Clan Cat Variants

I don't know if this is even canon in the books or not -- if so, I've never heard of it -- but I've decided to think up some ideas for variants that certain Clan cats have that others don't. This could also be a pretty unique way to determine the origins of cats, whether they're half-Clan or half-rogue/kittypet/loner, as these features are for purebreds of their respected Clans.


ThunderClan - They typically have earthy shades of browns, grays, and gingers to help blend in with their surroundings. ThunderClan cats also have very soft and squishy paw pads to help them step down lightly whenever they stalk, and they have powerful muscles in their legs and haunches for pouncing. They also have slightly larger ears to help them listen for prey or predators in the dense forest.

ShadowClan - They have very large paws to help them wade through mud and marsh in their territory, and their fur is either dark or dull in color, though there are sometimes white or lighter-colored ShadowClan cats. Their eyes are slightly bigger than the other Clan cats' to help them see better in the dark as they lurk around.

RiverClan - They have webbed paws that help them swim through the water, and they typically have short, sleek fur. If they have fluffy fur, the fur is very thin to help dry off faster than thicker-furred fluffy cats after a swim. They have sharper, slightly larger teeth than most to help them bite through fish scales.

WindClan - They have lithe, wiry bodies, small, light bones, long, thin legs, and small, sturdy paws, all of with help them streak across the moor. They also have large eyes like ShadowClan cats so they can see where farther up ahead of them as they run at high speeds, but they're not nearly as big. They may be lithe and thin, but they have strong muscles to help them pursue prey on the moor or dig in the sand to create a network of tunnels.

SkyClan - They have incredibly long, large, sharp claws to help them grip onto branches as they jump from tree to tree, and their tails are much longer than most to help with balance. SkyClan cats are also light-boned, though not as light as WindClan, to help them easily leap from tree branch to tree branch. Their legs are packed with strong muscles for leaping incredible heights, and as they're often times climbing or leaping through trees, their paw pads are hard and sturdy to endure the rough surfaces.

Tribe - Regardless of Tribe, though the focus of this specific Tribe is the Tribe of Rushing Water, their cats are small and lean. They have high metabolism as they eat only one meal a day and they typically come in different shades of grays and browns in fur color to blend in with the rocks in which they hunt. They have very stiff paw pads and large paws to endure the rocky terrain, and they have exceptionally large, strong muscles for bringing down large birds of prey, as well as strong skin to protect themselves from getting slashed open by birds' talons.

Rogue - Rogues have large muscles and heavy paws, both of which they use for attacking, as they are typically very aggressive. Their muscles and paws are strong and pack quite the punch, but they're also very heavy, making rogues slower than most cats when they attack.

Loner - Loners are not nearly as aggressive or hostile as rogues, so their muscles and paws aren't as strong or heavy. Loners are usually thin in body and fur, but some have thick fur as well, which excessively sheds during the summer time.

Kittypet - Kittypets pretty much have what anyone would expect from a domesticated cat: soft paws, thin claws, and plump body. They have wide eyes which they use to charm Twolegs into getting food or affection, and their fur is very soft, almost like kit fur.

This is pretty cool for a reference.

Mange is kinda all over the place if you apply this. With his lykoi features, he's a loner with kittypet origins. His fur is missing the guard hairs thanks to mutations in lykoi DNA so it's not good for anything and he has really large paws compared to the rest of his body. His eyes are very large as are his ears. He has rather strong legs now from taking carrion from the thunderpaths, darting around with the added weight helped him tons. He'd be a good SkyClan, ThunderClan or ShadowClan cat. He'd die as a WindClan cat as he needs shelter in order to not freeze to death and RiverClan would be difficult for his fur as well. He'd be good at charming twolegs if they didn't all think he was diseased.

Leo is all over the board too.  He's kinda a mix of Loner and Rogue, being slender and lithe but also packing a bit of muscle.  As far as clan genetics go, he probably would fit best in WindClan, with ThunderClan and SkyClan as pretty viable options.  His speed is an asset he can't use a lot in TC, but he's also a bit more heavily built than WC cats, possibly leaving him a bit slower than others.

Finchstream shows her RiverClan ancestry in all but one area; her fur.  It's long, dense and plush, likely making it not able to dry quite as quickly after a swim as other cats.

Ryeheart reflects a mix of ShadowClan and Rogue genetics, which fits well with his actual origins.  He is one of those bright-pelted ShadowClan kitters.

Laurelsong is the WindClan build through and through.

Night would be very large for a Tribe cat, but since he is actually a pure SkyClan boy his true blood shows through.

Fern is SkC, along with her mom, but they could also be mixed with TC a bit, and possibly even WC.

Cool!

Just so you know it is canon that Thunderclan cats typically dull colored, Skyclan cats have long, muscular limbs, and that Riverclan cats are almost as plump as house cats.

In terms of my cats, Twistedtail is mainly Thunderclan (despite being in Windclan) and she matches up quite well with here. She's mainly black and varying grey tones and I always imagined she has a stocky Thunderclan build but looks disproportionately skinny from living almost solely off of rabbits.

Pigeonpaw is actually unusually stocky for a Windclan cat, but then again he was raised by loners in a mouse infested barn so he probably ate much more than the average Windclan warrior.

Pineheart fits the Rouge description perfectly, since she was born a rogue. She's a big, stocky, and muscular tank despite her sweet personality.

Swanpetal is 50% windy and this shows a lot with her looks. She's lean and skinny and often is uncomfortable up in the trees despite her clan.

Morningpaw, being Swanpetal X Skyclan NPC (Silentsong) she's kind of in a inbetween. She's short-ish but at the same time lanky, with weird strongly built legs when she's fully grown and large paws.


If you remember the Hunters of Artemis, their basic physique was lean and elegant with slim features and if I remember long and silky fur. I miss that plot and those characters, it was so fun roleplaying Dianne :(

[insert a good ending]

Leafstorm meets the TC standard- fluffy brown tabby tom, strong legs, huuge ears

Rowantalon has big green eyes but small feets (although they were huge when he was a baby bc he hadn't grown into them)

Sharptooth has small ears and her fur is light and basically rainbow so no

Willowheart has webbed paws, sleek fur and hugge eyes + ears, although her paws and tiny. A perfect SC RC mix.

Mintpaw is literally just a marshmallow w/ stubby legs??

Canonically, RiverClan cats do have longer, denser fur as well. It's usually very thick and sleek which lets water roll off their pelts, so they're literally the fattest, fluffiest cats in the forest.

soo they're basically fat, fluffy marshmallows with legs?