page_title: Cat coat genetics
section_title: White spotting and epistatic white
hierarchical_section_title: Cat coat genetics / White spotting and epistatic white
caption_attribution_description: English: British Shorthair Deutsch: British Kurzhaar
context_page_description: Cat coat genetics determine the coloration, pattern, length, and texture of feline fur. Understanding how is challenging because many genes are involved. The variations among cat coats are physical properties and should not be confused with cat breeds. A cat may display the coat of a certain breed without actually being that breed. For example, a Siberian could wear point coloration, the stereotypical coat of a Siamese.
context_section_description: White spotting and epistatic white (also known as dominant white) were long thought to be two separate genes, but in fact they are both on the KIT gene. White spotting can take many forms, from a small spot of white to the mostly-white pattern of the Turkish Van, while epistatic white produces a fully white cat. The Birman-specific recessive "gloving" trait is also located on the KIT gene.
  Wᴰ = dominant white, linked to blue eyes and deafness. The deafness is due to a reduction in the population and survival of melanoblast stem cells, which in addition to creating pigment-producing cells, develop into a variety of neurological cell types. White cats with one or two blue eyes have a particularly high likelihood of being deaf.
  WS = white spotting. It exhibits codominance and variable expression; heterozygous cats have somewhere between 0-50% white, and homozygous cats have between 50-100% white.
  w = wild type, no white spotting.
  wᵍ = recessive Birman white gloving allele.
  Wᴰ causes congenital sensorineural deafness in cats. Domesticated Wᴰ cats are often completely deaf.
caption: Blue (grey) and white bicolor cat
exif: {}