Tabbies explained

[Kay]

After Yola asked me about Joshua's colour I thought I would explain about our stunning Tabbies.

There are two genes responsible for Tabbies. The first is the Tabby gene which dictates what pattern of Tabby the cat is. The patterns are, in order of dominance, Mackerel, Classic and spotted. ALL cats have the Tabby gene.

The second gene is the Agouti gene and it is this gene that is responsible for the Tabby pattern, which ever one it maybe, showing through. Basically the Agouti gene works by altering the pigmentation in the hair shaft and in doing so allows the tabby markings to be visible. This is due to a protein being produced which prevents the colour on the hair shaft being produced correctly causing light bands of red/cream to be created. Depending on the Tabby pattern gene will determine the pattern in which these bands show through.

The red series cats have a problem with this process in that the Agouti gene still tries to do its job by producing the red/cream bands but due the coat already being red/cream this is much harder to do. This is when you can get a beautiful solid red/cream with no Tabby markings that is in fact a true Agouti Tabby and at the other end of the scale, as in Joshua's case, you can get a stunning red/cream Tabby that is not an Agouti Tabby. These 'fake tabbies' are known as non-agouti tabbies.


Hope this is of interest especially to Yola

[angieh]

Thanks for that info, Kay. I take it the same genetic rules apply to moggies as well as pedigree cats? I have never kept a pedigree, but years ago my Smudge's kittens (all B&W) seemed to have tabby stripes only visible in certain light, as kittens, but these faded.

[yola]

It is indeed of interest Kay. I know nothing about feline genetics and find it quite baffling! Thank you so much for the explanation - your doing so in layman's terms makes it very easy to understand.

So Myshka, who is a pure cream and has no tabby markings whatsoever is infact an Agouti Tabby

[Kay]

Originally Posted by angieh

Thanks for that info, Kay. I take it the same genetic rules apply to moggies as well as pedigree cats? I have never kept a pedigree, but years ago my Smudge's kittens (all B&W) seemed to have tabby stripes only visible in certain light, as kittens, but these faded.

Yes Angie the same genetic rules apply to all cats regardless of their pedigree or lack of it . The slight markings you saw in Smudge's B & W kittens were just ghost markings which fade as you noticed.

Originally Posted by yola

It is indeed of interest Kay. I know nothing about feline genetics and find it quite baffling! Thank you so much for the explanation - your doing so in layman's terms makes it very easy to understand.

So Myshka, who is a pure cream and has no tabby markings whatsoever is infact an Agouti Tabby

Glad it was easy to understand, Yola. I can get a bit carried away with feline colour/pattern genetics .

Myshka maybe an Agouti Tabby or may not. Without DNA testing for the Agouti gene you can't tell for certain with the red series cats of which cream is the dilute colour. This is where it becomes awkward.

[yola]

Originally Posted by Kay

Myshka maybe an Agouti Tabby or may not. Without DNA testing for the Agouti gene you can't tell for certain with the red series cats of which cream is the dilute colour. This is where it becomes awkward.

LOL!! Ok, now you've lost me

[Kay]

Originally Posted by yola

LOL!! Ok, now you've lost me

Sorry

Basically in all the colours, except the red or cream cats, if there are visual tabby markings then the cat is a true or Agouti Tabby. Due to the colour of the red/cream cats a true Agouti Tabby may or may not display the markings and a Non-Agouti cred/cream cat may show markings.

To produce an Agouti Tabby at least one parent must be an Agouti Tabby.

[dandysmom]

Thanks for that, Kay, quite a bit clearer than the article I mentioned in your other thread about the agouti gene. Genetics is fascinating but very very difficult.

[Kay]

Originally Posted by dandysmom

Thanks for that, Kay, quite a bit clearer than the article I mentioned in your other thread about the agouti gene. Genetics is fascinating but very very difficult.

No problem Eileen. Some of the articles written are extremely confusing aren't they. Glad mine was a bit easier to understand.

[niki71uk]

i wish i knew wot my 2 were kay

[Kay]

Originally Posted by niki71uk

i wish i knew wot my 2 were kay

The top is a Brown Mackerel Tortie Tabby............

And this bottom one appears to be a Brown Classic Tabby but I could do with a side view