Cat Color Genetics
August 28, 2011 12:45 PM Subscribe
After decades of breeding, the complexity of cat color genetics is quite well understood. Genes which control pigmentation, hair length, color dilution, banding (agouti), white fur (dominant, spotting, or albino, sometimes linked with deafness), tabby patterns, and more combine to create a wide spectrum of possibilities. Specific traits such as white gloving among Birman cats and the amber color found only in Norwegian Forest Cats (which comes from a single female born in 1981!) have also been isolated and studied, and can be affordably tested for.
On top of all that, fur color is epigenetic as well as genetic, and sometimes responds to the cat's environment. If you clone a calico cat, you get a kitten which doesn't have a similar coat due to X-inactivation, and pointed cats (such as Burmese, Siamese, and Tonkinese) have temperature-sensitive coloration.
Other genetic traits such as ear folding, tail length, hairlessness, and polydactyly (particularly among Hemingway's cats) have also been identified. Bonus: download a feline genetics model for Windows.
Other genetic traits such as ear folding, tail length, hairlessness, and polydactyly (particularly among Hemingway's cats) have also been identified. Bonus: download a feline genetics model for Windows.
Fascinating. Thanks for the links!
posted by tickingclock at 12:56 PM on August 28, 2011
posted by tickingclock at 12:56 PM on August 28, 2011
Is this the thread where we all post pictures of our cats?
(#1 flamepoint shorthair with nearly-undetectable white mittens, #2 black smoke tabby)
posted by restless_nomad at 12:57 PM on August 28, 2011
(#1 flamepoint shorthair with nearly-undetectable white mittens, #2 black smoke tabby)
posted by restless_nomad at 12:57 PM on August 28, 2011
...pointed cats (such as Burmese, Siamese, and Tonkinese) have temperature-sensitive coloration.
Never before have I wanted so badly, or, for that matter, at all, to hack a cat.
posted by darksasami at 12:59 PM on August 28, 2011 [5 favorites]
Never before have I wanted so badly, or, for that matter, at all, to hack a cat.
posted by darksasami at 12:59 PM on August 28, 2011 [5 favorites]
So amber Norwegian Forest Cats start out as grey tabbies, then turn mostly golden? Neat!
posted by maudlin at 1:01 PM on August 28, 2011
posted by maudlin at 1:01 PM on August 28, 2011
Is this the thread where we all post pictures of our cats?
Yes, yes it is. Mine are Echoes, a tortoiseshell shorthair, and Midi, a black shorthair.
posted by vorfeed at 1:07 PM on August 28, 2011
Yes, yes it is. Mine are Echoes, a tortoiseshell shorthair, and Midi, a black shorthair.
posted by vorfeed at 1:07 PM on August 28, 2011
restless_nomad: "Is this the thread where we all post pictures of our cats?"
Yes. This gene chart does a good job of breaking down the siamese colors. Battlecat started out looking like a lilac point, but she grew into more of a blue.
posted by mullingitover at 1:08 PM on August 28, 2011 [1 favorite]
Yes. This gene chart does a good job of breaking down the siamese colors. Battlecat started out looking like a lilac point, but she grew into more of a blue.
posted by mullingitover at 1:08 PM on August 28, 2011 [1 favorite]
Yay for cat genes!
My happy mutants: Digits and Ichi.
Digits has 26 toes. Ichi is double coated. Normal seems impossible in cats I own.
posted by strixus at 1:10 PM on August 28, 2011
My happy mutants: Digits and Ichi.
Digits has 26 toes. Ichi is double coated. Normal seems impossible in cats I own.
posted by strixus at 1:10 PM on August 28, 2011
Is this the thread where I tell you all that tabby kittens with #4 bicolored whitespottedness are often the cutest kittens ever? That's Henry James Annie Lennox as a baby, our tiny foster kitten who was too cute to give up when the time came.
posted by zoomorphic at 1:14 PM on August 28, 2011
posted by zoomorphic at 1:14 PM on August 28, 2011
And now everyone can actually deduce my gender from my profile, woo!
posted by maryr at 1:28 PM on August 28, 2011
posted by maryr at 1:28 PM on August 28, 2011
The amber cats look like normal orange cats. I must be missing something.
I still want to know, do cats with points have their skin colour darken as they age? They must, as the fur darkens. I guess we could find out if we ever bred pointed Sphynxes.
posted by jeather at 1:43 PM on August 28, 2011
I still want to know, do cats with points have their skin colour darken as they age? They must, as the fur darkens. I guess we could find out if we ever bred pointed Sphynxes.
posted by jeather at 1:43 PM on August 28, 2011
I'm just going to stick with calling them evil mastermind (Slash) and slightly less evil henchman (Kaspar).
posted by ThatSomething at 1:54 PM on August 28, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by ThatSomething at 1:54 PM on August 28, 2011 [2 favorites]
My Kanoko (Japanese for "fawn") started out... with fawn-like coloring (mackerel tabby) and is now a big fluffy tabby with a beautiful tummy. More lion than fawn now! (He was a rescue, so didn't know what he'd grow into!)
