I've been reading your responses to the various inheritance questions and am still confused by my last litter from a feral mom.
Kitten #1 - orange tabby long haired male
Kitten #2 - orange/white short haired male polydactyl
Kitten #3 - black short haired female
Kitten #4 - black long haired male
The mother was a long haired tortie, her mother was an orange short hair, her mother a tortie and her mother an orange/white (5 generations in total over 10 years). I saw a new tom this year that was long haired black and assumed it to be the father of the black ones.
The polydactyl trait has never before appeared in my feral colony and what is interesting is at 6 months old, he is starting to sprout black hairs in his tail. I'm assuming a separate father for him in this litter due to the dominance of the polydactyl gene.
How far can inheritance traits go back thru a lineage? Am I getting mixes due to multiple fathers, or from longer hereditary chains?
Thanks for your insights!
Kitten #1 - orange tabby long haired male
Kitten #2 - orange/white short haired male polydactyl
Kitten #3 - black short haired female
Kitten #4 - black long haired male
The mother was a long haired tortie, her mother was an orange short hair, her mother a tortie and her mother an orange/white (5 generations in total over 10 years). I saw a new tom this year that was long haired black and assumed it to be the father of the black ones.
The polydactyl trait has never before appeared in my feral colony and what is interesting is at 6 months old, he is starting to sprout black hairs in his tail. I'm assuming a separate father for him in this litter due to the dominance of the polydactyl gene.
How far can inheritance traits go back thru a lineage? Am I getting mixes due to multiple fathers, or from longer hereditary chains?
Thanks for your insights!