What is the prupose (if any) of

The white "bib" on a cat's chest, and the white paw tips? Is there any evolutionary reason?

Thanks!

MargeCat

No idea but tuxedos have been around forever!

God likes it, thinks it looks really cool.

Disclaimer: Just my opinion.

As a bonus for Him, it makes us happy when we see it on this cat, and that cat, and the other cat....but not on EVERY cat.....variety is the spice of life, but familiarity may be the salt and pepper of life...And I do like salt and pepper!

I really don't know. But someone kinda explained about how genetically the cat gets its colors. I'm not positive, but:

White color starts forming from the bottom upwards; the color starts from the top down - so both stops when they meet each other - it depends on how fast each "side" produces the cells. Sorta like two kinds of paint coming from 2 different directions.

This, of course, would only happen when the two parents are carrying the white spotting gene. If you want cats that have white on them, you can breed to a bi-color VAN cat with lots of white - in 90% of the kittens you will get various degrees of white. If mom has no white, usually you get bi-colors or those with just white on the face, chest, feet from this type of breeding.

The only thing I can think of is camouflage. When I look at my cats laying in the sun, I can imagine them hiding under a bush with the spots of white looking like sun coming through the branches.

If that were true, more wild cats would have white on them

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

If that were true, more wild cats would have white on them

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Then maybe, it makes them so darn cute to us that we adopt them.

Yes, the wild species closest to domestic cats are usually tabby/spotted because they're good camoflauge colors. Some are agouti, but that's another camo color. I have yet to see pics of one that has white. All our other colors are there because someone saw a cat with a neat color mutation and bred it to get more. That's how all domestic animals get their non-wild colors.

Dont really know..........and dont think I really care

cos I just love B&W kitties

Originally Posted by Naturestee

Yes, the wild species closest to domestic cats are usually tabby/spotted because they're good camoflauge colors. Some are agouti, but that's another camo color. I have yet to see pics of one that has white. All our other colors are there because someone saw a cat with a neat color mutation and bred it to get more. That's how all domestic animals get their non-wild colors.

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Actually, cats have not been bred intentionally until relatively recently. And most cats do not come from a breed line but from common ancestors of the breeds. It could be that some trait that made cats compatible with humans was associated with the gene that introduced white (which is recessive). Wild cats can develop a white mutation though natural selection does put them at a disadvantage. So as the cats developed the trait that made them more compatible with humans, the white gene became more common.

I do agree that the ones with a little "flash" of white do attract more then the solid colors My first cat was blue ticked/mackeral tabby with white feet and chest/belly.

And when I judged the HHP's, my favs were the ones with a little white on them (especially red tabbys/white) or the calicos.

So what will our next cat be? A chocolate spotted Ocicat with NO white....

Hmmm, well, I have a photo of some humans that settled in Pennsylvania and they appear to be dressed the same way!

I think Tuxedo kitties have that coloring so that they will blend in with the palamino ponies and the Holstein cows.