Expert: Norman Auspitz - 8/23/2010

Question
Hello!  I would like to know the potential colour possibilities of kittens born to a red silver classic tabby male bred with either a brown classic tabby and white female OR a silver classic tabby and white female. I know the brown classic tabby and white does carry both solid and dilute. I do not know any other info about the male or the silver classic tabby and white.

Thanks!
Melissa

Answer
Melissa,

I do not know how much you know about genetics, but lets quote a few guidelines that may be helpful.

First, cats come in two basic colors black (black, chocolate, blue, cinamon, lilac, fawn) and red (red, cream).  The color is carried on that part of the X chromosome which is not present on the Y chromosome.  Thus, unless something goes wrong, males can be either red or black.  Females can be both!

Second, classic tabby is recessive to mackeral tabby is recessive to ticked tabby. Spotted tabby is another system yet. Also, the agouti gene is dominant.

Third, silver is dominant.  Also, with white (piebald white spotting gene) is dominant.

O.K.  So let's take a look. Note all offspring will be classic tabbies, oif both sides are homozygous for agouti.

Red silver classic tabby male X brown tabby with white female.

If the female is homozygous for with white:

If silver is homozygous in the male:  Red silver tabby with white males and black silver patched tabby with white females.
If silver is not homozygous in the male, add red tabby with white males and brown patched tabby with white females.
If with white is not homozygous in the female, add all the above without white.

With the silver tabby with white female, you will get the same silvers as the above breeding, but, if both are heterozygous, you can also get the non-silver colors.

If they both carry dilute, you can add blue and cream with or without silver, where you had black/brown or red in the above.

If both sides are heterozygous for agouti, you can also add solids. A brown tabby will be black without the tabby pattern.

Note colors derived from red may exhibit tabby markings whether or not the agouti gene is present!

Wow I hope this helps.

Best regards... Norm.