2 Questions About Our Cat!

[Nikitaglaze]

Tres wondered up and she wasn't fully grown yet. She is all black with 3 white spots on her stomach. We kept her inside and shortly after finding her found she was pregnant!

She had 2 white kittens in March of this year. The only cat we ever saw outside was a black and white cat. We assume he is the father. We had Tres fixed after they were born. One kitten he long hair, and markings that made him look like a type of breed. He looks like a Ragdoll or Birman. He is obviously not a pure breed anything, but I'm curious:

1. What breed does he look like?

2. Can a breed skip generations?

Here is a picture when he was a kitten laying with his mother. And a picture of him now.

 

[kashmir64]

Welcome to the Forums. Your cats are very pretty.
I'm going to flag this so it can be moved into the 'What does my cat look like' thread. People who know breeds follow that one and you will find your answer.
Again, welcome.

 

[Nikitaglaze]

Welcome to the Forums. Your cats are very pretty.
I'm going to flag this so it can be moved into the 'What does my cat look like' thread. People who know breeds follow that one and you will find your answer.
Again, welcome.

Thank you!!

 

[StefanZ]

I see three pics of a pointed. Cat. Its the same one or two different?

 

[StefanZ]

OK, I see on a good computer its the same one, three pics.
I follow shortly with the explanations.

 

[StefanZ]

His coloring as such is as mommas, black with white spots.

[btw, what become of the other kitten? Is he a point too? its not common with an all white cat coming out from two white spotted parents. Although the all white gene is usually dominant, but there is also a gene for all white which is recessive).

to your question, yes, the point gene, and the long hair gene (and one type of all white gene) can skip one or more generations.
These are recessive genes. They dont show by itself, most other genes are stronger.
But doubled up, one from momma and one from daddy - they suddenly spring into life and give the kitten its new appearance. While the siblings and parents may have totally different looks. Its typically one or two kittens in a litter. 1 of four.

One striking example are the russian blue breed. Whom are everyone one silvery grey "blue". But now and then there in a litter of russian blue, may be born a point, a look alike of siamese old type.

Why? Because way back, in the early 1950, they used some blue pointed siameses in the RB breeding programme. But after the 50´ies, they dont use known point carriers anymore in active breeding.
But the gene is still floating in the gene pool, and thus, does pop up now and then....

The longhair gene behaves similiarly.

So, the parents apparently both have the point gene, and the long hair gene. And possibly, the all white recessive gene.
But we cant be sure how long back are these ancestors. They may be grandparents, they may be 50 years aback, in cat lives 25-50 generations back...

But a ragdoll ancestor or two is fully possible and probable.

Last. The most common all white gene is very strong. Very dominant. So having an all white kitty we can usually presume there is one all white parent. (unless the all white born kitten is really a point, but this we do see at first after one or two weeks.

But there is also an recessive all white gene. Much less common.

 

[Nikitaglaze]

Thank you so much for your response. The mother and kittens got out one day, when they were about 2 months old. We're not such if someone took the other kitten or if a hawk maybe got it we live in the country and it was spring time.

The first picture is the mother (she's black so you can barely see her on the dark couch).. with Baxter as a kitten. The next 2 pictures are Baxter now.

Here is the full picture with the other kitten before he disappeared
And another from when they were kittens. The one with black tip ears is in all the pictures, same cat. The other is the sibling. And the mother is the black cat.

The really neat part is 2 neighbors said they used to see a male cat here about 10 years ago exactly like this. And he roamed with another male cat that waa solid black! Like his mother!

Is it possible the black cat (mother) descended from the cat that looks like my Baxter? And that's how she had him?

 

[Nikitaglaze]

Also, out of the 2 kittens, Baxter had long hair and the other had short hair. Here's another picture before the sibling disappeared

 

[StefanZ]

Ok, so the other sibling was a point too. We can forget about the All White genetics.

But both kittens being points, from parents whom are just carriers, not points themselves - the statistics arent ironclad, so its possible. But not probable. I would confidently lay a money bet against it.

So, I think the daddy was a point him too. With daddy point, mommy carrier but non point herself, the statistic is one of each, but its not unusual with both points, or both non points... The statistics arent ironclad, remember? Taken out on 1000 "cases" they are pretty sure, but not in a individual litter.

Sometimes its not very apparent a point is a point. I had more than once told forumists here their cat is a point.
Look, you yourself werent not clear the other kitten was a point too...

Lets hope somebody found these two wandering around, and spontan adopted him. Not impossible.

 

[Nikitaglaze]

Thank you so much!
This picture isn't the father, but a Google search brought it up and it looks just like the father! He comes around a lot but has never let us touch him.

I think it so neat that these cats had those kittens! No one believes me when I tell them she's the mother.

You're saying point, I'm sorry but is that a breed? Type of color? Ragdoll?

I honestly never had a cat until tres wondered up a little over a year ago as an older kitten. She surprised me when she came in and used the bathroom in the corner twice in a row. It was cold outside so I bought a litter box and she used it immediately. Then when I found she was pregnant, she seemed very loving. And when she had the kittens, she seemed like she needed help. At only 1 day old she brought them to me in my bed, lay down and nudged me as if to help them latch to nurse. I did and that's what she wanted. I couldn't believe how smart! I was definitely a full cat person then

 

[Nikitaglaze]

Oops. Here's the dad pic.

 

[StefanZ]

He has blue eyes? If so he is prob a point ("siamese-mix"). Even if its not very apparent. He has prob a ragdoll bicolor in him.

If he doesnt has blue eyes somebody must have taken advantage right behind his back. With an experienced tom the mating may be done surprisingly quickly.

 

[Nikitaglaze]

You're probably right, we only assume he was the father because he is the only one we see. But I am unsure of his eye color, he stays away.

 

[raina21]

N Nikitaglaze

To answer your question. Point is a coat pattern. It is most often associated with Siamese cats (though not all pointed cats are Siamese cats).

The kittens are born all white and then slowly begin to get color on the "points" of their body (face, ears, tail, and paws). The gene is temperature dependent, which is why the kittens are all white when they are born, because they had been kept very warm inside mommy's tummy. So the "points" tend to develop on the areas of a cat's body that are cooler (body temp-wise), while the rest of their body stays a whitish/cream color.

Many pointed cats also have white paws/spots on their body. That is because the white spot gene is VERY dominant and it sort of acts like a blanket, covering up other, less dominant genes (like the point gene) in certain areas on a cat's body.