Is it possible for one litter to have different dads?

Ok bear with me on this one. Me and the hubby were talking about Ping and how when I show people pictures of Ping they think he is purebreed. And to the best of my knowledge he is not. Now here is the background on why I wonder about the title question.

Ping's mom looked to be purebreed Siamese or close to it anyways. Not a lick of stripes any where on her from what I could see. She was very skiddish and no one could ever get close to her. While she was preggo 2 toms showed up. One that looked just like her and one that was straight black. Fast forward she has the kids but abandons Ping under our home. Has or transfer all other kittens to house next door. By the time I found them they were wild. I could never catch them. But the rest of the litter looked just like Ping but there was one solid black kitten.

So could they have been from different dads same litter.

I'm not a breeder but I do know a fair bit about pregnancy and birth in cats. It's very possible for a litter to be fathered by different tomcats. That's where runts come from - they're the kittens who have been developing in the womb a day or two less than the other kittens because the female mated again after the kittens from the first mating implanted and started developing. Because of contractions and the birth process, they are born when all the other kittens are born but are a day or two younger.

You can have a litter of 6 kittens and each one has different fathers. That is a little extreme and probably not likely to happen, but it is possible.

And the cat would end up on Jerry Springer.

Ya, no kidding

Hi Ping,

Genetically what you are saying can happen with the colours. Both cats likely carried what is called a Cs gene, so when they mated 'viola' points. Black is the foundational colour of all cats, which explains the one black kitten. Consistency in colours ensures the kittens do have all the same dads.

In the cat fancy you can breed two solid colour orientals and get pointed kittens, the catch is they both carry the Cs gene.

I hope that solves your problem for the time being.

Kind Regards,
Amy

Yep - in a outside cat she can mate with several males in a short period of time, so in reality each kitten could have a different father.

Controlled breeding YOU pick the male, so all the kittens will have the same father