It’s all about genetics!
Many of my followers want to know more about what makes their cat black instead of white. Or what the difference is between a calico and a tortie. Torties (or torte-shells). So off I went to the wonderful world of the Internet. What did we ever to without it!
I found a lot of scientific mumbo-jumbo when I did my research. So, I’ll try my best to break it down in terms we all can understand.
First, the easy part. The color of a cat’s coat is a physical property given by two copies of a gene, one from each parent. For example, if one of those genes is black, typically the kitten will be black. This is pretty basic stuff. Now, for the confusing part of this topic.
A tabby, or an Agouti, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, means:
“a grizzled color of fur resulting from the barring of each hair in several alternate dark and light bands"
Tabby
Okay; that may be a bit confusing. Believe me, it was for me. So, I looked it up in Wikipedia which, while it may have some facts wrong, it helped me to understand just what Agouti means. See if you can better understand it, too.
“fur in which each hair has alternate dark and light bands producing a grizzled effect,”
Next, we need to know about eumelanin. Again, according to Merriam-Webster, eumelanin is:
“a brown to black pigment whose functions include protecting the epidermis against damage from ultraviolet radiation”
Black hair contains about 99% eumelanin, brown and blond hair 95% eumelanin, and red hair 67% eumelanin. White cats who have dark-colored eyes or dark spots on their paws and/or nose have less eumelanin and albino cats have none.
Now for the last question:
What makes a calico different from a tortie? The simplest answer is a calico has any variation of three colors, typically 80%+ white, orange, and black. Torties are any variation of brown and black. Sometimes there is a small amount of white, but no more than 20%.
Calico
Tortie
There you have it; your science lesson for the day. I know I learned a lot this time, and I hope you did, too.
We thank:
I also relied on Google for answers.
If you want to conduct to test your cat's genetics, contact:
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