The red color of cats and cats has a truly unique charm. And many pet lovers would like to have a red pet. Demand in the market for red thoroughbred cats is very high. And so many breeders would probably like to know how to choose the right manufacturers to get more red kittens. What is the genetics of red color in cats?
How is wool color formed?
It may sound surprising, but the color of the fur of domestic cats is formed from only two primary colors: red and black. All other colors, except for white, are just a combination of them. At the same time, the same gene exists in two alleles (forms) for both black and red color in cats:
In this case, the color gene is found only in the X chromosome. In cats, ordinary cells contain one, as is known, two. In cats, the set of chromosomes is as follows - XY. That is, in one of them (Y) the gene “O” (or “o”) is absent.
Accordingly, the genetic code for a female may look like this:
"OO" - red coat color;
"Oo" - tortoise;
"Oo" - black (not red).
In this case, the fur of cats can only be:
"OY" - red;
“Oy” is black.
Possible failures
Thus, tortoiseshell cats should not exist in nature. However, such animals are still found, although extremely rare. A cat can get tortie color only in case of a genetic malfunction. Sometimes it happens that a male kitten receives not two, but three chromosomes. The code for such an animal is as follows - XXY. If one of these X chromosomes is red and the other black, then a real miracle of nature will appear - a tortoise cat.
How to choose manufacturers
Thus, there can be four combinations of colors for obtaining red kittens from parents:
both parents are red;
red cat - tortie cat;
black cat - red cat;
black cat - tortie cat.
Crossing a red cat with a black cat, you can get only black and tortie kittens. Genes in this case can be formed exclusively as follows: Oo, OU.
In red cats and cats, all kittens will thus be red (OO + OU). Black is simply nowhere to take. In this case, only shades of red are possible - red (red) or cream (dilute red).
A black cat and a red cat will have red boys and tortoise girls. This is explained by the fact that in this case combinations of genes can turn out only such: OA and Oo.
A black cat and a tortie cat can have both black and red boys. Girls will be black or tortie. Combinations of genes in this case are possible: OU, Oo, OU, oo.
A red cat and a tortie cat will also have red and black boys. In this case, the girls will be colorful or red. The colors in this case are determined by combinations of genes: Oo, OU, OU, OO.
As you can see, red boys can be born in any of the four possible color combinations of parents. That is why there are much more red cats than pure red cats.
Shades
Fur for cats and cats can be either rich red, almost red (red Cat), or cream. For the brightness of the color of the fur of such domestic animals corresponds to a completely independent D gene - the “lightening” gene. In the dominant version of D, it gives a bright red color, in recessive d - "diluted" cream. In the first case, the code for cats will look like D-OO, for cats - D-OY, in the second, respectively, dd-OO and dd-OY. Both cream and red pets, of course, look very beautiful. Kittens of both of these colors are very popular among animal lovers.
How to get bright red
The black color of the hair in cats, like the red one, can have different intensities. Gene D can, of course, lighten such a coat. If it is recessive, the black color is converted to gray, or, as the breeders call it, blue.
This color, along with red, can be present, of course, in the color of tortie cats. From blue-cream girls, as well as from black-and-red, red kittens can certainly be born. Moreover, many breeders during breeding give preference to just such producers. The fact is that from such cats, as was noticed, the offspring with a brighter red color are obtained than from purely red or cream.
White
Of course, pure red cats and cats look just great. However, red-headed animals with white spots look very nice. This color is allowed by the standards of many breeds. Where does the white color appear on animal hair? After all, only one red / black gene is responsible for color in cats.
The color of the animal’s hair acquires due to the pigment contained in the hairs. The red tint to the fur of cats is given by faumelanin, and black by eumelanin. The white color of the coat of such pets is formed due to the presence of hairs completely devoid of pigment.
Responsible for the presence of such spots in the color of cats and cats, including red ones, a special gene S. In animals, it can be present on chromosomes like SS, Ss or ss. Depending on this, the pet will be almost completely white, with white spots or completely red (black, tortoiseshell).
Spot arrangement
White areas can be found on the fur of red cats in different places. Moreover, such spots can have a very different shape. Different modifier genes are responsible for the location and appearance of the white areas on the fur of cats. Unfortunately, there is currently no clear information about which of them and how they affect the spots. That is why breeders usually find it very difficult to work with such colors as bicolor, harlequin, van.
In red cats and cats due to the fact that the genetics of these animals in terms of white spots has not been studied very well, it is not easy, for example, to obtain perfectly even “socks” or “mask”. Even two perfectly painted parents in this regard may have kittens with tight “stockings” or, for example, with a completely white head.
Tiger stripes
Plain red cats and cats are quite rare. Almost always on the fur of such animals, among other things, there are so-called tiger stripes. Gene T is responsible for their formation. Also, the appearance of red cats can be affected by:
In this case, the Abyssinian color is considered dominant with respect to Tb, and Tb itself is considered to be Ta.
Shaded coloring
Red Cat or Dilute red - the main red colors of cats. But to this group of colors can be attributed and “shaded” red hair. In such cats, the upper part of each hair is colored, and the lower is white. Animals with such fur also look very beautiful, because they look "golden" or soft cream. These cats usually look somewhat lighter than pure red.
In kittens with this color, purely red hairs first grow. But at a certain age, the inhibitor gene — the inhibitor I — is included in the work of the animal. As a result, the production of the pigment responsible for the color of the coat either stops completely or slows down very much.
Are there red breeds of cats
The red color in furry pets is really very common. Of course, for any of the known breeds it cannot be considered as determining. The largest percentage of red cats is found just among the "curs". But the standards of many, including rare and expensive breeds, the presence of this color is allowed. For example, Maine Coons, Scots, Persians, Siberians, British, etc. can be red.