This short article covers some tips on how to correctly judge a Siamese tortie point. To keep the length of this article as short as possible I limited the article and only talked about tortie markings and how to describe them in your reports.
The article also shows a short video of Mark Pearman, who was a probationer Siamese judge at the time, talking through his observations of a seal tortie point Siamese under the guidance of one of the JPG tutor judges, Mrs Jenny Jones.
Siamese Tortie Markings
When judging Siamese tortie points, in addition to reporting on the cats type, confirmation and overall condition it is very important to remember that you are judging a tortie point and to show close attention in your report on the tortie markings. Below is an extract from the Siamese standard of points.
TORTIE POINT
Points – The base colour is patched and/or mingled at random with varying shades of red, cream or apricot; any large areas of
red, cream or apricot may show some striping. Points need not be evenly broken but each point must show some break in
colour no matter how small; broken pad colour constitutes a break in colour on that leg. Presence or absence of a blaze is
immaterial.Body – Pale, showing clear contrast with the points as in the equivalent solid-pointed Siamese. Any shading will show patching
or mingling and a Tortie Point should be penalised for shading no more nor less severely than the equivalent solid-pointed
Siamese.Eyes – Brilliant intense blue, the deeper the better.
Nose Leather, Eye Rims and Paw Pads – In accordance with the base colour and/or pink.
Withhold Certificates or First Prizes in Kitten Open Classes for:
GCCF Siamese standard of points
- Pale and/or dull eye colour
- Any one point showing complete absence of broken colour
- a. Black in points or body colour in Seal Tortie Points
b. Dark blue in points or body colour in Blue Tortie Points
c. Cold dark chocolate in points or body colour in Chocolate Tortie Points
d. Dark lilac in points or body colour in Lilac Tortie Points
e. Cold points or body colour in Cinnamon or Fawn Tortie Points- a. Absence of red in mask, ears and tail in adult Seal, Chocolate or Cinnamon Tortie Points
b. Hot cream in points or body colour in Blue or Lilac Tortie Points- General Siamese withholding faults.
It is very important to check tortie point Siamese have tortie mingling to all points – mask, ears, legs/feet and tail. Absence of a tortie break on any of the points is a withholding fault.
When judging tortie markings on a Siamese cat particular attention should be show when checking all four legs and feet for tortie markings. The paw pads are part of the feet and a tortie paw pad is classed as a tortie break. A single tortie hair is also enough to be classed as a tortie break on any of the points and this includes the feet. Often in young kittens this can be difficult to see so take your time and usually you will find at least a single tortie hair or broken paw pad, it would be unusual (but not unheard of) for a tortie Siamese to not have tortie mingling to all their points.
Tabby ghost markings in tortie areas is not a fault, report on what you see but remember it is not a fault.
Also consider the body colour and any shading the cat may have. Remember, shading on the body colour is not unusual and should not be penalised any differently to the equivalent solid-pointed Siamese, e.g. seal tortie shading should be compared to seal point shading when considering shading on the body colour.
Some tips on your reports –
- It is very important that you report on tortie breaks to all of the points, do not forget to include this description in your report. Go into some detail, if it is just a single hair then say so, if it is a solid patch of red then say so.
- When describing the tones of red it is good to show some detail rather than just paraphrasing the standard of points. e.g. Varying shades of red tortie mingling to this girl, brighter red mingling to her ears, paler toned red to her mask, mid toned red to her feet and tail.
