Here's the more or less tumblr-friendly base color chart, as promised! Tabbies coming in just a minute. For more information on everything covered here, please check out the articles on the website!
Transcription of the text under the cut:
Cat Genetics: Base Colors
by Sparrow Hartmann
sparrows-garden.com
These are far from all the colors a cat can be, these are just the ones I thought make the most sense to group together as base colors rather than modifications.
The base colors shown in this chart are controlled by four genes.
Sex Linked Red, XO/Xo - controls whether a cat is red-based, black-based, or tortoiseshell. Due to being carried on the X chromosome, typically only female cats can be tortoiseshell.
Brown (Eumelanin), B/b/bl - controls the color of the pigment eumelanin, the “black” pigment. In cats, eumelanin can be black, chocolate, or cinnamon colored.
Dilution, D/d - controls whether the pigment will be diluted, which lightens it. Dilution in cats affects both red and black pigments.
Dilute Modifier, Dm/dm - makes the color of a dilute cat warmer, no effect if the cat is not dilute.
The row along the top has three columns, reading: Non Dilute (DD/Dd), Dilute (dd + dmdm), and Modified Dilute/Caramelized (dd + DmDm/Dmdm)
The first section, containing three rows, is Black-based (XoY/XoXo).
The first row contains colors with black eumelanin (BB/Bb/Bbl). The colors are Black (non dilute), Blue (dilute), and Blue Caramel (modified dilute).
The second row is colors with chocolate eumelanin (bb/bbl). The colors are Chocolate (non dilute), Lilac (dilute), and Lilac Caramel (modified dilute).
The third row is colors with cinnamon eumelanin (blbl). The colors are Cinnamon (non dilute), Fawn (dilute), and Fawn Caramel (modified dilute).
The second section is Red-based (XOY/XOXO). It has only one row. These colors can have any eumelanin alleles. The colors are Red (non dilute), Cream (dilute), and Apricot (modified dilute).
The last section, again containing three rows, is Tortoiseshell (XOXo).
The first row contains colors with black eumelanin (BB/Bb/Bbl). The colors are Tortoiseshell, Dilute tortie, and Blue caramel tortie.
The second row is colors with chocolate eumelanin (bb/bbl). The colors are Chocolate tortie, Lilac tortie, and Lilac caramel tortie.
The third row is colors with cinnamon eumelanin (blbl). The colors are Cinnamon tortie, Fawn tortie, and Fawn caramel tortie.
Tabby chart! Unless I've messed up, everything here should be up to date and accurate based on my own research. Much more in-depth explanations are in the new article!
Text transcript under the cut:
Cat Genetics: Tabby Types
by Sparrow Hartmann
sparrows-garden.com
A tabby cat is any cat with a dark pattern on a paler background. All variations of tabby are caused by the action of the Agouti gene and protein.
The Agouti gene in its wild-type form causes the hairs of the “background” to be banded between red and black pigment. This creates a lighter and/or warmer background color than the base color. The true color of a tabby is the color of its stripes; black tabbies typically appear gray or brown.
There is also another form of the Agouti gene known, found in Bengals and other hybrids derived from them. It causes a slightly cooler and darker background when homozygous, and a much cooler background with a dark “mask and cape” when combined with the solid allele.
These two forms are called “twilight charcoal” and “midnight charcoal”. The allele is denoted Apb, for the species, Prionailurus bengalensis, from which it originates.
A row of illustrations of the agouti variations: Nonagouti/Solid (aa), Midnight Charcoal (Apba), Twilight Charcoal (ApbApb), and Standard Tabby (AA, ApbA, Aa).
The more common tabby patterns are Classic, Mackerel, Spotted, and Ticked. There is also Broken Mackerel, which represents all possible intermediates between Mackerel and Spotted.
Tabby (Classic/Mackerel), Mc/mc - determines whether the “base pattern” will be classic or mackerel.
Spotted, Sp/sp - a simplification of the many genes that are responsible for the spectrum between Mackerel and Spotted. No effect on the Classic pattern.
Bengal Modifier, Bm/bm - modifies patterns by “spreading them out”, resulting in patterns found in hybrid breeds. Theoretical, likely actually influenced by many genes.
Ticked, Ta/ta - overrides any other pattern and makes it Ticked. The underlying pattern may still be seen from the striping on the legs.
Ticked Modifier - theoretical set of genes which modify the Ticked pattern into the Agouti pattern, which has no stripes on the legs, tail, and neck. Mostly only seen in breeds which have been selected for this trait.
The first row contains "Base" Patterns (bmbm + tata). The patterns shown are: Classic Tabby (mcmc + any Sp), Mackerel Tabby (McMc, Mcmc + spsp), Broken Mackerel Tabby (McMc, Mcmc + Spsp), and Spotted Tabby (McMc, Mcmc + spsp).
The second row contains Bengal Patterns (BmBm, Bmbm + tata). The patterns shown are: Marbled Tabby (mcmc + any Sp), Braided Tabby (McMc, Mcmc + spsp), Broken Braided Tabby (McMc, Mcmc + Spsp), and Rosetted Tabby (McMc, Mcmc + spsp).
The third row contains two small groups.
The first group is Ticked (any Bm + TaTa, Tata). It shows Classic Ticked Tabby (mcmc + any Sp) and Mackerel Ticked Tabby (McMc, Mcmc + any Sp).
The second group is Modified Ticked (TaTa, Tata + Ticked Mod), which contains only Agouti Tabby (any Mc + any Sp).
grumpy old man jayfeather <3
he looks almost nothing like his mom or dad (he doesnt it the books either) but did you know that she-cats can have kits from two different toms in one litter?? sooo my headcannon is that leafpool just kinda,,, messed around?? theres no other explanation for why hes gray so we'll just say that his dad simply isnt crowfeather.
he has no grey cats in his herritage. the closest he comes to grey is nutmeg (his great great grandmother) or sandstorm (his grandma) and theyre still just brown and beige respectively. maybe he has grey relatives in windclan but we dont know that sooooo leafpool was popular with the toms ig
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