The Genetics of Tri-Color Cats - Calicos & Klinefelters

Are all calicos female? Are males calicos worth millions of dollars? So say the urban myths. I will try to explain these cats without going into genetics too deeply and giving myself (and possibly you) an aneurism, stroke or too much brain damage!

Everyone has DNA. Half came from mom and half came from dad, passing down their own genetic information to their children. DNA is made up of individual units called chromosomes. These chomosomes describe how the child will look - size, color, shape, all kinds of stuff.

The chromosomes for gender (sex) are named X and Y. Everyone has two of these, one came from from mom and one, from dad.

Females are XX and males are XY. Mom (XX) gives one X to every child. She does not have any Y's to dole out. Dad (XY) either gives an X to make a daughter or a Y to make a son.

Chromosomes are made up of genes. Genes hold the characteristics mentioned above. The genes for colors of cat fur (except white) are on the X chromosome. The white color gene does not live on a gender chromosome.

Now I will start oversimplifying because I don't want anyone to fall out of their chair with an intense headache:

The genes for the colors black/gray and brown/orange/red live on the X chromosome only. They do not live on the Y one. A female cat has 2 X's so she can therefore inherit a gene for black on of her X's and for brown on her other X. She can receive both colors. However, a male only has one X and can therefore only inherit one color (either black or brown, but not both).

Since the color white does not exist on the X and Y gender chromosomes, all cats can inherit white.

Let's say a female cat inherits white from one of her parents. She also inherits black on one of her X's and brown on the other X. She has all 3 colors going and can be a calico. Woo-hoo!

It's a bit trickier for a male cat. Let's say he inherits white from one of his parents. Since he's a boy, he only receives one X (from mom) and it might have black or brown on it. Dad gave him a Y which does not have color genes on it. This is what usually happens - you get a white male cat plus brown or black but both.

Enter the world of the Klinefelter cat. These are male kitties with all 3 colors. It's not a magic trick, just a genetics oopsie daisy. What happened is Klinefelter male cats have 3 gender chromosomes: two X's and one Y. He's a white cat who received brown on one of his X's and black on the other X. This is rare but does happen every once in awhile.

Klinefelter male cats are rarely able to become fathers themselves. I'll spare you the details and just say that their hormones and manliness are affected. Klinefelter's Syndrome has side effects beyond just coloring. It exists throughout the animal kingdom, even in humans.

I hope you enjoyed this information and that I didn't cause you any brain damage with the mini genetics lesson.

>^.^<

Himalayan & Colorpoint Persian Cats

This is a photograph of my cat, Ashley. This article is about her breed. In the USA they are known as Himalayans, nicknamed Himmies, and in Europe they are called Colorpoint Persians.

The first deliberate attempt to cross a Siamese with a Persian cat was done in 1924 by for Swedish geneticist. Much was to be learned about the genetic characteristics of cats's bodies and coat colors. Long hair and Color Points were discovered to both be recessive traits. It wasn't until 1935 that a kitten was produced that looked like the Himalayans or Colorpoint Persians of today.

This "new" breed of cat was officially recognized by the GCCF (Governing Council of Cat Fancy) of England in 1955 and by the CFA (Cat Fanciers Association) in the USA in 1957. The CFA began allowing competition of Himmies as a sub-group within the Persian classification. The TICA (The International Cat Association) classifies this breed as unique and separate from the Persians.

The white or cream-colored bodies of Himmies are medium to large in size, sometimes weighing up to 12 pounds. They have short legs which sometimes restricts how high they can jump. They have darker fur on the face, ears, legs and tail. Their fur is very long, especially on the tail.

The original "Himmies" had seal, blue, chocolate and lilac points. Today's cats can be solid color, tabby-striped or tortoise-shelled. The colors come in chocolate, seal, lilac, blue, red/flame, cream-tortie, blue-cream, chocolate-tortie, lilac-cream, seal lynx, blue lynx, red lynx, cream lynx, tortie lynx, blue-cream lynx, chocolate lynx, lilac lynx, chocolate-tortie lynx and lilac-cream lynx colors.

There are two kinds of faces. "Peeked" or "Ultra" faced Himmies have squashed in faces, a frown look to the mouth and squinty eyes. "Doll Face" Himmies have large, round eyes and a little bit of elongation of the muzzle. Over the generations, Himmies tend back to longer snouts, so every once in awhile a Persian needs to be bred into the line to keep the flat face.

Inbreeding has caused some genetic problems - breathing problems called Brachycephalia due to the flat face (flat faced dogs have the same problem), some joint problems, organ abnormalities, Polycystic Kidney Disease and Progressive Retinal Atrophy. Not all Himmies get these problems.

Himalayans were named after Himalayan rabbits that had the same color point coat. That's how they got their name. They originated in England, not the mountains of Asia.

The personality of a Himalayan is very gentle and sedate, but not so lethargic as a Persian. They have their frisky moments and like to play. The tend to love human companionship and want to be in the same room, if not right there in your lap. They tend not to be as independant or aloof as other breeds.

Himalayan cats need their humans to help care for their eyes and coats. Their fur needs to be brushed every day and they need regular baths, once a week sometimes. Their eyes tend to tear which results in a build up of crust. Eyes need to be wiped clean every day. The presence of crust build up invites bacteria into the eye area which is dangerous to eye health.

If you don't mind the brushing and bathing, a Himalayan cat can be a beautiful addition to your family. He or she will give you lots of love. Petting such a soft coat is relaxing and luxurious. I know - I've owned two Himalayans and they are right up there with diamonds, dark chocolate and silks.