How does 'mitted' color work In Ragdolls, Birmans & Snowshoes?

Sealmittens

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My cat is a sealpoint Persian/Himalayan. If I were to breed her with a Persian stud that has white spotting (bicolor, van, 100% white spotting, etc) could she possibly have a mitted colorpoint kitten? The stud will carry colorpoint too. I very rarely see mitted colorpoint cats in my country so I'm thinking that this color is hard to obtain?
 

lutece

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There are various different mutations responsible for white markings. We currently know of three different mutations.
  • White spotting (ws): One copy of ws typically results in bicolor or low white. Two copies of ws typically result in more white, such as harlequin or van markings.
  • Dominant white (W): Typically results in a white cat which may have a smudge of gray or black hairs on the head ("kitten cap"). Dominant white masks every other color, so the underlying color could be anything.
  • Birman gloving (g): Believed to be a recessive mutation responsible for mitted pattern in Birmans. All Birmans are homozygous for g. The mutation also appears in other breeds as well as in non pedigreed cats, but the effect of g in non-Birman cats is not clear; it doesn't necessarily produce any kind of white markings in cats other than Birmans. even when homozygous.
Most white markings in cats are due to either one copy of ws (low white) or two copies of ws (high white). Bicolor Persians typically have one copy of ws, van Persians typically have two copies.

If you were to breed your seal point Persian/Himalayan to a bicolor black and white Persian with one copy of ws and carrying colorpoint, you could expect to get solid black kittens, seal point kittens, black and white kittens with low white or bicolor pattern, and seal point and white kittens with low white or bicolor pattern. (You could also get dilute versions of these colors if both parents carried dilute, etc.)

You would be unlikely to get kittens with a perfect mitted pattern with white markings restricted to the feet, similar to a Birman, although of course with pointed and white kittens, you aren't as likely to notice white markings on the chest and belly as you would with a black and white kitten.
 
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Sealmittens

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There are various different mutations responsible for white markings. We currently know of three different mutations.
  • White spotting (ws): One copy of ws typically results in bicolor or low white. Two copies of ws typically result in more white, such as harlequin or van markings.
  • Dominant white (W): Typically results in a white cat which may have a smudge of gray or black hairs on the head ("kitten cap"). Dominant white masks every other color, so the underlying color could be anything.
  • Birman gloving (g): Believed to be a recessive mutation responsible for mitted pattern in Birmans. All Birmans are homozygous for g. The mutation also appears in other breeds as well as in non pedigreed cats, but the effect of g in non-Birman cats is not clear; it doesn't necessarily produce any kind of white markings in cats other than Birmans. even when homozygous.
Most white markings in cats are due to either one copy of ws (low white) or two copies of ws (high white). Bicolor Persians typically have one copy of ws, van Persians typically have two copies.

If you were to breed your seal point Persian/Himalayan to a bicolor black and white Persian with one copy of ws and carrying colorpoint, you could expect to get solid black kittens, seal point kittens, black and white kittens with low white or bicolor pattern, and seal point and white kittens with low white or bicolor pattern. (You could also get dilute versions of these colors if both parents carried dilute, etc.)

You would be unlikely to get kittens with a perfect mitted pattern with white markings restricted to the feet, similar to a Birman, although of course with pointed and white kittens, you aren't as likely to notice white markings on the chest and belly as you would with a black and white kitten.
Thank you for the detailed response!
 

lutece

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Sure! What country are you located in? For any planned breeding program, it's good to invest in genetic testing so that you know what color genes your cat carries, as well as to screen for health issues.
 
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