Tabby coloring is gorgeous, love the wild look of it. On that note, these sand kittens are OMG cute.
These clouded leopard cubs have stunningly beautiful color degradations on their spots.
posted by fraula at 2:09 PM on August 28, 2011 [5 favorites]
Tabby coloring is gorgeous, love the wild look of it. On that note, these sand kittens are OMG cute.
These clouded leopard cubs have stunningly beautiful color degradations on their spots.
posted by fraula at 2:09 PM on August 28, 2011 [5 favorites]
Oooh, fun post!
Belly & Brain.
Both are Devon Rexes. Belly was pretty hairless in her younger, thinner days. Now they're just two tubs of love living the life in California. DO MISS.
posted by iamkimiam at 2:10 PM on August 28, 2011 [1 favorite]
Belly & Brain.
Both are Devon Rexes. Belly was pretty hairless in her younger, thinner days. Now they're just two tubs of love living the life in California. DO MISS.
posted by iamkimiam at 2:10 PM on August 28, 2011 [1 favorite]
I still want to know, do cats with points have their skin colour darken as they age?
Mine is pink, pink, pink and always has been. I know this because she's neurotic and prefers to keep her belly groomed to an adorable eighth-inch fuzz. (She's 11, so any darkening would have presumably happened already.)
posted by restless_nomad at 2:13 PM on August 28, 2011
Mine is pink, pink, pink and always has been. I know this because she's neurotic and prefers to keep her belly groomed to an adorable eighth-inch fuzz. (She's 11, so any darkening would have presumably happened already.)
posted by restless_nomad at 2:13 PM on August 28, 2011
gatorae: "This Guide to Housecat Coat Colors and Patterns is really well-done"
Thanks for finding that, I couldn't remember where I saw it. and now I see that the author has tutorial illustrations on cat breeds. (plus illustrations for drawing birds, flexibility, etc. but those aren't cats).
posted by bleary at 2:24 PM on August 28, 2011 [5 favorites]
Thanks for finding that, I couldn't remember where I saw it. and now I see that the author has tutorial illustrations on cat breeds. (plus illustrations for drawing birds, flexibility, etc. but those aren't cats).
posted by bleary at 2:24 PM on August 28, 2011 [5 favorites]
Yo, that cartoon cat-face artwork on the page for the bonus feline genetics model download is goddamn terrifying. Why would they do that?!
posted by bxyldy at 2:26 PM on August 28, 2011
posted by bxyldy at 2:26 PM on August 28, 2011
BTW, 1 mCat (and her fairly dissimilar looking littermate, Logan. The coat pattern is the same, but they have different colors and very different body types and voices. I'm convinced they have different fathers). Millie seems to a fairly common looking cat - it's not uncommon to see very similar looking cats in print media and have a friend with a strikingly similar cat. The cat fanciers' genotype article has some interesting discussion of something called rufousing factors?
posted by maryr at 2:30 PM on August 28, 2011
posted by maryr at 2:30 PM on August 28, 2011
The tabby illustration on the Guide To Housecoat Colors, bxrldy? If you click on the Millie linked picture above, you'll see why. That's the pattern tabbies have on their faces.
posted by maryr at 2:31 PM on August 28, 2011
posted by maryr at 2:31 PM on August 28, 2011
This Guide to Housecat Coat Colors and Patterns is really well-done.
There is an awesome fact in this that explains swirled and broken-up coat patterns like tabby markings. It seems, while the embryo is developing, the layer of cells that will develop into the coloring layer on the skin begins forming fairly early, but as the embryo grows and develops it doesn't grow quickly enough to maintain coverage, which causes the layer to "crack" and not distribute evenly around its surface. It's near the bottom-center of the image if you check it out.
posted by JHarris at 2:45 PM on August 28, 2011 [2 favorites]
There is an awesome fact in this that explains swirled and broken-up coat patterns like tabby markings. It seems, while the embryo is developing, the layer of cells that will develop into the coloring layer on the skin begins forming fairly early, but as the embryo grows and develops it doesn't grow quickly enough to maintain coverage, which causes the layer to "crack" and not distribute evenly around its surface. It's near the bottom-center of the image if you check it out.
posted by JHarris at 2:45 PM on August 28, 2011 [2 favorites]
My gray/white bi-color and odd-eyed white kittehs thank you for this!
posted by nikitabot at 2:47 PM on August 28, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by nikitabot at 2:47 PM on August 28, 2011 [1 favorite]
Basically biology is awesome, JHarris.
posted by maryr at 2:48 PM on August 28, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by maryr at 2:48 PM on August 28, 2011 [2 favorites]
Mine is pink, pink, pink and always has been. I know this because she's neurotic and prefers to keep her belly groomed to an adorable eighth-inch fuzz. (She's 11, so any darkening would have presumably happened already.)
