Is this my cat's baby?

[Zara12345]

So the cat next door had kittens and I am wondering whether my male cat fathered them? Got him neutered 3 weeks ago but still curious. The male cat is a grey (or black) and white DLH (medium length) and the female is a DSH calico with all sorts of colours (including white, black, ginger and tabby).
There are 3 kittens; first is an almost all white calico with white, ginger and black, second is a white and grey tabby and the third is an all black kitten. Pictures attached below of my male cat and the first kitten.

Also, I wanted to know where cats get the grey gene from? I read that grey is recessive and will only be present in kittens if both parents have it? And also read that grey is actually black but appears grey because of an extra gene. Can someone pls clarify.

 

[Zara12345]

And this is my grey cat when he was a kitten.

 

[StefanZ]

Black kitten baffles. Your boy is high white so he has prob two white spot genes. And so, all his kittens should have some white on them. So either he had a co father, or he isnt the father...
Re the grey, yes its as you understood this. Genetically its black modified by a recessive help gene for dilutation. (The same gene changes red to creme)

 

[Zara12345]

Black kitten baffles. Your boy is high white so he has prob two white spot genes. And so, all his kittens should have some white on them. So either he had a co father, or he isnt the father...
Re the grey, yes its as you understood this. Genetically its black modified by a recessive help gene for dilutation. (The same gene changes red to creme)

Thank you for your reply. I had no idea that more than one male could father kittens but it makes sense coz my neighbours other cat also had kittens and 2 of them are all black so probably another tom involved here.
When you mention "white spot genes" got me wondering.... how many genes do cats have that determine coat colour and what does it mean that my cat has 2 white spot genes?

 

[StefanZ]

Thank you for your reply. I had no idea that more than one male could father kittens but it makes sense coz my neighbours other cat also had kittens and 2 of them are all black so probably another tom involved here.
When you mention "white spot genes" got me wondering.... how many genes do cats have that determine coat colour and what does it mean that my cat has 2 white spot genes?

There are many genes determing colors and pattern. some are more or less dominant, and some are recessive.

White color gene is very dominant, and gives white color.
White spot gene is too quite dominant. With both parents having white spot gene gives the high white - occasionally even totally white.
with just one white spot gene the white is less, for example the so common tuxedo.


Its common as soon there are several different kittens in a litter, people say; it must be several males (its common free living females mates with several males; essentially all present... Biologically its probably a mechanism, they knowing her, wont hurt her kittens).

But this is really NOT the common. Usually a knowledge of basic cat genetics explains why there are different kittens.
But occasionally we see there must be more than one male...
Say, none of the known parents is a tabby, but one of the kittens is a tabby...

 

[Zara12345]

There are many genes determing colors and pattern. some are more or less dominant, and some are recessive.

White color gene is very dominant, and gives white color.
White spot gene is too quite dominant. With both parents having white spot gene gives the high white - occasionally even totally white.
with just one white spot gene the white is less, for example the so common tuxedo.


Its common as soon there are several different kittens in a litter, people say; it must be several males (its common free living females mates with several males; essentially all present... Biologically its probably a mechanism, they knowing her, wont hurt her kittens).

But this is really NOT the common. Usually a knowledge of basic cat genetics explains why there are different kittens.
But occasionally we see there must be more than one male...
Say, none of the known parents is a tabby, but one of the kittens is a tabby...

This was so informative. Personally I find genetics so interesting. Thank you for explaining)