Genetic Question?

[waxlight]

So, I have a new kitten. It's mom is a brown tiger (see http://www.geocities.com/waxlight/cats/smomma1.jpg), dad is...

well, I don't know what dad is, other than a long-haired mutt. Here is the best picture I can find at the moment...

http://www.geocities.com/waxlight/cats/sPuff.jpg

The kitten is kinda a black tuxedo. Completely black back/white stomach, little bits of black (spots) on it's paws, and the strangest thing - two black lines coming away from his nose, that looks like a mustache. I'm thinking I'm going to have to call him Pierre (I'm assuming he's male, he was born today, so I'm not 100% positive).

This was an accidental cat - the dad was neutered probably within days (if not hours...heh) of getting the mom pregnant - I didn't even realize she was pregnant!

So, is it possible for these two to come up with a tuxedo cat? Or do I have a phantom male? And what the hell kind of cat IS dad, anyway? Heh.

 

[sandtigress]

Well, let's see if I get my genetics right. All cats have tabby stribes, the question is just can you see the stripes or not. Tabby stribes can only be seen on cats carrying the agouti gene, which if I remember correctly is the dominant gene (you only need one copy of the gene in order to see agouti).

Agouti is an interesting color that usually looks something like a hair that is brown on the bottom, black in the middle, and brown on top - so a brown hair with a black stripe.

Now, a cat that is recessive at the agouti site (doesn't have any copies of the dominant gene) will appear to be a solid color because its tabby stripes aren't seen. So if both of these cats are Aa (one dominant copy and one not-dominant, or recessive copy) then three-quarters of their offspring will have stripes (AA or Aa) and one fourth will not have stripes (aa).

White spotting is an entirely different gene.

The two spots on his nose like a mustache are probably random coloring as well - I only know a simplified version of cat genetics.

But I hope that helps, and that it was all understandable. Please feel free to ask for clearing up if you need any!

 

[bab-ush-niik]

Looks like he was probably the daddy. White spotting is also dominate, so the kitten got the spots from daddy and the black from both parents.

The father is a domestic long hair. His coloring is brown mackerel tabby with white (mackerel is for stripped tabbies). Momma's a domestic short hair, and she's a brown mackerel tabby too. Just no white.

 

[waxlight]

The father is a domestic long hair. His coloring is brown mackerel tabby with white (mackerel is for stripped tabbies). Momma's a domestic short hair, and she's a brown mackerel tabby too. Just no white.

I've got my finger's crossed that the kitten is a long hair, as well. Dad has the softest, longest fur (and it hasn't matted once after the initial bath/coming out I gave him when I got him - him and his sister were dumped kittens by my grandfathers that I wasn't able to take in immediately, so their hair was horrible after spending a bit of time outside).

I'm also waiting to see if the kitten has shorter legs - dad has shorter legs (not to the extent of the genetic midgits, but shorter than my other domestic cats). Dad pretty much looks like a running dust mop

 

[goldenkitty45]

Dad is also a brown tabby/white but in longhair version. I believe its possible for 2 brown tabbys to produce a solid black; but if not, then the father of your little kitten is probably a solid black.

Mom can mate with more then one male during the time she is in heat - so it could be possible that EACH kitten could have a different father in the litter

 

[kitytize]

Glad to hear the father is fixed now

Just wanted to add that the mother needs to carry the longhair gene for the kitten to be longhaired.