Cat Genetic Guide

## Disclaimers

**Not everything mentioned in this guide is recognized** as such by major cat breeders, show-hosts, and other authorities. I'm supplying all information I know of, regardless of if it is "registered" as legitimate. If you have questions regarding the validity of anything listed below, please feel free to message me.

Also, **this guide is NOT intended to tell people how to create characters, or how to roleplay**! It was created for the sole purpose of easing the process and helping people to make their OCs more realistic. If you feel like it, you're free to violate any of the "rules" listed below- I won't care, and neither should anyone else but you. (However, I DO suggest that you at least give this guide a read and consider any things deemed "unrealistic" about your OC or their relatives.) Thanks!

## Overview (WIP)

In the cat world, there are two basic colors of fur- black and red. However, we get special pelts like tortoiseshells, tabbies, and points of all sorts of colors through derivatives and variations in gene distributions during a kitten's development.

There are 4 core types of pelt patterns, with some overlap: The solid, the tabby, the tortoiseshell, and the point. (We'll get to overlaps later.) First, let's cover solids.

### Solids (and variants)

Within the color of "black", there are two 'color lines' it can follow: Pure, and Diluted (sometimes called "maltesed"). Pure black can be further derived as the rates of eumelanin (black pigment) in the fur get less dense. If enough eumelanin is missing, Black can lead to the colors Chocolate (a dark brown) and Cinnamon (a bright reddish brown). Meanwhile, diluted Black (or more commonly known as "Blue") can also be 2 lighter shades, depending on the distribution of eumelanin. Blue can become "Lilac" (aka Lavender or Frost) and "Fawn" (aka light lilac). There is also an uncommon added tint to dilution known as "caramelization", but so far it is only seen in Blue and Lilac.

On the other side of the coin, we have Red. Red doesn't have any variations in its pigment (known as phaeomelanin), so it only has one type of red- red. The diluted form of red is cream. Caramelization can also be seen in red cats, in a rare color know as "apricot". (In case you're wondering- yes, red-colored cats can only be tabbies. They can be bred to have virtually-invisible stripes, but the tabby gene is still there.)

To help visualize all this, here's a labelled gallery of all colors mentioned!

* Solid Black
* Solid Chocolate
* Solid Cinnamon
* Solid Blue
* Solid Lilac
* Solid Fawn
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**"But author, what about white cats?"** I'm glad you asked! However, we'll answer that question later in the guide.

### Tabbies

#### **Colors**

Unsurprisingly, there is a tabby version of every color (except caramelizations!) I've listed above.

To make it easier to consume, I'll create a table to demonstrate each of the pelt types with their corresponding tabbies.

 Blue
 Chocolate
 Lilac
 Cinnamon
 Fawn

Now, here's the table for red.

 Cream

To help visualize all this, here's a labelled gallery of all colors mentioned!

* Brown Tabby (Black)
* Chocolate Tabby
* Cinnamon Tabby
* Blue Tabby
* Lilac Tabby
* Fawn Tabby
* Red Tabby
* Cream Tabby
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Easy enough, right? Now, let's move to patterns.

#### **Patterns**

There are 4 basic types of tabbies: Mackerel, Classic, Spotted, and Ticked.

Mackerel tabbies are the wild-looking tabbies with tiger-like stripes. They also have a derivative known as "broken mackerel", where the stripes are 'dashed' instead of long streaks along the body. This derivative is also fairly common. In general, this tabby is not breed-restrictive. They come in all colors within the table, and are incredibly common.

Classic tabbies are the fun tabbies with blotchy swirling pelts. They are very common, especially in Britain. Their derivative is the breed-specific "marbled tabby" (aka "clouded"), which is more elegant and whimsical in its markings and has a 'clouding' effect. Unfortunately, marbled tabbies are restricted to wildcat hybrids (such as Bengals). Classic tabbies come in all non-caramelized colors listed above (except for the breed-specific variant).

Spotted tabbies are the oddball tabbies with coats covered in spots, much like a cheetah. While it's not recognized whatsoever in the professional cat world, the derivative of spotted tabbies is "rosetted" in style, much like a leopard, and is restricted to wildcat hybrids (such as Bengals). They come in all non-caramelized colors (except for the breed-specific variant).

Lastly, ticked tabbies are the sandy tabbies with a "speckled" appearance. Specially-colored bands on their hairs cause a rippling gradient effect of their respective fur color. Ticked tabbies have no known derivatives. They are also breed-specific, as true ticked tabbies can only really be seen in Abyssinians or Somalis. They typically come in black (portrayed as silvery) or red (a bright flame red).

To help visualize all this, here's a labelled gallery of all patterns mentioned!

* Geneguide tabby mackerel.jpgMackerel Tabby (Normal)
* Geneguide tabby broken.jpgMackerel Tabby (Broken)
* Geneguide tabby classic.jpgClassic Tabby
* Geneguide tabby marbled.jpgMarbled/Clouded Tabby
* Geneguide tabby spotted.jpgSpotted Tabby
* Geneguide tabby ticked.jpgTicked Tabby
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