CATCODES

               by Eric Williams, Richmond, Ca, USA.

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=                     Physical Attributes                            =
=                                                                    =
=   These describe the physical appearance of the cat and must be    =
=                listed in the order shown here.                     =
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Name:
 Common or formal name followed by ':'.

Breed:

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

 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
 V      Blue

 Modifiers:
 d      Diluted  (ie.: Red->Cream, Black->Blue(Grey), etc.)
 t      Tabby (classic or mackerel pattern)
 r      Tortoiseshell
 p      Pointed
 s      Smoke
 c      Chinchilla
 k      Ticked
 m      Mink
 o      Spotted
 h      Shaded
 v      Van
 x      Tuxedo (bi-coloured)

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

 Modifiers can be applied to individual colours 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 Colour:
 B      Blue
 A      Aqua
 G      Green
 H      Hazel
 C      Copper
 Y      Gold (yellow)

 Odd-eyed colours can be separated by '/', eg: B/G.
 Colours can also be added for mixed colours, 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 ["largeness"]:
 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 Shepherd 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.

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=                        Behavioural Traits                          =
=                                                                    =
=  These are optional fields that describe behavioural, 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.                =
======================================================================

I/O:
 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 come indoors to sleep and eat, but not much else.
 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?

Temperament:
 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 neighbourhood 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 squeak 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 favourite 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 principles 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.

Sociability [cat]:
 SC---  I hunt other cats for a hobby. Bring one in the house and it's
          dinner.
 SC--   If it's a kitten, I might not attack it - much.
 SC-    I protect my territory but will tolerate another cat.
 SC     I prefer humans, but why make trouble?
 SC+    Oh look, a friend to play with! Just don't bother me while I
          eat.
 SC++   I'll wash your head if you wash mine.
 SC+++  Share my foodbowl, my catnip, my bed....
 SC++++ No-one hurts my buddy.

               This document may also be found at

                http://blakjak.com/cat_code.htm