Cat Codes

Welcome to the cat codes.

Basic groups	Behavioral groups (optional)
Name Breed Color and modifier Eye color Age Sex Size Weight Claws	Inside vs Outside activity/awareness Temperament Activity Eating Hunting Smurgling	Vocalisation Fetching Intelligence Lap affinity Belly sensitivity Purr activity Purr loudness

An example of Pyewacket and T'pring's cat code follows the lists

If you wish you can FTP a PKZIPped copy of the CatCodes.

Name

Common or formal name followed by ':'

Breed

AB Abyssinian
AC American Curl
AL Americal Longhair
AS American Shorthair
AW American Wirehair
BA Balinese
BB American Bobtail
BG Bengal
BI Birman
BO Bombay
BR Bristol
BS British Shorthair
BU Burmese
CR Cornish Rex
CX Chartreux
CY Cymric
DL Domestic longhair
DM Domestic mediumhair
DR Devon Rex
DS Domestic shorthair
EM Egyptian Mau
ES Exotic Shorthair
EU European Shorthair
GR German Rex
HB Havana Brown
HI Himalayan
JB Japanese Bobtail
KT Korat
MC Maine Coon
MX Manx
NB Nebelung
NF Norwegian Forest
OC Ocicat
OS Oriental Shorthair
OL Oriental Longhair
PS Persian
RB Russian Blue
RD Ragdoll
SA Safari
SF Scottish Fold
SG Singapura
SI Siamese
SN Snowshoe
SO Somali
SP California Spangled
SR Selkirk Rex
SS Scottish Fold Longhair
SX Sphynx
TA Turkish Angora
TF Tiffany
TO Tonkinese
TV Turkish Van

Mixed breeds, if known, can be combined in descending order of contribution (eg: MC+SI).

If a cat "looks like" a particULar breed but parentage is unknown, breed can be enclosed in quotation marks.

Colour

R Red (Orange)
W White
S Silver
B Black
O Brown
C Chocolate
L Lilac
D Ruddy
G Gold

Modifiers

d Diluted (i.e.: Red->Cream, Black->Blue(Grey), etc.)
t Tabby (classic or mackeral pattern)
r Tortoiseshell
p Pointed
s Smoke
c Chinchilla
k Ticked
m Mink
o Spotted
h Shaded

Colors can be combined in descending order of area (eg: B+W)

Modifiers can be applied to individual colors by concatenation (eg: W+Bd = white with grey patches), or groups of colours by use of parenthesis (eg: (W+B+R)d = dilute calico, (R+W)t+W = red tabby w/white).

Eye Color

B Blue
A Aqua
G Green
H Hazel
C Copper
Y Gold (yellow)

Odd-eyed colors can be separated by '/', eg: B/G.

Colors can also be added for mixed colors, eg: G+Y = green-gold.

Age

yy or yy.mm

Eg: 5 = five years old, 1.5 = 17 months, .10 = ten months.

Sex

X Female, spayed, no interest.
X+ Female, spayed, but still interested.
X++ Female, intact, but not particULarly excitable.
X+++ I am a kitten factory.
Y Male, neutered, no interest.
Y+ Male, neutered, but still interested.
Y++ Male, intact, but not particULarly excitable.
Y+++ I woULd go through a burning building to get at a female in heat.

Size

L--- I fit easily into your shirt pocket.
L-- I can curl up in two cupped hands.
L- I'm somewhere between kitten-sized and average.
L I'm average cat size, just right for your lap.
L+ I'm starting to slip off the side of your lap.
L++ I'm large enough to make a German Shepard think twice.
L+++ People sometimes mistake me for a mountain lion.

Weight

W-- I'm so thin that you can count my bones.
W- I'm slim, but healthy.
W I'm an average cat, not too thin and not too fat.
W+ I'm a heavy cat, but it's all muscle.
W++ I need to go on a diet.

Claws

C--- I've been declawed front and back
C-- I've been declawed in front
C- I have claws, but they're covered with "Soft Paws" (tm).
C+ I have claws, but they're clipped regULarly.
C++ My claws are unclipped, but they're kindof dULl.
C+++ I have ten razor-sharp implements of death.

Note: "C*" can be substituted for "C" for a polydactyl.

Behavioral Traits

These are optional fields that describe behavioral, as opposed to physical, traits. Consider omitting the corresponding code if your cat is "normal" (whatever that means for a cat!) or near-normal for the sake of brevity.

Inside vs outside activity/awareness

I+++ You mean there's a world *outside* of the house?!
I++ I live indoors most of the time, but will sneak out sometimes.
I+ I prefer to live indoors, but go outside when I feel like it.
I I drift between indoors and outdoors at will.
I-- I'm allowed inside once in a while, but I eat and sleep outdoors.
I--- Why woULd anyone want to live inside those big ugly boxes?

Temperamant

T+++ I am a furry ball of affection and love everybody.
T++ I like meeting new people and am affectionate with most.
T+ I'm shy about meeting new people, but am affectionate with those that I know well.
T I have a few special humans I really like, the rest I tolerate.
T- People are OK for feeding and playing, but not much else
T-- I'm annoyed by human contact and will avoid it if possible.
T--- DON'T TOUCH ME OR I'LL SHRED YOU!!

