Post by vbfdoee on Sept 2, 2012 16:43:44 GMT -6
I'll presuppose a certain knowledge of genetic terminology here (such as dominant vs. recessive traits). Please, please ask me for clarification if you're confused by anything I say in this post.
There are three main genes determining whether a cat will be tabby and, if so, what sort of pattern its fur will have.
The agouti gene (A/a) determines whether a cat is tabby or solid-coloured. The dominant form causes tabby fur. The orange fur gene masks the recessive form of this gene (aa, which would otherwise make a cat solid-coloured) so that all ginger cats are technically tabbies. Regardless of which forms of the below-mentioned genes a cat has, it will be solid-coloured if it has the recessive form of the agouti gene.
There are two different types of striped tabbies: mackerel and classic. A mackerel pattern is simple stripes, while a classic tabby's stripes are more of a swirly pattern. The gene determining whether a cat is mackerel or classic-patterned is Mc/mc. The classic pattern (mc) is recessive to the mackerel pattern (Mc), so that if a classic tabby and a mackerel tabby mate, the kits will be mackerel (barring complications that I don't feel like mentioning right now).
Ticked tabbies have bands of colour on each individual hair; they usually appear speckled. They aren't common in feral cat populations (most ticked tabbies are Abyssinians or Somalis), but they do crop up from time to time. They are caused by a separate gene, Ta/ta. The dominant form gives a cat a ticked tabby pelt (please note that a gene's being dominant does not mean that that form is necessarily widespread). The Ta form of this gene covers up the pattern encoded by the Mc/mc gene, similar to how the orange fur gene covers up a non-tabby cat.
As far as I can ascertain, the genetic mechanism of spotted tabbies is unknown. It may be caused by a gene that breaks up tabby stripes into spots, or it may be a completely separate pattern. I'll just say that spotted tabbies are uncommon in populations of random-bred cats, though there are breeds whose standards specify a spotted pattern (Egyptian Maus, Ocicats, etc.).
There are three main genes determining whether a cat will be tabby and, if so, what sort of pattern its fur will have.
The agouti gene (A/a) determines whether a cat is tabby or solid-coloured. The dominant form causes tabby fur. The orange fur gene masks the recessive form of this gene (aa, which would otherwise make a cat solid-coloured) so that all ginger cats are technically tabbies. Regardless of which forms of the below-mentioned genes a cat has, it will be solid-coloured if it has the recessive form of the agouti gene.
There are two different types of striped tabbies: mackerel and classic. A mackerel pattern is simple stripes, while a classic tabby's stripes are more of a swirly pattern. The gene determining whether a cat is mackerel or classic-patterned is Mc/mc. The classic pattern (mc) is recessive to the mackerel pattern (Mc), so that if a classic tabby and a mackerel tabby mate, the kits will be mackerel (barring complications that I don't feel like mentioning right now).
Ticked tabbies have bands of colour on each individual hair; they usually appear speckled. They aren't common in feral cat populations (most ticked tabbies are Abyssinians or Somalis), but they do crop up from time to time. They are caused by a separate gene, Ta/ta. The dominant form gives a cat a ticked tabby pelt (please note that a gene's being dominant does not mean that that form is necessarily widespread). The Ta form of this gene covers up the pattern encoded by the Mc/mc gene, similar to how the orange fur gene covers up a non-tabby cat.
As far as I can ascertain, the genetic mechanism of spotted tabbies is unknown. It may be caused by a gene that breaks up tabby stripes into spots, or it may be a completely separate pattern. I'll just say that spotted tabbies are uncommon in populations of random-bred cats, though there are breeds whose standards specify a spotted pattern (Egyptian Maus, Ocicats, etc.).
