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Basics about dominant and recessive genes

post #1 of 4
10/21/03 at 4:02am
Thread Starter 
This is fun! I have so many questions about genetics.

But just to start, I am wondering if there are dominant and recessive genes in cats for eye colour, as in humans. I know that for people, blue eyes are recessive, brown eyes dominant, but wondered if the cat eye colour genes are as clearly defined.

My cat is grey/blue/silver, with bright green eyes, and I wonder if this is because he has a large component of russian blue in him, or if these colours/ combinations are just the dominants, so a "mutt" would have them just by chance.
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post #2 of 4
10/22/03 at 6:46am
Well, I have to admit that there's a lot we don't know yet about genetics, and a lot that we know in part but not entirely. And eye color is one of those things. Turns out that it's not even as simple in humans as we like to think, although you're right in general about brown's dominance over blue. But then you have to factor in hazel and grey and violet and..........
There are also modifier genes that can influence the shade of colors.
Eye color and coat color in cats may be controlled by the same genes, or ones that are closely linked. And there are certainly modifier genes (these are the kind of genes that have very small effects individually, in contrast to major color genes that have a BIG impact on color), and these will change the shade.
One big problem with cat color genetics, eyes and all, is that it's not the kind of thing that attracts lots of research funding, so studies haven't always been done to answer questions properly.
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post #3 of 4
10/22/03 at 6:51am
Thread Starter 
Ah, so it is possible that coat colour and eye colour are linked somehow? That is interesting. I never thought of that link, even with people, like blue eyed blondes. I just figured those were dominant in the gene pool for that family.

Its very complicated.
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post #4 of 4
10/24/03 at 6:26am
You bet it's complicated! But there's a certain logic to pigment genes affecting pigment wherever it's produced in the body isn't there?
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