossing with a Chinchilla, but then too

the green eye colour can occur.

n order to be able to produce entirely Smoke kittens, the parents must have a Smoke in their ancestry. However, Black is dominant

over Smoke, so from a mating between black and black Smoke only black kittens will be born.

Even from a mating between two Smokes, some entirely black kittens can be born. Repeated breeding with only Smokes unfortunately

comes at the expense of the Persian type.

Kittens

At birth, Smokes are difficult to distinguish from their solid-coloured brothers and sisters. Sometimes Smoke kittens have white around

the eyes and a lighter belly. It can take months before you can see which ones will become Smokes and sometimes they are not fully

coloured until after 2 years. Kittens whose undercoat lightens the fastest are usually the best specimens later on.

After about 3 weeks the undercoat begins to show through and after 6-8 weeks the cat looks mottled.

After 6 months they can sometimes already be shown.