Genetics and Colours - as promised

[Julie84]

So, is tabby a colour or a marking?

Is tortoiseshell a colour or a marking?

If you can have colourpoint tabbies/torties then surely it would be a colour rather than a marking?

Would a torbie be a bi-colour (if they are each colours that is!)?

These may be very silly questions but we have to start somewhere (and I know nothing!)

[Snoof]

If I recall correctly (and please someone correct me if I'm wrong) markings and colour are two separate genes. So the colour gene may decide the main colour and the point colour, but another gene determines how they're distributed (i.e. in points).

[CJK]

ok, now i going to sound REALLY dumb here.
markings- are like stripes, spots etc ?
and the colours are diff genes? right.
I am very very slowly getting to grips with this, i think!

[Sweet]

I am soooo lost here in this thread, think id better re read it during tomorrow x

[Julie84]

Originally Posted by Snoof

If I recall correctly (and please someone correct me if I'm wrong) markings and colour are two separate genes. So the colour gene may decide the main colour and the point colour, but another gene determines how they're distributed (i.e. in points).

Now that seems to make sense in my head. I'm getting confused though, I think I keep mixing rats in there somehow! It think it's the breeds that confuse me - how does the breed fit into everything?

[bobbie3917]

tabby is a patten like brindle is in dog
tabby can come in strips, spots and patches and comes in all colours

[CJK]

i'm confused too Julie lol.

[Hreow]

Rover is also a tabby. An agouti, or ticked tabby. He carries dilute, and possibly sorrel. Not that he'll ever get a chance to prove it.

Originally Posted by bobbie3917

tabby is a patten like brindle is in dog
tabby can come in strips, spots and patches and comes in all colours

[Kay]

Sorry I seem to have deserted this thread but my pc has been playing up when I come on CP.

Hopefully this answers all the questions asked so far.

CJK Firstly the question of the colours of PF's parents. Unfortunately I can't tell you what they were just what the possibilities could have been to produce a blue-cream girl. Both parents could not have been torties as the tortie gene is sex linked and is almost always female, occasionally a male is born but he will be infertile. The chart below could all produce blue-cream girls:-

SIRE. DAM.

Black carrying dilute x Red carrying dilute
Black carrying dilute x Tortie carrying dilute
Black carrying dilute x Cream
Black carrying dilute x Bluecream
Red carrying dilute x Black carrying dilute
Red carrying dilute x Tortie carrying dilute
Red carrying dilute x Blue
Red carrying dilute x Bluecream
Red carrying dilute x Chocolate carrying dilute
Red carrying dilute x Choc-tortie carrying dilute
Red carrying dilute x Lilac
Red carrying dilute x Lilac-cream
Red carrying dilute & chocolate x Chocolate carrying dilute
Red carrying dilute & chocolate x Choc-tortie carrying dilute
Red carrying dilute & chocolate x Lilac
Red carrying dilute & chocolate x Lilac-cream
Blue x Red carrying dilute
Blue x Tortie carrying dilute
Blue x Cream
Blue x Bluecream
Cream x Black carrying dilute
Cream x Blue
Cream x Tortie carrying dilute
Cream x Bluecream
Cream x Lilac
Cream x Lilac-cream
Cream x Chocolate carrying dilute
Cream x Choc-tortie carrying dilute
Cream carrying chocolate x Lilac
Cream carryiing chocolate x Lilac-cream
Cream carrying chocolate x Chocolate carrying dilute
Cream carrying chocolate x Choc-tortie carrying dilute
Lilac x Bluecream carrying chocolate
Lilac x Tortie carrying dilute & choc.
Lilac x Cream
Lilac x Red carrying dilute
Chocolate carrying dilute x Red carrying dilute
Chocolate carrying dilute x Bluecream carrying chocolate
Chocolate carrying dilute x Tortie carrying dilute & choc.

This may not be the full list but my eyes are going now .

A Tortie or Tortoiseshell is a patched cat, for a show cat it must be evenly patched and all 4 legs, tail and face must also be well marked. The dominant colours are the Black/Red Tortie which is the main one and the Chocolate Tortie which is Chocolate and Red. The dilutes are Blue-cream (a mix of Blue & Cream) and Lilac-cream (a mix of lilac & cream). A Tortie is totally different to a Tabby in all breeds and non-peds. A Tabby is essentially a striped cat although there is a spotted version along with the classic pattern and the mackeral pattern. It can be difficult sometimes to see the pattern in a Persians coat and thats probably what threw you CJ.
If you had a seal-point dad and a choc-point mum you would get all seal kittens. This is because the chocolate gene works differently. I will go into that later.

Hope this answers your queries CJ.

As this reply is so long I will answer everybody elses questions on the next thread.

Blame CJ for this.

[CJK]

woops, sorry everyone!!!!!

ok, soo confused now lmao. I got it all wrong. have to go abck and starta gain!