The concept of color in cats covers, firstly, the actual color of the cat hair, and secondly, drawing bands on the hair or lack of it, and thirdly, the presence or absence of spots on the coat of white in various sizes and their order in Fourth, different degrees of coloration of wool.

 

Coat color, skin and eyes caused by the presence of cats in which the pigment melanin. Melanin is the body hair in the form of microscopic granules, which vary in shape, size and quantity, which causes differences in color. There are two types of chemical melanin: eumelanin (eumelanin) and pheomelanin (phaeomelanin). Eumelanin granules spherical and absorb almost all light, giving black pigmentation. Granules feumelanina oblong (elliptical shape), and reflect light in the red-yellow-orange range  .

 

eumelanin is responsible for the black color (and its derivatives - chocolate, blue, lilac, fawn, cinnamon), and feumelanin - the red (cream). Genes that are responsible for the manifestation of red (O - orange) or black (on - not orange) are located on the X - chromosome, that is the inheritance of coat color is linked to sex. Females have two X chromosomes and therefore three choices of color:

 PA - red,  oo - black  Oo - tortoiseshell (red and black).  

Cats an X-chromosome and, depending on which gene it carries on or about, it will be red or black. Tortoiseshell cats have appeared only in the case of genetic disorders, and these males are sterile.

 

Thus, the inheritance of characteristics, the genes are located in the X-or Y-chromosome is sex-linked.

Genes that are localized in the X-chromosome and have no alleles in the Y-chromosome inherited from the mother's son, in particular, the red cat can not be born of a black cat, and vice versa, the red cat can give birth to a cat black series.

 

The color white - the complete lack of pigmentation. Cats have a solid white coat may be obtained on three different occasions:

 and. White albino - seen in cats under the action of a recessive gene albinism "c" - an albino with blue eyes.

 b. Solid white spots - appear under the influence of factors of white spots (S), which dominates not completely affected by polygenetic modifications and usually leads to the fact that the cat is painted in white, not all. However, the spots can be placed so tightly that the animal is completely white. White spots are described in the following sections.  at. The dominant white - this mutation suppresses all other genes of pigmentation, and gives rise to white coat color and blue eyes. As the name implies, this is - the effect of the dominant white gene (W). In the case of the dominant white genes in other colors and patterns, and although there are, but they are completely hidden. The only way to determine the primary genotype in practice (before the conduct genetic analysis to determine the genotype of the cat) - cross with colored cats are well-known genotype. Crossing the two dominant white usually leads to solid white kittens, but if both parents - are heterozygous (W / w), then some kittens primary colors may appear. If the genotype of white parents do not know the pedigree of the test or mating - mating outcome is unpredictable.  Dominant white is found in different species. Sometimes white Oriental Oriental cats are seen by some associations as a separate breed. In the dominant white color blue eye color is much deeper than the albino, and it is considered a virtue. Best blue eyes completely white mark in the Eastern Oriental cats carrying a gene repressed chocolate color.  

Deafness in cats is associated with the genes of spotting (S) and with the dominant white (W), but not with the gene of albinism (c / c or Ca / ca).

 

Colors cats are very diverse. Some cats are painted evenly - so-called solid colors or solid. Other cats have a distinct pattern - in the form of stripes, circles. This figure is called tabby. Tubby "opens" the coat by a dominant gene A - agouti. This gene paints every hair of a cat in a uniformly alternating dark and light transverse stripes.

 

In the dark stripes is concentrated more pigment eumelanin, in the light - lower, with the pigment granules elongated, elliptical shape and getting are discharged along the length of hair. But if the genotype of the animal's black color appears homozygous allele (aa) - a non-agouti tabby pattern is not seen and get a solid color.

 

This effect of certain genes to other, nonallelic genes with them, is called epistasis. That is, allele (aa) is epistatic effect on the genes tabby, it is their "covers", masks, does not appear. However, the effects of alleles (aa) does not not apply to the gene O (orange). So the cat red (cream) color are always open tabby pattern, while the solid red color in cats is produced by breeding a breeder, when being selected for more extensive dark-colored stripes, proximity to the human eye which is perceived as a solid red color.

 

Thus, all cats - tabby, but not all - of agouti. Confirmation that all tabby cats have in their genotype - the remaining "invisible" children in many tabby kittens. This residual tabby cats solid colored leaves, cat sheds, the hair changes and becomes uniformly colored.

