The silver tabby is a rare color and pattern in the British Shorthair breed. Though long recognized in three patterns, classic, mackerel and spotted; breeding is still a challenge. The color is very complex as is the pattern. The clear dense black markings must contrast as much as possible with the clear unticked silver background. The markings should be as well defined as possible. The spotted pattern must show some distinct spotting no matter the size or shape of the spots. At the same time the breeder must keep the conformation the same as any other color of British Shorthairs. Within the entire registry of CFA the registering of silver tabby colored British Shorthairs, of the combined patterns, grows at only about a dozen (12) animals a year. In other parts of the world the silver tabby British is more common, as is the breed in general.
Here two young silver spotties, male and female, have a stare down for walking or sitting space as the case may be. Both live as pets in Florida. Pussukus Roxanne and Atocha's Bohdi Softa.
We started our silver tabby program with three cats imported from New Zealand. These cats are Ch. Jailing Hands Down of Atocha (spottie male), Ch. Jailing Pyewacket of Atocha(spottie female) and Jailing Tabitha Twitchit of Atocha (classic female). All of these cats are now quite elderly, but happily living out their lives as our companions.
The male: Ch. Jailing Hands Down is still breeding (though rarely) and is one of the last of his line. His mother and father having died last year at the venerable ages of 16 and 17.
Ch. Jailing Hands Down; age 14
We added two female spotties from Ursula Graves of Sargenta cattery in the UK; Sargenta Silver Fern and Sargenta Silver Felice. Felice was recently spayed after a life endangering bout of pyometra. She is now a spay and fully recovered. So fully recovered in fact that she went on to become a Grand Premier in CFA. Fern has produced some very nice kittens for us. The best of which has been Crescendo. Gch. Atocha's Crescendo was a looker at birth. He's one of the few silver spotteds in the US and of the fewer still to have achieved the title of Grand Champion in CFA. Photo on the left by Kay Bertrand. Pedigree
The silver tabby is a combination of genes. Black for the color density, Agouti tabby to create the pattern and the inhibitor gene which limits the color on each hair shaft giving the cat a silvery sheen. Each of these three genetic traits work separately and independently of each other; like puzzle pieces. You can change one or all the three traits including eliminating any of the traits to get different looking cats. If you dilute the black or make the color "less dense" you get blue tabby (the same happens with Red; it dilutes to cream), keep the inhibitor gene + the agouti tabby gene, and it's a blue silver tabby. Pictured is a 4 month old blue silver tabby female; Ch. Atocha's Blueberry Ripple
When you change the color of the markings from black to red, still keeping the inhibitor gene and the agouti tabby gene, you get a red cameo tabby or red silver tabby (in GCCF). Notice the cold white silver coloration of the ground color, the trade mark of any color variety silver tabby. Atocha's Cameo Appearance
When you take away the agouti tabby gene you get smokes. Smokes can then continue to come in all the variety of colors. They are all just missing the agouti tabby gene but have a color and the silver inhibitor gene. A smoke will have a more solid looking appearance retaining the pale whitish silver undercoat. This undercoat in adults is not seen at first glance but rather when you part the hair coat or the cat moves. Most common smoke color is black smoke. However there are tortie smokes, blue smokes and red smokes as well.
The silver inhibitor gene can be manipulated from it's least expression, the smoke, to the most dramatic; the shaded and chinchilla. In the shaded (called Tipped in England where it was first developed in the breed) and chinchilla the inhibitor gene has restricted the coat color all the way to the ends of the hair. This gives the cat a halo effect. These colors are a true antithesis of the smoke. Very rare in British Shorthairs in the US, I personally have only seen two (in 12 years) in the states.
In the future we hope to work more with the different aspects of the silver/inhibitor gene and it's effects on various colors.
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