How Can You Tell Which Kittens Are Long Haired?
Checking the fuzziness of a kitten’s coat is one way to determine if it’s a long-coat cat; once it’s eight weeks old, a long-haired kitten’s fur starts its slow growing process, making it look fuzzier than short-haired breeds. If its breed pedigree is known, a quick search can indicate its hair status. Also, most long-haired cats have relatively elaborate ear tufts.
All kittens have only baby hair at birth, and they shed and regrow hair throughout kittenhood and adulthood. Kittens of long-haired breeds tend to have longer coats even as babies, and while it may seem as though the coat is getting shorter as the kitten matures, this is only because the kitten itself is growing proportionately larger. The coat becomes finer, silkier and tamer as the kitten grows, causing the hair to stay flatter and look shorter than it actually is.
Himalayan and Persian cat breeds are known for having svelte, long coats even when they are young. The Himalayan cat breed has traits and features from both Persian and Siamese breeds, which both have long, thick coats. The Balinese cat, a descendant of the Siamese cats, is also a long-haired breed. Balinese kittens have furry coats that develop into long, fine, silky pelts with luxurious tail plumes during their adult years.