But pointed cats don't darken much on the belly, it's the tail and feet and muzzle mostly. And of course if your pointed cat has white patches on her belly (as my mother's does), it will never darken.
One day when my parents are out of town I am going to shave their cat and see for myself.
posted by jeather at 2:54 PM on August 28, 2011 [3 favorites]
But pointed cats don't darken much on the belly, it's the tail and feet and muzzle mostly. And of course if your pointed cat has white patches on her belly (as my mother's does), it will never darken.
One day when my parents are out of town I am going to shave their cat and see for myself.
posted by jeather at 2:54 PM on August 28, 2011 [3 favorites]
My theory on why the pointed cats get darker as they age: fat deposits. The darkness on their fur comes from temperature-sensitive follicles, with the colder follicles becoming darker. As the cats age, they naturally start carrying more fat. Fat deposits don't generate as much heat as muscle, hence the skin above them stays at a lower temperature, and the albinism doesn't kick in -> darker fur.
posted by mullingitover at 2:58 PM on August 28, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by mullingitover at 2:58 PM on August 28, 2011 [2 favorites]
Roswell is a blue smoke with shadow markings. Yorvit is a classic tuxedo, and Lady is a tortoiseshell. She's elderly now, and I think has gotten lighter over the years. Such a fascinating topic - thanks for a great post!
posted by rtha at 3:04 PM on August 28, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by rtha at 3:04 PM on August 28, 2011 [1 favorite]
Hmm, she may actually have a white belly instead of an undarkened-point belly. She is cocooned in a blanket on the couch at the moment so further investigation will have to wait.
(She does have orange tabby nose freckles too, which is absolutely adorable.)
posted by restless_nomad at 3:06 PM on August 28, 2011
(She does have orange tabby nose freckles too, which is absolutely adorable.)
posted by restless_nomad at 3:06 PM on August 28, 2011
Here are Alfie, our Balinese, Noodles, our Russian Blue, and Stella, our little basement cat.
We didn't name Alfie and Noodles--they had those names when we adopted them from a couple who had to give them away because one of their kids had a bad case of asthma. We still feel a tiny bit guilty about taking their cats. Stella got her name because it's short for Stellaluna--she looked like a little bat in her carrier coming home from the shelter where we adopted her.
(Speaking of the shelter, I want to put in a quick plug for them if you're in the London area. They're really nice and treat their animals really, really well. Check 'em out.)
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 3:19 PM on August 28, 2011 [2 favorites]
We didn't name Alfie and Noodles--they had those names when we adopted them from a couple who had to give them away because one of their kids had a bad case of asthma. We still feel a tiny bit guilty about taking their cats. Stella got her name because it's short for Stellaluna--she looked like a little bat in her carrier coming home from the shelter where we adopted her.
(Speaking of the shelter, I want to put in a quick plug for them if you're in the London area. They're really nice and treat their animals really, really well. Check 'em out.)
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 3:19 PM on August 28, 2011 [2 favorites]
Twenty six toes, strixus? Good heavens. My first thought when I saw the picture was, "Man, it must take his owner a good long time to cut his claws."
My Trilby is white with blue eyes, and he is definitely profoundly deaf. I don't think he even knows he's missing anything, and it's quite amazing that he seems to know things you'd think he would never figure out, i.e., he seems to understand perfectly that the farther away from me he is, the harder he has to squawk to get my attention, and he can always tell within five minutes when I've gotten home even if he didn't see me come in.
posted by orange swan at 3:25 PM on August 28, 2011
My Trilby is white with blue eyes, and he is definitely profoundly deaf. I don't think he even knows he's missing anything, and it's quite amazing that he seems to know things you'd think he would never figure out, i.e., he seems to understand perfectly that the farther away from me he is, the harder he has to squawk to get my attention, and he can always tell within five minutes when I've gotten home even if he didn't see me come in.
posted by orange swan at 3:25 PM on August 28, 2011
maryr - nah, i meant the one here.
That is one unhappy-looking cat cartoon.
posted by bxyldy at 3:31 PM on August 28, 2011 [2 favorites]
That is one unhappy-looking cat cartoon.
posted by bxyldy at 3:31 PM on August 28, 2011 [2 favorites]
Cats haven't had the intensive selecting breeding dogs have had over the past thousand years or so, but have had (arguably) a similar partial respite from natural selection in their close association with humans, so they are a very interesting genetic study.
