Light Stripes On Siamese Kittens Tail

Shmac.1979

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I recently adopted a 13 week old, Traditional style Siamese kitten. He is a seal point, but I noticed that his tail has some light spots, almost like rings around his tail. His face and ears are solid black/brown, his feet are solid color but as you go up his legs its patchy almost like bars of the seal color in some spots and solid in others. Is this normal? And will it go away?

Mom and dad were both seal point and had normal coloring, no patchiness or tail rings like my kitten has.
 

abyeb

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Many times kittens will have “ghost tabby” markings, which fade as they mature, which is what I think is the case with your kitten. Tabby markings are a dominant trait (see this article: Basic Feline Genetics), so it would be impossible for two solid-colored parents to produce a kitten with tabby markings.
 
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Shmac.1979

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That is good I am happy that they will go away eventually!

Are Siamese considered solid even though they are more than one color?
 

GoldyCat

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Siamese are pointed cats. The color in the points is a solid color. If there are tabby (lynx) markings in the points they sre considered to be a different breed (Colorpoint), at least in CFA.
 

Kieka

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Since he is pointed, the spots/stripes more likely to get darker and even out rather than fade. Can you post a photo?
 

lutece

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"Ghost" tabby markings are totally normal in any solid colored or solid pointed kitten, and ghost markings on the tail can last longer than on other parts of the body. abyeb abyeb is correct that two seal point parents cannot produce a lynx point (tabby point) kitten, so I wouldn't worry about the ghost markings.
 
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Shmac.1979

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Can a purebred Siamese still get ghost markings or does that mean that there is tabby some where in its ancestry?
 

lutece

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Purebred Siamese kittens can have ghost markings on the legs, tail, and face, and that's normal, although breeders do try to eliminate these markings over time by selecting the cats with the clearest coats for breeding. Ghost markings don't mean that your kitten had tabby ancestors. The gene for tabby (agouti) is dominant, so it would not be possible for the tabby gene to be "carried" by your kitten's seal point parents.

Of course, in the far-off distant past, all cats originally had tabby ancestors, since the ancestor of the domestic cat was a wild cat with a mackerel tabby pattern. However, if your kitten is a purebred Siamese, he probably has many generations behind him of solid pointed ancestors.
 

ArchyCat

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I encountered a claim many decades past that all domestic cats were (as lutece lutece posted) tabbies. The claim was by a veterinarian that you could illuminate any cat with a uv lamp and you would be able to see "ghost tabby " markings in any cat's coat.

Can anyone confirm that claim?
 

lutece

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All cats do have a genetically determined tabby pattern. The tabby pattern may or may not be expressed, depending on other genes. Tabby patterns in the domestic cat include mackerel, classic (blotched), spotted, ticked, and some intermediate variations between these patterns (such as broken mackerel). In hybrid breeds such as the Bengal, additional tabby patterns exist (rosetted, marbled).

Solid colored cats (black, blue, chocolate, cinnamon, etc...) are homozygous for the non-agouti gene which suppresses the tabby pattern. Solid cats usually, but not always, have some ghost markings as kittens that display the tabby pattern the cat would have had, if it were a tabby. However, some solid colored kittens have very "clear" coats that don't show the ghost markings, while other solid cats have a genetically determined ticked tabby pattern, so you won't see ghost stripes or spots.

Ghost markings on solid cats usually fade in adulthood, but may remain somewhat visible, especially on the tail, or in seasons of the year when the undercoat sheds out. Bright sunlight can make ghost markings more visible, but I'm not sure what you mean about UV light... I don't see my cats' ghost markings any more clearly when I shine a black light on them.
 

ArchyCat

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Thank you for the reply. As I said, this is a 30+ year memory of a brief conversation with my cat's then veterinarian.
 
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Shmac.1979

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Very interesting thank you so much for your replies!
 
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