Calico Genetics
October 19, 2022
Calico cats are perhaps the most striking color of feline. Acclaimed author, Wendy Christensen, explains the genetics behind their beauty.
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Article Category:
Genetics of Cat Coat Color
Coat Color, Part 1: The Black Gene & The Red Gene
September 15, 2026
If you struggle to understand coat color inheritance in cats, this article is the first in a nine-part series that will teach you everything you need to know about color genetics of cats. We begin with discussing the Black gene and the Red gene. These are the foundation colors from which all other color of cats come.
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Coat Color, Part 2: The Chocolate Gene
January 14, 2024
Part 2 in our series about coat colors genetics in cats discusses the Chocolate gene. This recessive gene changes the color black to a dark or medium brown.
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Coat Color, Part 3: The Dilute Gene
January 14, 2023
Shimmering blues, pale creams and lilacs, and stunning blue-creams and lilac-creams are each part of the dilute coat universe in cats. Learn how a double dose of the recessive dilute gene produces these wonderful colors.
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Coat Color, Part 4: The Agouti (Tabby) Gene
February 1, 2024
Breeders often speak of a "tabby" gene, when it should more correctly be called the Agouti gene. It is the Agouti gene that creates visual tabby cats.
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Coat Color, Part 5: The Spotting (Bicolor) Gene
February 1, 2024
The spotting gene is more commonly referred to as the bicolor gene by cat breeders. The dominant spotting gene produces some of the most colorful coats in the feline fancy.
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Coat Color, Part 6: The Inhibitor Gene
February 1, 2024
The Inhibitor gene "inhibits" color from the root of the hair. This means the root of the hair is white while the tip is colored. It is the Inhibitor gene that produces smoke, shaded, and shell cats. For this reason, the Inhibitor gene is often referred to as a Smoke or Shaded gene.
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Coat Color, Part 7: The Colorpoint Gene
February 15, 2024
The recessive colorpoint gene produces darker colors on a cat's extremities, creating the iconic coat pattern of a Siamese or Himalayan cat. Different alleles of the colorpoint gene combine to produce the lower contrast coat patterns of Burmese and Tonkinese.
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Coat Color, Part 8: Silvers & Goldens
February 15, 2024
Of all the colors in the cat fancy, the genetics of the Silver and Golden cats is probably the least understood by those who do not work with these colors. These beautiful colors are a combination of genes working together to produce a unique overall effect.
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Coat Color, Part 9: The White (Masking) Gene
February 15, 2024
The white gene is a dominant gene, but it is unique because it is a masking gene. Masking is a term used to describe a gene that disguises underlying coat colors and patterns.
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Colorbreeding In Cats
March 15, 2026
Do you know the meaning of the word "colorbred" as it applies to the world of cat breeding? Learn more about this breeding term, the philosophy behind it, and how you may want to tweak your own breeding program to incorporate color-breeding.
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Dominant & Recessive Gene Charts
April 2, 2023
Tabbies, Smokes/Shaded & Silvers, Bicolors, Pointed cats and Chocolates... Genetically, these wonderful colors of cats are just red, black or tortoiseshell cats, until the addition of a single gene or two changes the color of the coat.
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Genetic Symbols For Coat Color In Cats
November 15, 2025
This article discusses the most common genes that determine coat color in cats. Knowing these genes and their genetic symbols is the first step in understanding how coat color is inherited, and being able to determine and plan for the coat colors possible from a specific breeding.
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Inhibitor Gene (I) In Cats
September 22, 2019
The inhibitor gene (I) is responsible for the Silvers, Shaded, Smokes and the Silver Tabbies of the cat world. This article provides a general overview of how the gene produces these lovely colors.
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Introduction To Genetics Of Cat Coat Color
January 31, 2023
If you are a beginner who doesn`t understand coat color inheritance in cats at all, this article is the place for you to start.
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Male Calico & Male Tortoiseshell Cats
October 23, 2017
While calico and tortoiseshell cats are typically female, one out of every 3,000 calico cats born is a male. Learn how this happens, and whether a male calico is especially valuable.
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The Spotting Gene
May 20, 2020
Some of the most strikingly marked felines in the cat fancy are the bicolors, calicos and all those other colors of cats "with white" patches on their coat. These beautiful colors are the result of the spotting gene. Learn about its action, inheritance and effect on other genes.
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