Or as the dog said, "Cats come in so many varieties only because you haven't found the right ones yet."
posted by pH Indicating Socks at 3:43 PM on August 28, 2011 [2 favorites]
Or as the dog said, "Cats come in so many varieties only because you haven't found the right ones yet."
posted by pH Indicating Socks at 3:43 PM on August 28, 2011 [2 favorites]
But nothing new on hypoallergenic cats??? Priorities, people! I have a piece of string ready to dangle! :*(
posted by Erasmouse at 3:46 PM on August 28, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Erasmouse at 3:46 PM on August 28, 2011 [1 favorite]
This is Francy: I have never seen quite so M an m on a tabby's forehead.
Boutros, Annan and just have unconnected stripes on their foreheads. Frank's stripes come close, but they still are not very M as hers.
I had never heard before that tabbys have a "classic M pattern on their foreheads".
posted by crush-onastick at 4:06 PM on August 28, 2011 [1 favorite]
Boutros, Annan and just have unconnected stripes on their foreheads. Frank's stripes come close, but they still are not very M as hers.
I had never heard before that tabbys have a "classic M pattern on their foreheads".
posted by crush-onastick at 4:06 PM on August 28, 2011 [1 favorite]
Not so fast. I used to breed Tonkinese. They come in three color patterns, Mink, Solid, and Pointed. Mink is sort of in between the Solid (Burmese) and Pointed (Siamese) pattern.
So, the Solids are, well, uh....Solid.
posted by bilabial at 4:11 PM on August 28, 2011
So, the Solids are, well, uh....Solid.
posted by bilabial at 4:11 PM on August 28, 2011
My kitty... he's dealing with a new puppy right now, so please sympathize...
posted by Huck500 at 4:22 PM on August 28, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Huck500 at 4:22 PM on August 28, 2011 [1 favorite]
Never before have I wanted so badly, or, for that matter, at all, to hack a cat.
I, on the other hand, have a long standing fantasy about breeding a Siamese the size of a bobcat.
posted by Bruce H. at 4:45 PM on August 28, 2011 [2 favorites]
I, on the other hand, have a long standing fantasy about breeding a Siamese the size of a bobcat.
posted by Bruce H. at 4:45 PM on August 28, 2011 [2 favorites]
I badly want to breed 30-pound housecats. They'd be more squeezable! (But they'd have to be very, very docile. Because I'd be more squeezable too.)
posted by restless_nomad at 4:50 PM on August 28, 2011 [4 favorites]
posted by restless_nomad at 4:50 PM on August 28, 2011 [4 favorites]
My Chelsea is very much a Generic Cat - she has a brown mackerel tabby coat and green eyes, which is apparently the most common tabby phenotype. Despite looking great in a tie, she is remarkably undignified. (We love her anyway.)
posted by timetoevolve at 5:34 PM on August 28, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by timetoevolve at 5:34 PM on August 28, 2011 [1 favorite]
Tiberius, a classic grey tuxedo cat, and his fluffy grey mackerel tabby sister/roommate/tormentor Frances, assisting with marking and as a kitten.
These are FB photos, so let me know if they don't work for other people.
posted by jrochest at 5:37 PM on August 28, 2011
These are FB photos, so let me know if they don't work for other people.
posted by jrochest at 5:37 PM on August 28, 2011
This Guide to Housecat Coat Colors and Patterns is really well-done
This is where I learned our brown tabby was what amounts to the base-model cat, no options. Explains a great deal.
posted by maxwelton at 5:48 PM on August 28, 2011 [10 favorites]
This is where I learned our brown tabby was what amounts to the base-model cat, no options. Explains a great deal.
posted by maxwelton at 5:48 PM on August 28, 2011 [10 favorites]
Ok, Her Highness has emerged, and I can confirm that she's pink (i.e. unpigmented) all over. She's also licking my arm for totally mysterious reasons.
posted by restless_nomad at 6:03 PM on August 28, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by restless_nomad at 6:03 PM on August 28, 2011 [3 favorites]
The facebook photos don't work for me, jrochest. It asks me to log in (and I don't have an account).
Shoggoth was quite grey when she was little, but now much more ginger.
Also, spotty belly!
And this was Earlier Cat.
I have a thing for tabbies and calicos.
posted by lollusc at 6:53 PM on August 28, 2011
Shoggoth was quite grey when she was little, but now much more ginger.
Also, spotty belly!
And this was Earlier Cat.
