#seeeee? points can be really dark. this is my oakheart

[amber-tortoiseshell]

Hello! I was wondering if you knew why some pointed cats are, for lack of a better word, toastier than others?

We would jokingly call my old cat a Siamese that they let bake a little too long, or just a burned toast Siamese - no history on her and I assume she’s just a moggy since she definitely wasn’t oriental! She was an owner surrender at the vet after she ate a foam nerf dart and needed surgery (foam was her biggest vice in general)

It probably depends most on the environment they live in: colorpoints will be lighter in warmer climates, and i expect for example outdoor cats could be darker. Body fat level also matters, since fat is a heat insulator: it keeps the heat inside, the "surface" of the cat colder, the fur darker. Age in itself also makes the cats darker (i think older cats' body temperature is naturally lower?).

Maybe there are some genetic elements, too; I've never heard of it, but i think it's possible.