Breeding full white cat

skrumtuoscatlayd

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Hi I have a full white healthy dsh female cat. She was a rescue cat so I am not sure what her breed is but she is white from top to bottom except for few sparse strand of black hair on her head which is not visible unless you're very close. I'm just wondering what her babies would look like if she'd mate with non-white cat? Is there any chance she would produce all white looking offspring like her?
I heard that there are several ways in which white cats are born but just want to know likelihood of one being born if only one of the parent was almost white
 

hortusgirlii

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Hi I have a full white healthy dsh female cat. She was a rescue cat so I am not sure what her breed is but she is white from top to bottom except for few sparse strand of black hair on her head which is not visible unless you're very close. I'm just wondering what her babies would look like if she'd mate with non-white cat? Is there any chance she would produce all white looking offspring like her?
I heard that there are several ways in which white cats are born but just want to know likelihood of one being born if only one of the parent was almost white
All white cats usually have a dominant white spotting mutation, so yes some kittens in the litter could also be white.
 

lutece

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Hi I have a full white healthy dsh female cat. She was a rescue cat so I am not sure what her breed is but she is white from top to bottom except for few sparse strand of black hair on her head which is not visible unless you're very close. I'm just wondering what her babies would look like if she'd mate with non-white cat? Is there any chance she would produce all white looking offspring like her?
I heard that there are several ways in which white cats are born but just want to know likelihood of one being born if only one of the parent was almost white
Given your description, she is probably heterozygous dominant white in color (one copy of the dominant white gene). As far as her breed, she probably isn't any specific breed. Most cats are not any particular breed, and are also not "mixes" of breeds, unlike dogs.

Assuming that she is heterozygous dominant white, if she were to be bred to a non-white male cat, each kitten would have a 50% chance of being white in color. Dominant white is associated with deafness, so each of her white kittens would also have a risk of being deaf. Because of this risk of deafness, the intentional breeding of white cats is now discouraged in many countries.
 

cataholic07

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To be honest, I would say please just spay her. Even if bred to a white male no guarantees all will be white, many could be black/white as well given as that is your white cats true color.

  1. A white cat must have a white parent.
  2. A white cat breeds as both a white (which you see) and a masked color (which you don’t see) and can produce based on both white and the unseen color/pattern. The masked color/pattern must be determined, based on the white’s pedigree and the offspring produced in a controlled breeding, in order to effectively predict the color/pattern of the expected offspring. Interestingly, white kittens may have a small spot of color on top of their heads when born. This color should be noted as it is the color that the white is masking and the color that the cat will breed as when an adult. The spot of color may be visible for several months, but often disappears as the kitten matures.
  3. Genetics for solid white cats can affect the possible color/pattern of expected kittens in that the white parent may be masking the color/pattern needed to produce this result.
 

lutece

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Interestingly, white kittens may have a small spot of color on top of their heads when born. This color should be noted as it is the color that the white is masking and the color that the cat will breed as when an adult. The spot of color may be visible for several months, but often disappears as the kitten matures.
It's not quite as easy as that to tell the cat's underlying color from the "kitten cap" (the spot of color on the head of a dominant white cat). Most kitten caps look like a blackish or grayish smudge, regardless of whether the cat is a black-based color (such as brown tabby), or blue-based color (like blue tabby), or a tortie, etc. The underlying color can be determined with genetic testing (with the exception of red / tortie).

Of course, it would be best to simply spay the cat. There are lots of other white cats and kittens of no particular breed that need homes.
 
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skrumtuoscatlayd

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Given your description, she is probably heterozygous dominant white in color (one copy of the dominant white gene). As far as her breed, she probably isn't any specific breed. Most cats are not any particular breed, and are also not "mixes" of breeds, unlike dogs.

Assuming that she is heterozygous dominant white, if she were to be bred to a non-white male cat, each kitten would have a 50% chance of being white in color. Dominant white is associated with deafness, so each of her white kittens would also have a risk of being deaf. Because of this risk of deafness, the intentional breeding of white cats is now discouraged in many countries.
I thought deafness in white cats are associated with color of their eye - i.e. when they are full white and blue eyed they may be deaf - but my cat isn't blue eyed but golden green and she isn't deaf. Does she still carry the chance of producing blue eyed white deaf kittens though?
 
