Question about Cat Genetics

[MikyPiky]

This is nothing important, I just have a question I'm curious about.

One of my neighbour's cats had her kittens in our shed a few days ago. The neighbours aren't particularly responsible and seemed to have stopped caring for her since she lives in our yard now. We know she's had at least one litter before this. Just for everyone's peace of mind, we do have the whole family on a waiting list for a foster home.

The mom is a grey mackerel tabby, and we're assuming the father is a brown tabby. We live out in the countryside, so it's definitely possible there is another father, but there has only been one male hanging around for the past few months. She had six kittens which are all doing very well: three grey tabbies, one tuxedo, one solid black, and one solid grey male, which is the one I have a question about. I don't think I have ever seen a solid grey cat born from a stray, which makes me think it's unusual. Can two tabbies make a solid grey kitten? Or do you think there was a different father involved?

I tried to do some research, but cat genetics is very confusing and I couldn't get a straight answer. Any thoughts or theories would be appreciated.

 

[Sarthur2]

StefanZ is very good with genetics questioning! He should be along soon (depending on time zones as he is in Sweden) to answer your question.

 

[StefanZ]

The basics of cat genetics are. Genes are usually in pairs. Tabby is dominant. So to be tabby is enough if you have just one tabby gene.
As soon a tabby gene is present, the cat will be a tabby; brown / black, or blue / grey.
To be for example, a longhair or a point, you will need two in the pair. (both these features are recessive).
Same is for diluting gene. This gene causes black becoming grey "blue". And red becoming creme.

So, if parents have both just one tabby gene, some of their kids will be tabby, and some not.
Momma carry apparently two diluting genes. If daddy hasnt no diluting gene, none of their kittens will be diluted "grey".
But if he too carry diluted, there will be a mixed batch. Here daddy seems to carra ONE diluting gene, so on himself itsnt not visible.

OK, so there is nothing much peculiar with this solid grey kitten... Nor with the solid black kitten; although most siblings are tabbies. Its really normal statistics.

What baffles me, is this tuxedo.
You havent mentioned any white spots... And white is verry dominant. Even stronger than tabby...
You havent either mentioned no red...

So unless your description isnt not good enough, HERE we have our big riddle; our cuccoo child...
Either momma adopted one, or there was someone other tom helping out....

I would almost guess on momma adopting some poor devil...

 

[MikyPiky]

The basics of cat genetics are. Genes are usually in pairs. Tabby is dominant. So to be tabby is enough if you have just one tabby gene.
As soon a tabby gene is present, the cat will be a tabby; brown / black, or blue / grey.
To be for example, a longhair or a point, you will need two in the pair. (both these features are recessive).
Same is for diluting gene. This gene causes black becoming grey "blue". And red becoming creme.

So, if parents have both just one tabby gene, some of their kids will be tabby, and some not.
Momma carry apparently two diluting genes. If daddy hasnt no diluting gene, none of their kittens will be diluted "grey".
But if he too carry diluted, there will be a mixed batch. Here daddy seems to carra ONE diluting gene, so on himself itsnt not visible.

OK, so there is nothing much peculiar with this solid grey kitten... Nor with the solid black kitten; although most siblings are tabbies. Its really normal statistics.

What baffles me, is this tuxedo.
You havent mentioned any white spots... And white is verry dominant. Even stronger than tabby...
You havent either mentioned no red...

So unless your description isnt not good enough, HERE we have our big riddle; our cuccoo child...
Either momma adopted one, or there was someone other tom helping out....

I would almost guess on momma adopting some poor devil...

Thank you for answering my question! It all makes sense now, and to clear up the odd tuxedo, I forgot to mention that the mom is half white. She's got a white belly and white mittens. Sorry about missing that detail.