 Agouti - a phenomenon zoned coloring hair. Each hair is divided into several zones, each of which is painted in varying degrees: some areas are colored more intensely than others, or not painted at all. The group-agouti colors are colors of cats tabby, shaded, "Chinchilla." Agouti-colors found in many kinds of animals: rabbits, gerbils, chinchillas, guinea pigs, etc.  Tabby - drawing on the fur. All tabbies have thin lines on the face, expressive eyes Stroke, and form the letter "M" on his forehead. If you look at the hair close, we see that each hair is colored dark and light stripes. This alternation is called the "Agouti". It is believed that the tabby - is the original color of the cats, so otherwise it is called "wild color", ie characteristic of small wild cat.  Tabby-mackerel - striped "tiger" color, the pattern in the form of parallel vertical stripes.  Classic tabby, classic tabby - wide spiral bands on the sides, resembling marble stains, three stripes along the ridge, spotted belly, tail and feet as the band rings.  Spotted Tabby - evenly spaced small spots throughout the body. The spots may be in the form of continuous strips.  Ticked tabby, tabby or agouti abyssinian tabby - without stripes or spots on the body, but with a pattern on the face and agouti on the body. This color is typical for the breed Abyssinian cats.  Black - black color, with full colored hair well to the roots, without pattern and bright spots.  Lupus - a dark red color, with a good full colored hair to the roots, without pattern and bright spots. Nose and paw pads - brick red. Eyes - dark bronze or orange.  Tortoiseshell - random spots all over his body red and black colors.  Blue - gray color coat, preferably a bright, clean and uniform, with no shades and hair a different color. Nose and paw pads are blue-gray. Eye color orange or green.  Kpemovy - uniform color, are not allowed any marks and stains. Cream color covers every hair evenly to the root. The undercoat should not be light or white. Nose and paw pads pink. Eyes orange or copper.  Kpemovo blue tortoise - Light blue and cream colors are mixed throughout the body and limbs. Nose and paw pads are pink, blue-gray or pink with a bluish-gray spots.  Piebald color - is a manifestation of white spotting factor or another piebald. For piebald colors characteristic arrangement of colored spots on a white background. Depending on the degree of white spotting genes proyavlyaeniya distinguish colors:  Van - (maximum power) is all white with a colored tail and 1-2 small colored patches on the head above the eyes and below the ears. Also allowed a small colored spot in the shoulder and small spots on the back of the limbs.  Harlequin - mostly white with a few small colored patches on raspolozhennmi body and limbs.  Bicolor - most of the skin is dark, while a smaller portion of undyed, white, in an uncertain relationship. Among Bicolors can select colors:  With white gloves - with white spots that cover the bottom of the feet  Tuxedo (tuksedo) - with white paws and chest. May have a bit of white on his head. This informal definition.  Calico combination of tortoiseshell and white, with white predominates. In everyday life these cats are also called trikolornymi or tricolor.  

The group is characterized by a silver colored illumination of certain areas of each hair to white. Lightening due to the influence of silver dominant gene I (Sv).

 Smoky - about half the length of each hair is colored and the rest - is white. Owners of smoky color neaguti necessarily, that is homozygous for the recessive gene and banning the display image. Residual stripes, "Moire" for cats are smoky color defect.  Black smoke - black with white roots.  Blue smoke - blue with white roots.  Chocolate smoke - with white chocolate roots.  Purple smoke - purple with white roots.  Red smoke - red with white roots.  

Colors of cats carrying the gene are carriers of silver agouti gene A, which allows the expression of the figure.

 Silver tabby - a cat with a pattern on a white background completely. Every hair is colored with the sable: a bright band brightened to white, darker retain its original color.  Shaded - 1 / 3 the tip of the hair is colored, the rest white.  Chinchilla - 1 / 8 tip of the hair is colored, the rest white.  

Silver tabby, shaded and chinchilla can be both black and blue, chocolate, lilac, etc. For example:

 Black silver tabby - a cat with a black pattern on a white background.  Blue silver tabby - a cat with a blue pattern on a white background.  Chocolate shaded - a white cat with a chocolate tips of hair dyed by a third.  Blue Chinchilla - a white cat with blue tips of the hair, painted on 1 / 8.  Cameo - word, which is traditionally added to the name of red or cream-shaded, or smoke shinshillnogo color. For example: "red shaded cameo."  Colorpoint (from the English. Colour  - Of course) - refers to a group akromelanicheskih (temperature-dependent) colors, and is a form of albinism. For this group of colors characteristic of poorly colored, light (from white to cream), body and darker legs, tail, snout and ears. Distinguish types of point-color:  seal-point (from the English. seal  - Seal) - very dark gray, almost black;  tabby-point - striped.  See also  

"Pigmentogenez genetics and colors" - I. Shustrova, Cats. Genetics and stock-breeding.

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