Curious About Cat Genetics

[Tashanasha]

I quite enjoy reading posts in the "what does my cat look like" section. It's amazing how much some people know about coat color and body shapes!

I kinda learned what colors are dominant and that the gene for long hair is recessive (that was a surprise ), I'm now wondering about the body shape.

For example, if you cross a BSH and a moggie, would the kittens be chubby like the BSH or slender? And what about the face shape, would they have flat faces? And would the coat be all plushie and dense or is that a recessive trait as well?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not interested in breeding cats, just curious how those genes work

 

[lutece]

Traits like body style, face shape, and coat density are not as simple as color genetics. They are not controlled by a single gene. If you bred a BSH with a domestic shorthair you would probably get kittens somewhere between the body and coat type of the two parents... moderately chubby bodies, moderately round faces, moderately dense coat.

 

[calikitteh]

came out of lurkdom to ask about the same thing....i'm wondering if anyone likes to guess at genetics? we adopted 2 kitties from a litter of strays with the following and i've been wondering what the parents may have looked like. (i'm assuming mom was colorpoint and there was more than 1 dad)

-snowshoe / m
-grey/white bicolor / m
-black/white bicolor / m
-grey tabby / f
-calico point / f
-lynx point / m

would love to hear anyone's thoughts =)

 

[lutece]

It is possible with just one sire of the litter.

• One or both parents with white spotting (probably just one parent). Neither parent homozygous for white spotting.
• Both parents carry colorpoint. No more than one parent homozygous colorpoint.
• Both parents carry dilute (blue). No more than one parent homozygous dilute.
• Both parents carry solid (non-agouti). No more than one parent homozygous solid.
• In order to have both a calico point kitten and a tabby (non-torbie) female kitten, the mother would have to be a tortie or torbie, and father non-red. However, if the tabby girl is really a torbie, then the father would have been the one with the red gene, and mother non-red.

 

[calikitteh]

It is possible with just one sire of the litter.

thank you! amazing one set of parents can produce so much variety.

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

It is possible with just one sire of the litter.

• One or both parents with white spotting (probably just one parent). Neither parent homozygous for white spotting.
• Both parents carry colorpoint. No more than one parent homozygous colorpoint.
• Both parents carry dilute (blue). No more than one parent homozygous dilute.
• Both parents carry solid (non-agouti). No more than one parent homozygous solid.
• In order to have both a calico point kitten and a tabby (non-torbie) female kitten, the mother would have to be a tortie or torbie, and father non-red. However, if the tabby girl is really a torbie, then the father would have been the one with the red gene, and mother non-red.

Bravo!
.

 

[calikitteh]

came back to add a photo because, kittens.

 

[Daisy6]

Those kittens are adorable! Of course I love all kittens.

Moggy means the cat was random bred and does not fit any specific breed.

 

[calikitteh]

it's a blurry pic just a sucker for when they cuddle up together. yeah they are definitely a moggy / mutt crew. the lynxie has more of the stereotypical siamese traits tho - talkative, chirpy meow, follows you around, and cross-eyed