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skrumtuoscatlayd

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To be honest, I would say please just spay her. Even if bred to a white male no guarantees all will be white, many could be black/white as well given as that is your white cats true color.

  1. A white cat must have a white parent.
  2. A white cat breeds as both a white (which you see) and a masked color (which you don’t see) and can produce based on both white and the unseen color/pattern. The masked color/pattern must be determined, based on the white’s pedigree and the offspring produced in a controlled breeding, in order to effectively predict the color/pattern of the expected offspring. Interestingly, white kittens may have a small spot of color on top of their heads when born. This color should be noted as it is the color that the white is masking and the color that the cat will breed as when an adult. The spot of color may be visible for several months, but often disappears as the kitten matures.
  3. Genetics for solid white cats can affect the possible color/pattern of expected kittens in that the white parent may be masking the color/pattern needed to produce this result.
My cat has strands of black fur that are so few that you could count on her head.. Does that mean she's masking black color? Also if she were to breed with patterned cat like tabby can her genes possibly dilute the color of the pattern or would the genes simply produce white spots among tabby marking?
 

lutece

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My cat has strands of black fur that are so few that you could count on her head.. Does that mean she's masking black color? Also if she were to breed with patterned cat like tabby can her genes possibly dilute the color of the pattern or would the genes simply produce white spots among tabby marking?
From the few black hairs on her head, you can't tell if she is masking black, tabby, tortie, etc.

White spotting is a different trait from dominant white. If she were to breed with a tabby cat, each kitten would have a 50% chance of being white. If non-white, they would be some other color which is difficult to predict, since we don't know what color she is "under" the white.
 

lutece

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I thought deafness in white cats are associated with color of their eye - i.e. when they are full white and blue eyed they may be deaf - but my cat isn't blue eyed but golden green and she isn't deaf. Does she still carry the chance of producing blue eyed white deaf kittens though?
You are correct that blue-eyed white cats have a higher chance of being deaf, but gold-eyed white cats can also be deaf, it's just more common with blue-eyed white cats. The deafness is associated with the dominant white gene. If she had kittens, her white offspring might have gold / green eyes, or blue eyes. They could be deaf either way.
 

lutece

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You might find this article helpful:
"Researchers have found that 17 to 22 percent of white cats without blue eyes are born deaf. The percentage rises to 40 percent if the cat has one blue eye, while 65 to 85 percent of all-white cats with both blue eyes are deaf."
 
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skrumtuoscatlayd

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Just wondering, do white cats shed more fur?
 

lutece

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Just wondering, do white cats shed more fur?
I don't think fur color has very much to do with shedding. Different cats have different fur density, length, and texture, and those characteristics affect shedding more than color. However, white cat hairs are very visible on dark surfaces and it may seem as though a white cat is shedding more.
 

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Hi I have a full white healthy dsh female cat. She was a rescue cat so I am not sure what her breed is but she is white from top to bottom except for few sparse strand of black hair on her head which is not visible unless you're very close. I'm just wondering what her babies would look like if she'd mate with non-white cat? Is there any chance she would produce all white looking offspring like her?
I heard that there are several ways in which white cats are born but just want to know likelihood of one being born if only one of the parent was almost white
I breed blue eyed white oriental longhair pedigreed show cats. Rules to remember: never breed white x white or you will get deaf kittens. In Europe, this is forbidden and even their standards call for breeding solid whites x pointed cats only, never solid white x solid non-white cats. In USA, whites are sometimes bred with solid non-white cats, as well as pointed cats. Often this is used to enter a different eye color, green, to produce green eyed whites or to produce odd eyed white cats. I prefer the European standard as it is said the cats are healthier.. White is usually dominant unless it is the recessive albino white. In matings with a dominant white cat, you will get some dominant white kittens and whatever other color the white masks, depending on the color of the breeding partner. Your white cat may be masking black if there are some black hairs showing or else the cat may not be a solid white. You would only know more by DNA testing of your cat's color. The problem with breeding a non pedigree cat is about the placement of the kittens, and the possibility that they might be released into the wild and not cared for properly, if not by you, then by another next owner. This is why I charge a lot for my kittens, to insure they have monetary value and that new owners can afford the veterinary care to come. I'm just sharing some thoughts.
 
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