New and hot from the womb, these kittens are born completely white and if raised in a cold environment, the coat will darken as it grows older while a cat raised in a hot environment will develop a pale coat, sometimes even to the point of having only a small swatch of dark color on the nose. It is very interesting to know that if you bandage the leg of a pointed cat, the new hairs that grow under the bandage, where the skin is hotter that usual, will lack pigmentation. This will not be noticable when the bandage is first removed due to the fact that the older dark hairs do not change. As the hair is shed and the new hairs that were formed under the bandage grow, a white patch will appear. Pointed areas will also lighten if your cat has a prolonged fever resulting from an illness.
Recessive genes can include genes for calico and true white coloring, blue eyes and long hair.
They affect every 3rd generation. A cat with extra toes is called polydactyl. This is more common than you might think and although it may look odd, there is nothing wrong with your cat. This deformity is caused by a dominant gene and is passed down through the generations just like any other gene. My cat, Charlie, was polydactyl.