Buddha's Genetics?

Well i have a kitten named Buddha



and he is a red (orange) kitten but he looks like a red Bangel ( i know... no such thing) you cant really see his spots in these photos

Here is his mama



his daddy was a red and white cat so i can understnd how the mama tortie and red daddy combo could result in a red male but why the bangel spots (dont know what else to call them)? is it just other genetics from his "grandparents"? i love genetics so i will probably understand some of the genetic talk... just use small words. any help would be appreciated

well I'm not a breed expert by any means, but he is a tabby, hence the stripes, Bengals have a different type of stripes, plus classic tabbies have the "M" on their forehead, which I don't believe Bengals have? absolutely adorable Buddha ya got there

You have two beautiful DSH (Domestic Short Haired). All of the characteristics of breeds come from the general domestic population so therefore, we think our cats could come from a specific breed. Instead, breeds come from common ancestors which carried the same characteristics. Purebred cat's ancestory is documented and carefully planned.

There are some breed which occurred naturally, but these were geographically isolated populations. This link is a good explanation of cat breeds.

The other aspect of cats that is fascinating is the colors and patterns. These are totally different from the concept of breeds.

well he has ALOT more spots than he does stripes though. i know he is definetly not a Bangel haha. but the only stripes he has is on his legs otherwise he is spotted almost everywhere (lika a bangel. lol)

Originally Posted by katachtig

You have two beautiful DSH (Domestic Short Haired). All of the characteristics of breeds come from the general domestic population so therefore, we think our cats could come from a specific breed. Instead, breeds come from common ancestors which carried the same characteristics. Purebred cat's ancestory is documented and carefully planned.

There are some breed which occurred naturally, but these were geographically isolated populations. This link is a good explanation of cat breeds.

The other aspect of cats that is fascinating is the colors and patterns. These are totally different from the concept of breeds.

Click to expand...

that makes a little sence. so basically it is just a genetic trait that either the mom or dad carried that just showed up in Buddha and not them?

Ha!! I thought you meant like the Budda god!!

I think your budda is just a DSH. I don't think its very possible for it to be even part Bengal since most breeders require that they are speutered before adoption unless they are for breeding.

Tabbies come in 4 shapes: mackeral (like the fish stripes - vertical), classic or blotched (like a bullseye on the sides), spotted (self-explanatory) and ticked (like an abysinian).

You have a red spotted tabby mixed breed - no bengel at all.

everyone thinks i'm talking about Buddha the god when i talk abut my cat but i know he isnt a bengal i'm saying he looks like a bengal with the whole spotted thing goin on

Hey thanks Golden kitty!

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

Tabbies come in 4 shapes: mackeral (like the fish stripes - vertical), classic or blotched (like a bullseye on the sides), spotted (self-explanatory) and ticked (like an abysinian).

You have a red spotted tabby mixed breed - no bengel at all.

Click to expand...

There are pictures fo the different types here.

thanks guys my mom (who knows close to nothing about cats) always tells people that we have an orange Bengal that makes sence now. thanks alot

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

Tabbies come in 4 shapes: mackeral (like the fish stripes - vertical), classic or blotched (like a bullseye on the sides), spotted (self-explanatory) and ticked (like an abysinian).

Click to expand...

I am a genetics grad student. I beleive that the genetics differences between different tabbies are still not totally understood.

Such a beautiful, beautiful cat!!!

thanks! i think Kitty is so pretty! i love torties.

It's also possible his mother had spotting. She's got a lot of black, so it would be hard to tell what tabby pattern she is carrying.

The red color almost always has some sort of tabby markings. That's why its so hard to find a real solid color of red. It doesn't mean the mother IS carrying the tabby gene. If the father is a true tabby, then that is where the "tabby gene" comes from. The color gene and tabby gene are not the same.

So it doesn't matter on a tortoiseshell. If the mother was a true tabby carrier, it would show in the black or brown color.

The only way to tell if a cat is a tabby is to shave all the fur off - a true tabby will have the tabby markings on the skin For example, if you can find a picture of a calico sphynx, then you would see the "color" patches are solid - not striped. If the sphynx was a tabby, you'd see faint tabby markings.

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

The only way to tell if a cat is a tabby is to shave all the fur off - a true tabby will have the tabby markings on the skin

Click to expand...

This is not necessarily true. When Much had her fur shaved for a tumor surgery, the skin showed a solid color on the skin (it was dark where she had the grey tabby markings, white where she had white fur).

Originally Posted by katachtig

This is not necessarily true. When Much had her fur shaved for a tumor surgery, the skin showed a solid color on the skin (it was dark where she had the grey tabby markings, white where she had white fur).

Click to expand...

Was she shaved on the legs ? I have seen tabby sphynx kittens which were born with the cutest tabby pattern, the stripes have fused to solid coloured areas on the body but the markings on the legs remained.

so your saying Kitty could be a tabby and i dont know it. i dont think the father was a tabby. i'd go outside to find him but he got hit by a car the other day kitty doesnt look like a tabby at all. here is another side of her. she is with her babies. her other baby is a grey diluted tortie.



could it have been just a non dominent tabby gene? ( i dont know genetics as well as some of you)

No the mother is a tortie - no tabby in her. Remember that stray cats can and do mate with more then one male. Just cause you think the father may have been killed, doesn't mean he was the only father of the litter. Another tabby probably mated with her

Tabby is dominate - you have to show it to produce it. Its not a "hidden' gene or color.

wow that is really cool. i love genetics! now that i think about it... i dont remember if he was tabby or not... thanks goldenkitty. that is so cool!