Question about these kittens

[miss minx]

Hi. I found four feral kittens but could only catch two a sealpoint female and a black male they're both from the same litter and the two I couldn't catch are a black female and colourpoint male what I'm confused about is why are only two kittens colourpoint? One male and one female..but it gets weirder..the two I caught are both long hair..but the two wild ones are short hair! They're mother was a feisty shorthair black domestic looking cat.. Unsure to the fathers lineage can anyone explain what's happening genetically? I'm going to try to add a pic of the two of them

image.jpg

• miss minx
• May 15, 2016

 

[miss minx]

This is miss minx and ziggy stardust brother and sister one colourpoint one not,both long haired

image.jpg

• miss minx
• May 15, 2016

 

[StefanZ]

Both the colorpoint gene and the long hair gene behaves similiarly.  They are recessive, so a singleton carrier can have any looks.  A doubleton carrier has it; ie is a point and or is a longhair.   Its an example of the saying "you need two to dance tango".

OK, you tell mom was a shorthair blackie.  She was thus a singelton carrier of  both the point and the longhair gene.

The daddy "should" be a longhair point, ie having both these genes doubled up.

Such parents will statistically give this outcome, two shorthaired, two longhaired, two points, two non points. togehter 4 kittens here.

But the statistics arent ironclad, so he COULD be a shorthaired non point too - although he must be a carrier of both these genes, him too.

Such a combination gives typically  one point, one longhair, rest non point not longhair.       But sometimes it may be two of them, statistics not ironclad as said.

There is no sure connection between being point and longhair!   Although I suppose, if the purebred Ancestor is very near, the probability is slightly higher the children will look as the parent.   Ie longhair and point in our example, if the daddy was longhair and point.

Also, there is no connection here re the gender.

The cat in the picture looks like a decent Balinese, ie a longhari / semilonghair siamese.

ps. the reason you did caught just the longhaired ones?  It may be pure coincidence, but there is some tendency the longhaired are somewhat slower, somewhat less agile...  And thus, easier to caught...   

 

[StefanZ]

ps. If the kittens and momma are still around, you can probably catch them anyway, using a trap. A human trap of the HavaHart type, or similiar.

The kittens are probably still fully possible to foster.  Momma is more difficult, so the easiest is to just spay her and let her out after some recovalescence. Compare with the TNR.

 

[miss minx]

Thank you so much! This really helps! I've been so confused as to why they were so diffrent..and to be honest where I'm from in Canada you just don't see colourpoint stray cats..ever! and I was just crazy confused as to they're lineage..as to the other two kitties the other black female was pregnant I think by the brother she just dropped her kittens in an abandoned house next door..the roof I feed them both everyday but I'm going to wait till they're closer to two weeks old and try to remove them and bottle feed them if necessary ..and yes the stray ones are still very feral but mine lost that behaviour after about three weeks.I'm hoping after I catch the babies I can at least catch the mom and fix her ...the male is beyond timid and won't approach me,but the female will get within a foot of me and then at least I've helped majority of their little fur family!!

 

[miss minx]

And another thing..if the female is balinese which I suspected..sealpoint her pads are black same with nose leather..what does that make the long hair brother? Is he just a long hair? A black balinese ..don't think that's a real breed lol what is he? A long hair domestic? I'm confused about that bit? Thanks

 

[StefanZ]

And another thing..if the female is balinese which I suspected..sealpoint her pads are black same with nose leather..what does that make the long hair brother? Is he just a long hair? A black balinese ..don't think that's a real breed lol what is he? A long hair domestic? I'm confused about that bit? Thanks

they are all domestics.   Being a breed, for example a Balinese, is a matter of proven ancestry and paperwork (paperwork is the easiest way to prove the ancestry).

Its just about 2-4 % procents of all the cats whom are purebred or fresh mixes where you KNOW the breed of the parents.  The rest are domestic. But its a nice pastime to speculate, what look alike a cat individual is.

Although the girl in the pic happens to be a decent Balinese look alike.  Her point colors is black "seal" because her momma is black.  Possibly daddy too.

Look.

Im StefanZ, may it be so Im a look alike to George Washington?  Or would you say, sooner him Benjamin Franklin?  Oh, Im born in Poland, so perhaps even Thaddeus Kosciuszko? What say you?  Be honest!

You understand the idea. 

Re the timid, ie shy male tom.  If they are shy, the only sure way to catch them is in a human trap, alike HavaHart.   Its not complicated, just to begin planning on it.

Tx for caring - good luck!

 

[ellag]

that is one gorgeous baby! are you keeping her?

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Just to add to the confusion about what the daddy may or may not have looked like, there may well have been more than one daddy.  It takes more than one mating to trigger the release of ova in the queen.  The sperm remain viable inside her for many hours.  So...if she breeds with 3 or 4 toms within a short span, and this is very possible for a feral, then any, any combination, or ALL of the toms may father the litter, each having a hand in a separate kitten.  In entire litter may only be half-siblings to each other, sharing only the queen.  Isn't genetics fun?