Are they really brothers? How can one be a different color than the other.
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Sandy And Gray ,brothers Maybe?
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Yes, they could definitely be brothers! I've seen "rainbow" litters before, especially if mom was a tortie, torbie, or calico.
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Welcome to The Cat Site, Reddice, Sandy and Gray! 
Your kitties are handsome. 
Cats from the same litter can vary in color. In fact, the kittens in a litter can have different fathers, which might lead to much variation in color of the cats in the litter.
There are many good articles and great folks here. If you need anything, just ask!
Your kitties are handsome. Cats from the same litter can vary in color. In fact, the kittens in a litter can have different fathers, which might lead to much variation in color of the cats in the litter.
There are many good articles and great folks here. If you need anything, just ask!
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The ASPCA said they are brothers but the mother had a litter of three? Would the litter be more if there was more than one father.
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Good question. As I understand it, the queen releases one new egg each time she mates, so if she has multiple suitors, still, just one egg is released per mating and all three kittens could have different fathers. A cat's heat cycle lasts a week, giving her plenty of time to find multiple suitors.
Welcome! Yep, they certainly can be brothers, and even have the same father. Cat mating habits and genetics can be incredibly complicated (and a LOT of fun!).
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Thanks for moving this. I had no idea where to post this question. I spend about 10 minutes deciding where it should go.
Anyway thanks for the help. I asked because my aunt and uncle had a cream orange tabby named "Cookie" many years ago sadly passed away a long time ago that yes was a female that had three male kittens one like "Sandy" which was "Coco" my first cat that lived 18 years before I had "Socks" who passed away last December.
The other two "Sparkie" and "Cuddles" brothers of "Coco" part of "Cookies" little too who also passed away many years ago were a darker brown but nothing like "Gray".
Anyway thanks for the help. I asked because my aunt and uncle had a cream orange tabby named "Cookie" many years ago sadly passed away a long time ago that yes was a female that had three male kittens one like "Sandy" which was "Coco" my first cat that lived 18 years before I had "Socks" who passed away last December.
The other two "Sparkie" and "Cuddles" brothers of "Coco" part of "Cookies" little too who also passed away many years ago were a darker brown but nothing like "Gray".
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Even if there weren't multiple fathers involved, those two absolutely could be brothers. Cat on the left is a red tabby, cat on the right is a brown tabby (genetically, a black tabby) -- the genes behind the two colors are very similar! The only difference in their colors is left-cat has a sex-linked red gene masking the underlying black base color.
Here are some of my cats when they were kittens. They all look very different, their mother is a red/black tortoiseshell but they could absolutely share the same father if he was a gray bicolor tabby.
Here are some of my cats when they were kittens. They all look very different, their mother is a red/black tortoiseshell but they could absolutely share the same father if he was a gray bicolor tabby.
The brothers here has a modern Orientale ancestry! Or modern siamese. Visible esp on the red one, but brown tabby too has something revealing about the face and nose look.
Edit: a couple of minor misspellings.
Edit: a couple of minor misspellings.
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I agree.
Its very true, multiple fathers are fully possible with cats as multiple mating is quite common out in the open. BUT it isnt that common as one would think! It seems most often its just one of them matings resulting. Usually a basic understanding of cat colors hereditary explains nicely all the variations in a litter.
So having a diversed litter isnt equal with multipel fathers, as many thinks.
But yeah, now and then its visible at least one kitten must have had another father. For example, an alone tabby in a big non tabby field. Or some tabbies where none of the supposed parents is a tabby. Or someone white where none presumed parent was white...
Its very true, multiple fathers are fully possible with cats as multiple mating is quite common out in the open. BUT it isnt that common as one would think! It seems most often its just one of them matings resulting. Usually a basic understanding of cat colors hereditary explains nicely all the variations in a litter.
So having a diversed litter isnt equal with multipel fathers, as many thinks.
But yeah, now and then its visible at least one kitten must have had another father. For example, an alone tabby in a big non tabby field. Or some tabbies where none of the supposed parents is a tabby. Or someone white where none presumed parent was white...
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- #11
Here is the thing. If you look at there backs you will see the patterns are the same just a different color.
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GOD I LOVE CAT GENETICS!
If they're both boys it doesn't matter what color their dad was---male cats only get their color from their mother. If she was a tortie/calico she can have boys of 2 different colors.
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- #14
So the pattern came from the father then and the mixed color came from the mother?
They have very long pointy ears...they are beautiful.
Yes on the color. The genetics behind the pattern are complicated and at minimum (there are arguments that there are even more than this) involve a gene for the type of tabby pattern and another gene for agouti (whether or not the pattern is presented). So, say, the mother has no tabby markings and the father is a mackerel tabby -- they could end up with spotted tabby kitten because the mother may have the genes for spotted tabby, they were just hidden.