I have a thing for tabbies and calicos.
posted by lollusc at 6:53 PM on August 28, 2011
my heavens, Shoggoth is a handsome handsome kitty!
posted by crush-onastick at 6:57 PM on August 28, 2011
posted by crush-onastick at 6:57 PM on August 28, 2011
She's also licking my arm for totally mysterious reasons.
r_n: she's licking you because you're dirty. You're a pathetic, hairless helper monkey who has thumbs but can't even clean herself properly. To cats, we are much stupider than newborn kittens. Clearly, we need looking after. (This is what my cats tell me, anyway.)
posted by rtha at 6:59 PM on August 28, 2011 [2 favorites]
r_n: she's licking you because you're dirty. You're a pathetic, hairless helper monkey who has thumbs but can't even clean herself properly. To cats, we are much stupider than newborn kittens. Clearly, we need looking after. (This is what my cats tell me, anyway.)
posted by rtha at 6:59 PM on August 28, 2011 [2 favorites]
Thank you, crush-onastick. I tell her that regularly. She is also well versed in the cuteness arts.
posted by lollusc at 7:04 PM on August 28, 2011
posted by lollusc at 7:04 PM on August 28, 2011
Thanks to the Guide, I now know that my cat Estrellita's coat color has a shorter name! I'd been calling her a silver tabby calico, but she can be known as a CALIBY! Cool!
posted by gusandrews at 7:11 PM on August 28, 2011
posted by gusandrews at 7:11 PM on August 28, 2011
This thread reminded me to put up two new ones featuring the girls in weird lounging spots.
posted by restless_nomad at 7:23 PM on August 28, 2011
posted by restless_nomad at 7:23 PM on August 28, 2011
Oohhh, a cat thread! And I can post pictures of my cats! Oh, boy!
My little Muki is a silvery-blue*, like (almost) all other Korat's but her eyes didn't lose all the kitten gold, only green around the pupil. At five y.o., she also still has her kitten stripes on her tail.
* The tips cause a halo effect in sunlight. "silvery-blue" is a dull way to describe it.
I have crap pictures of my cat on internet.
posted by _paegan_ at 7:26 PM on August 28, 2011
My little Muki is a silvery-blue*, like (almost) all other Korat's but her eyes didn't lose all the kitten gold, only green around the pupil. At five y.o., she also still has her kitten stripes on her tail.
* The tips cause a halo effect in sunlight. "silvery-blue" is a dull way to describe it.
I have crap pictures of my cat on internet.
posted by _paegan_ at 7:26 PM on August 28, 2011
Why am I the only one who doesn't have pictures of their cat on their computer? Right now, Edmund has the hiccups, though.
posted by hoyland at 7:28 PM on August 28, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by hoyland at 7:28 PM on August 28, 2011 [1 favorite]
Oh, I do. Baby Edmund and then bigger Edmund (he just looks litte because he's next to Eaton (the blurry shape on the floor), who's huge). Edmund has three black legs and one white leg.
posted by hoyland at 7:33 PM on August 28, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by hoyland at 7:33 PM on August 28, 2011 [1 favorite]
I've got 2 brown tabbies (with classic green eyes/brick noses/black paw pads)
Herbert (left) is unusual because he's ticked
Bellatrix (right) has many characteristics of an Egyptian Mao
both are lovey-dovey attention whores of the highest order :)
posted by supermedusa at 7:39 PM on August 28, 2011
Herbert (left) is unusual because he's ticked
Bellatrix (right) has many characteristics of an Egyptian Mao
both are lovey-dovey attention whores of the highest order :)
posted by supermedusa at 7:39 PM on August 28, 2011
lollusc, "Shoggoth" is one of the more perfect cat names I've heard.
posted by JHarris at 7:43 PM on August 28, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by JHarris at 7:43 PM on August 28, 2011 [2 favorites]
I don't see Mustache Cat. I see Why So Serious? Cat. Or possibly Cheshire Cat. Either way, I am a little terrified.
posted by maryr at 7:56 PM on August 28, 2011
posted by maryr at 7:56 PM on August 28, 2011
Thanks lollusc: that gives me a chance to post More Kitty Pics
Frances, helping with marking: she's a grey mackerel tabby, but her long, lustrous hair means that it's hard to tell. It was easier when she was an itty bitty kitty. Her "brother", Tiberius is a very large, very handsome, very elderly grey tuxedo cat: not fat, just big boned.
posted by jrochest at 7:57 PM on August 28, 2011
Frances, helping with marking: she's a grey mackerel tabby, but her long, lustrous hair means that it's hard to tell. It was easier when she was an itty bitty kitty. Her "brother", Tiberius is a very large, very handsome, very elderly grey tuxedo cat: not fat, just big boned.
posted by jrochest at 7:57 PM on August 28, 2011
Mars and Ember.
