How Old Are The Point and Long Haired Genes ?

merlin2000

merlin2000

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I find this section of the forum really interesting and very informative .

I've been wondering recently how old the genes are for pointed cats and long haired cats ?

It's interesting how both types pop up in different parts of the world .

I think some must be natural mutations especially the long haired gene , but the point must come from breeding with pedigree cats at some point.

My research says the long haired gene could be four hundred years old , but surly there were long haired cats before then ?

Are cats that carry the point and long haired gene from an older gene pool than other domestic short haired cats or is it all just mixed up and it's the luck of the draw how are cats turn out ?
 
StefanZ

StefanZ

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Interesting questions. 

Afaik the points come from southeast asia, where they are quite old.  The siamese gene, and the burma gene...   Where the siamese gene is the by far most spread, but the burmaa gene not very unusual, once you learned to see and recognize it...

Re the longhair gene, its interesing.  It pops up even among the purebreds, and its often described as spontan mutations.  And so may be.  But as its a recessive gene, and rather rare among the purebred shorthairs, it will appear so: popping up here and there.  Seemingly as a spontan mutation.

So where and when the longhair gene really did come,  I myself dont know.

We know the ancestor grandmother, the Lybica, was surely shorthaired.

And the inbreeding of the longhaired wildcats is surprisingly small, even if theoretically possible.   I saw the other day in a semi scientific book about cats, they made DNA tests among cats in asia, I think.   They saw quite a few traces of domestic cats among the small wild cats in there.  But none sure tracs of wildcats among the domestics...

Why?  The "halfbloods"  were no good home cats, they never adapted.  Went  to the woods as soon they managed.  Or perished not managing the stresses of everyday life. And of course, they werent either kept as home cats, nor were breed upon.
 
StefanZ

StefanZ

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Yeah, I would say he is a good look alike of an NFC..  Especially as he was biggish too.
 
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