Judging caramel point Siamese cats can be confusing for new judges, this short article will help you judge caramel cats correctly. It is important to understand when the caramel gene is present it modifies the colour of the dilute colours (blue, lilac and fawn). So when you are judging a caramel you are judging either a blue based caramel, a lilac based caramel or a fawn based caramel and it is important to understand which you are judging.
Below is a guide to judging all three versions of the Siamese caramel point.
Lilac Point Siamese / Lilac-based Caramel Point Comparison
The Lilac Point Siamese has pale grey points with a pinkish overtone and a warm toned magnolia body which should ideally be free from shading or just lightly shaded to match the points colour. The nose leather and paw pads are pale pinkish grey.
Compare this to the Lilac-based Caramel Point which is similar to a Lilac point but has a brownish slightly sludgy overtone, the body colour is off-white which is a creamier tone than magnolia, and the nose leather and paw pads are mauve, slightly darker than that of the Lilac point. The differences are subtle in kittens, which is why some allowance should be made if in doubt about their colour, it should be more obvious in adults due to caramel developing as they mature. An interesting feature of caramel is the tendency to show ghost tabby markings on the mask and tail,
Blue Point Siamese / Blue-based Caramel Point Comparison
The Blue Point Siamese has cool-toned light blue points and a white glacial toned body colour, shading should be blue but can be slightly fawn toned, but this must not be confused with the brown of caramel. It should be noted that kittens tend to be quite muddy toned when they are very young and this generally clears as they grow. The nose leather is blue, the paw pads are blue, (pinkish blue in kittens). The SOP states that the ears must not be darker than the other points (in adults).
Compare this to the Blue-based Caramel Point where the points are a dark blue, the brownish overtone develops as they age, but the clue is in the very dark ears and particularly the tail. The body colour is warm toned off-white with brownish blue shading to the point, there is the tendency to develop heavy shading with maturity where the contrast can be minimal, unfortunately. The nose-leather is a brownish purple and the paws pads look like mulberries. So the differences in the case of the blue based cat are much less subtle.
Fawn Point Siamese / Fawn-based Caramel Point Comparison
The Fawn Point Siamese has delicate warm pale rosy mushroom toned points, the body is off-white and the shading should match the points. The nose leather and paw pads are pinkish fawn.
Compare this to the Fawn-based Caramel Point, the points are darker and very brown toned, the body colour is off white. Nose leather and paws pads are a peachy pink, although the SOP says pinkish grey, there will be some metallic sheen on the ghost markings that tends to show on the mask and some times the tail of mature adults.
In all bases the key distinguishing feature is brown.
It must be noted that there is no genetic test for caramel at the moment, its genetic make up and mode of inheritance is not clearly understood but is believed to be the action of a dilute modifier (Dm) on blue, lilac, (which is the dilute of chocolate), and fawn, (which is the dilute of cinnamon). Whether it is a true gene or simply the effect of polygenes remains to be determined. However there is no doubt that it has a profound effect on the dilute colours, and there is some anecdotal evidence to suggest that it can effect the tone of non-dilutes if present in the pedigree, ie black seals, bitter chocolates and cool toned cinnamons.