Mars has a white patch near his crotch that we lovingly refer to as The Welcome Mat.
posted by Fister Roboto at 8:09 PM on August 28, 2011 [2 favorites]
Mars has a white patch near his crotch that we lovingly refer to as The Welcome Mat.
posted by Fister Roboto at 8:09 PM on August 28, 2011 [2 favorites]
Thing2 is a pretty little caliby. You can see why her nickname is Two Face. Thing1 is a plain old grey tabby. They're both full grown, but she is little and skinny and he is big boned and pudgy.
posted by gatorae at 8:11 PM on August 28, 2011
posted by gatorae at 8:11 PM on August 28, 2011
I've always wondered what breed Nyx and Bia are (more and more). They're supposedly sisters, and while we don't know for sure (they came from the humane society), they do look and act a lot alike. Judging by bleary's "cat breeds" link they might have some Burmese in them, although the description fits Bia more than Nyx - Bia is stockier and loves to stare at you with those big round eyes. I know they default with mixes like these is to call them American Shorthairs, but they're more playful and they chirrup more than other cats I've had. They also almost always have their tails up. Any cat experts have a thought on breeds?
posted by chndrcks at 9:45 PM on August 28, 2011
posted by chndrcks at 9:45 PM on August 28, 2011
My little buddy is white, blue eyed, and deaf. It doesn't have a name - what would be the point, it's deaf?
posted by Meatbomb at 11:18 PM on August 28, 2011
posted by Meatbomb at 11:18 PM on August 28, 2011
I love this thread!
I've always wanted to do that.
It is really warming my heart to see all y'alls cats. And your floors. And your houses. And that you use Flickr. I think I've needed a hug for a while; this is working instead. Thanks again.
posted by iamkimiam at 2:33 AM on August 29, 2011 [4 favorites]
I've always wanted to do that.
It is really warming my heart to see all y'alls cats. And your floors. And your houses. And that you use Flickr. I think I've needed a hug for a while; this is working instead. Thanks again.
posted by iamkimiam at 2:33 AM on August 29, 2011 [4 favorites]
Ok, Her Highness has emerged, and I can confirm that she's pink (i.e. unpigmented) all over. She's also licking my arm for totally mysterious reasons.
So your cat with dark points is pink under her points. Neat.
Many cats love the taste of salt. Yum, sweat.
I need to upload more cat pics soon.
posted by jeather at 7:18 AM on August 29, 2011
So your cat with dark points is pink under her points. Neat.
Many cats love the taste of salt. Yum, sweat.
I need to upload more cat pics soon.
posted by jeather at 7:18 AM on August 29, 2011
...pointed cats (such as Burmese, Siamese, and Tonkinese) have temperature-sensitive coloration.
darksasam : Never before have I wanted so badly, or, for that matter, at all, to hack a cat.
I have always had Siamese cats around, and years ago, after first hearing about the temperature-sensitive aspects of their coat, I decided to try an experiment; I was going to take my mostly dark, older Siamese, and by keeping her warm all the time, turn her back to a creamy white.
So every chance I got, I made her sit under the blankets, right next to me, generating as much heat as possible.
She never did change color, but I've never seen an animal more happy to have gone through rigorous testing. Her response to the blankets was always to curl up and start purring, content in the knowledge that we were doing good Science!
posted by quin at 8:22 AM on August 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
darksasam : Never before have I wanted so badly, or, for that matter, at all, to hack a cat.
I have always had Siamese cats around, and years ago, after first hearing about the temperature-sensitive aspects of their coat, I decided to try an experiment; I was going to take my mostly dark, older Siamese, and by keeping her warm all the time, turn her back to a creamy white.
So every chance I got, I made her sit under the blankets, right next to me, generating as much heat as possible.
She never did change color, but I've never seen an animal more happy to have gone through rigorous testing. Her response to the blankets was always to curl up and start purring, content in the knowledge that we were doing good Science!
posted by quin at 8:22 AM on August 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
To be fair, she's a flame-point - her "dark" points are ginger at best. I don't think ginger cats have dark skin in the first place - my black tabby is distinctly grey-skinned in comparison.
posted by restless_nomad at 9:03 AM on August 29, 2011
posted by restless_nomad at 9:03 AM on August 29, 2011
I wonder how long until someone starts genetically engineering cats for custom coat patterns.
posted by acb at 9:07 AM on August 29, 2011
posted by acb at 9:07 AM on August 29, 2011
Those are bred for their markings, from what I can tell. I.e., the search space is constrained by parents they can find. Surely with genetic engineering techniques they could produce cats of any colour pattern that's genetically expressible.
posted by acb at 9:19 AM on August 29, 2011
posted by acb at 9:19 AM on August 29, 2011
To be fair, she's a flame-point - her "dark" points are ginger at best. I don't think ginger cats have dark skin in the first place - my black tabby is distinctly grey-skinned in comparison.