Note: Many cats appear to be split-personalities, eg: T++/---

Activity level

A+++ All the photos of me are blurred.
A++ I am always getting into, under or on top of things and am hardly ever still.
A+ If you don't play with me, I'll find a way to play by myself.
A It's easy to get me to play, but I like to sleep, too.
A- I work very hard at sleeping, but like to chase the occasional toy.
A-- I may show signs of life in the presence of an excellent toy.
A--- They thought I was dead, until they started the can opener.

Eating

E+++ Nothing even remotely edible is safe when I'm around.
E++ I'm always hungry. What are you having?
E+ I woULd rather eat than play with a toy.
E I enjoy good food, but sometimes the stuff I get is fit only for my litter box.
E- I'll wait until the others have eaten.
E-- I woULd rather play with a toy than eat.
E--- I eat just enough to get by.

Hunting

H Food comes in a box, right?
H+ I chase anything that moves, but am not quite sure what to do with it if I catch it.
H++ I kill an occasional small rodent, bird or lizard, but woULd never eat one. (Well, *hardly* ever.)
H+++ I regULarly kill and eat small prey but expect to be fed, too.
H++++ If I didn't kill it then I don't want to eat it.

Smurgling

S I woULdn't be caught dead doing it!
S+ I sneak an occasional smurgle.
S++ When I'm in the mood, I can smurgle with the best of them.
S+++ Everybody leaves my house moistened with kitty-drool.

Note: "smurgling" is defined as kneading some part of a person's body or clothing while simULtaneously nuzzling, licking or sucking.

Vocalisation

V+++ Everyone in the neighborhood deserves the benefit of hearing my magnificent voice.
V++ I have long, meaningfUL conversations with people.
V+ I have a small but usefUL vocabulary of important words, like: "Food!", "Play!", and: "Clean the box!"
V I'll let you know when it's dinner time, don't expect to hear from me until then.
V- I know how to say "Feed me!", but must be very hungry to do so.
V-- Well, talking is a learned experience, I'm trying...
V--- If you are killing me, I might squeek a little.

Fetching

F- Why did you throw that thing?
F I'll chase it if you throw it, but forget about bringing it back.
F+ I can be coaxed into fetching a favorite object when I'm in the mood.
F++ I like to fetch and will often ask my human to throw things for me.
F+++ I will fetch anything, anywhere, anytime. [Are you sure you don't have a dog?]

Intelligence ("IQ")

Q--- Every time I blink, I discover a whole new world.
Q-- The principals of gravity still escape me.
Q- I'm a little slow, but I'm trying!
Q I'm an average cat: cunning, but no real reasoning.
Q+ I'm pretty quick-witted for a cat.
Q++ I display near-human reasoning sometimes, such as double-takes and abstract reasoning.
Q+++ I'm working on my PhD thesis.

Lap affinity

P- I'd rather lie on a hard rock than in a person's lap.
P I'll use your lap if you're in the right room and I'm in the mood.
P+ I prefer laps to any other type of resting place, but they have to belong to people I like.
P++ I am a total lap fungus. (Hurry up and sit down so I can demonstrate!)

Belly sensitivity

B-- Touching my belly is just cause for my taking your arm off at the elbow.
B- I like to lay on my back and show my belly, but you'd better not touch it.
B Well, OK, you can rub my belly...but not too much!
B+ Please rub my belly. Oh, yes! Do it some more!!
B++ I like to have my belly "drummed".

Purr activity

PA-- Me purr? Never!
PA- I'll think about it if you pat or feed me enough.
PA I like to show my appreciation when patted or fed.
PA+ Pat me and I'll rumble.
PA++ I'll purr as soon as you enter the room/yard.

Purr loudness

PL--- There's something wrong with my voice.
PL-- You'll have to put your ear against my tummy to hear me.
PL- I'm a little on the quiet side.
PL I'm an average purrer.
PL+ I'm a little louder than the average cat.
PL++ I'm a real power purrer!
PL+++ I've been known to set off car alarms.

Pyewacket and T'pring's cat code

Pyewacket: "BO" B G 2 X L+ W C--- I+++ T A- E H+ S V++ F Q++ P- B PA PL--
T'pring: SI Cp B 2 X L- W- C--- I+++ T+ A++ E++ H+ S V+ F Q+ P+ B PA+ PL+++

See our T'pring (13k)

See our Pyewacket (14.4k)

Acknowledgements

The Catcodes were originated by Eric Williams wd6cmu@netcom.com

And his cats...

QGC Vincent: MC (B+S)t G+Y 1.4 Y L++ C+ T+ I+++ H+ S++ V+ F++
Murphy: DS W+(B+R)t+R Y 1.5 Y L C+ T- I+++ H+ A+ V- F+ B--
Clipper: MC B+W Y 0.5 Y++ L-- C+ T++ I+++ A++ E++

Many thanks and bowls of fish to you all

Back home again Back to top of list

Jayne invites you to visit her home page and see her 2 kitties, Sapphyr and Tigga.

Modifications and enhancements by Dave Ratcliffe

For comments/criticisms mail: dave@frackit.com