My friend had a calico sphynx, so I can confirm that the orange spots do have a different shade of pink skin than the white, but the difference is pretty subtle. (The difference between black/brown and white/orange is pretty obvious.)
Poor Eva is really going to regret this thread tonight when I try to shave her ears.
posted by jeather at 9:54 AM on August 29, 2011
My friend had a calico sphynx, so I can confirm that the orange spots do have a different shade of pink skin than the white, but the difference is pretty subtle. (The difference between black/brown and white/orange is pretty obvious.)
Poor Eva is really going to regret this thread tonight when I try to shave her ears.
posted by jeather at 9:54 AM on August 29, 2011
Yeah, we're in Texas, too, so she's a particularly pale flame-point - I usually describe her as peaches and cream.
posted by restless_nomad at 10:11 AM on August 29, 2011
posted by restless_nomad at 10:11 AM on August 29, 2011
A cat with only one copy of the dominant allele (genotype Ss) may only have a small amount of white or could have a large amount of white. Cats with two copies of the dominant allele (genotype SS) frequently have very large amounts of white and are referred to as "vans".
Ahh. So THAT is where my cat comes from. And since his eyes are blue and yellow, I guess the "pigment parade" got a little distracted in that neighborhood. At least he can hear.
posted by Medieval Maven at 10:19 AM on August 29, 2011
Ahh. So THAT is where my cat comes from. And since his eyes are blue and yellow, I guess the "pigment parade" got a little distracted in that neighborhood. At least he can hear.
posted by Medieval Maven at 10:19 AM on August 29, 2011
Violet, who lives downstairs from us, is also a tuxedo, but unlike Yorvit she has two different-colored eyes.
posted by rtha at 11:01 AM on August 29, 2011
posted by rtha at 11:01 AM on August 29, 2011
I wonder how long until someone starts genetically engineering cats for custom coat patterns.
Well, this link (the "doesn't have a similar coat" link above) about a cloned kitten with fairly dramatically different coloring than its clone-parent, would indicate that understanding or no, it's not entirely controllable through pure genetics. The heat-sensitive stuff is also not purely genetic - two genetically identical pointed cats might end up looking pretty different if they grow up in different environments.
posted by restless_nomad at 2:52 PM on August 29, 2011
Well, this link (the "doesn't have a similar coat" link above) about a cloned kitten with fairly dramatically different coloring than its clone-parent, would indicate that understanding or no, it's not entirely controllable through pure genetics. The heat-sensitive stuff is also not purely genetic - two genetically identical pointed cats might end up looking pretty different if they grow up in different environments.
posted by restless_nomad at 2:52 PM on August 29, 2011
Well, this link (the "doesn't have a similar coat" link above) about a cloned kitten with fairly dramatically different coloring than its clone-parent, would indicate that understanding or no, it's not entirely controllable through pure genetics.
Exactly. It's not just the specifics of the calico pattern which change, either -- the distribution of white fur is broadly similar, but still different. The cloned kitten has a little patch of color on one paw, but the genetic donor does not.
I'm guessing there's no practical way to get a cat with a "custom" coat pattern, short of a loose definition of "custom". Creating a cat with the kind of coat you want is probably do-able ("I want a yellow-eyed red tabby with white!"), but the details depend on more than genetics... and at that point it'd be cheaper and easier to go find a pre-existing yellow-eyed red tabby with white.
I think we may eventually see genetic engineering of new coat colors, though. Perhaps there are color/pattern combinations which could be unlocked, but haven't yet surfaced in nature (or happened to surface long ago, only to prove maladaptive in the wild). Or maybe we'll splice something in to get bioluminescent fur...
posted by vorfeed at 3:23 PM on August 29, 2011
Exactly. It's not just the specifics of the calico pattern which change, either -- the distribution of white fur is broadly similar, but still different. The cloned kitten has a little patch of color on one paw, but the genetic donor does not.
I'm guessing there's no practical way to get a cat with a "custom" coat pattern, short of a loose definition of "custom". Creating a cat with the kind of coat you want is probably do-able ("I want a yellow-eyed red tabby with white!"), but the details depend on more than genetics... and at that point it'd be cheaper and easier to go find a pre-existing yellow-eyed red tabby with white.
I think we may eventually see genetic engineering of new coat colors, though. Perhaps there are color/pattern combinations which could be unlocked, but haven't yet surfaced in nature (or happened to surface long ago, only to prove maladaptive in the wild). Or maybe we'll splice something in to get bioluminescent fur...
posted by vorfeed at 3:23 PM on August 29, 2011
Cats are weird enough without their skins glowing in the dark.
posted by iamkimiam at 3:32 PM on August 29, 2011
posted by iamkimiam at 3:32 PM on August 29, 2011
I don't get how a clone of a calico gets you a different pattern -- from the link it seems like X-inactivation is done randomly by each pigment producing cell, resulting in both orange and black in the coat. But elsewhere in that link it sounds like the cells in the embryo all coordinate which X chromosome to silence so a clone will be different.
And of course here's Dizzy, a blotchy tabby, and Louie who's all-black with a dark-red undercoat you can only see in bright sunlight.
posted by phliar at 3:38 PM on August 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
And of course here's Dizzy, a blotchy tabby, and Louie who's all-black with a dark-red undercoat you can only see in bright sunlight.
posted by phliar at 3:38 PM on August 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
I don't get how a clone of a calico gets you a different pattern -- from the link it seems like X-inactivation is done randomly by each pigment producing cell, resulting in both orange and black in the coat. But elsewhere in that link it sounds like the cells in the embryo all coordinate which X chromosome to silence so a clone will be different.
You have to remember that the donor's cells have already been through x-inactivation. As this link puts it: "CC [the clone] looks different because the somatic cell that Rainbow donated to create her contained an activated black gene and an inactivated orange gene. What's interesting is that, as CC developed, her cells did not change that inactivation pattern. Therefore, unlike Rainbow, CC developed without any cells that specified orange coat color. The result is CC's black and white tiger-tabby coat."
posted by vorfeed at 4:08 PM on August 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
You have to remember that the donor's cells have already been through x-inactivation. As this link puts it: "CC [the clone] looks different because the somatic cell that Rainbow donated to create her contained an activated black gene and an inactivated orange gene. What's interesting is that, as CC developed, her cells did not change that inactivation pattern. Therefore, unlike Rainbow, CC developed without any cells that specified orange coat color. The result is CC's black and white tiger-tabby coat."
posted by vorfeed at 4:08 PM on August 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
What's interesting is that, as CC developed, her cells did not change that inactivation pattern.
Thanks, it makes sense now. Damn, the universe is so cool!
posted by phliar at 5:32 PM on August 29, 2011
Thanks, it makes sense now. Damn, the universe is so cool!
posted by phliar at 5:32 PM on August 29, 2011
Here are pictures of CC at age 10, earlier this year. She's outlived both the company that had her cloned and the pet-cloning business of its successor, which stopped cloning pets in 2009.
posted by vorfeed at 6:30 PM on August 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by vorfeed at 6:30 PM on August 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
Oliver and Abigail are grey tuxedos and siblings. Mingo and Fanty are orange and white tabbies and are siblings. Mingo's fur is long and soft and Fanty has short and stiff but really dense fur. Mingo also weighs over 20 lbs. and may have some Maine Coon ancestors or he could just be a really big cat. Fanty's tail is short and crooked over like a candy cane. Their vet says it could be due to genetics or an injury in the womb. In any case, it doesn't seem to bother him. I really should get a photo of it.
My mum's calico cat named Calliope. She has such a fierce look to her due to her markings, but she's a sweetie. My guess is she's probably half Persian due to her long, soft, silky fur and semi-pushed in face.
posted by deborah at 6:40 PM on August 29, 2011
My mum's calico cat named Calliope. She has such a fierce look to her due to her markings, but she's a sweetie. My guess is she's probably half Persian due to her long, soft, silky fur and semi-pushed in face.
posted by deborah at 6:40 PM on August 29, 2011
I'm keeping this thread saved for rainy days. My Nosy is a long-haired bengal.
17 pounds. He's a big boy.
posted by Space Kitty at 10:19 PM on August 29, 2011
17 pounds. He's a big boy.
posted by Space Kitty at 10:19 PM on August 29, 2011
What's interesting is that, as CC developed, her cells did not change that inactivation pattern.
Thank goodness.
Seriously, you generally do not want epigenetically inactivated genes reactivated. That's basically cancer.
posted by maryr at 7:28 AM on August 30, 2011
Thank goodness.
Seriously, you generally do not want epigenetically inactivated genes reactivated. That's basically cancer.
posted by maryr at 7:28 AM on August 30, 2011
Thanks for the 10 Years Later link, vorfeed. It's pretty cool that she apparently normal kittens. I wonder, however, if CC's offspring have orange fur? It seems possible - she carries the gene, she just doesn't express it. And if her live-in boyfriend (kits these days!) is gray, the gene would come from her, yeah?
posted by maryr at 7:32 AM on August 30, 2011
posted by maryr at 7:32 AM on August 30, 2011
At the very least, it's a victory for CC, no matter her origin. Go, kittycat!
posted by JHarris at 1:49 AM on August 31, 2011
posted by JHarris at 1:49 AM on August 31, 2011
And confirmation that sphynx cats get darker points as they age. I didn't even have to shave Eva to see.
posted by jeather at 5:48 AM on August 31, 2011
posted by jeather at 5:48 AM on August 31, 2011
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