#Calico kitten full#

Just that, a grey calico or a dilute calico. Grey calico cats are less common than the traditional black, red and white calico, but they are not rare. Frequently asked questions Are grey calico cats rare? Outcome: All offspring are dense, but carry dilute (heterozygous). Genotype: One parent is homozygous dense, and one parent is homozygous dilute.Phenotype: One parent is dense, and one parent is dilute.Outcome: Two kittens are dense but carry dilute, two kittens are dilute. Genotype: One parent is dense, carrying dilute and one parent is dilute.Phenotype: One parent is dense and one parent is dilute.Outcome: One kitten is homozygous dense, two kittens are heterozygous dense and carry the dilute gene, and one kitten is homozygous dilute. Genotype: Both parents are heterozygous, carrying one copy of the dense gene and one copy of the dilute gene.Phenotype: Both parents are dense, but carry one copy of the dense gene, and one copy of the dilute gene (heterozygous).Genotype: Both parents are homozygous dilute.Phenotype: Both parents are homozygous dilute.Outcome: All offspring are dense, two are homozygous and cannot pass on the dilute gene, two carry the dilute gene, which they can pass on if they mate with a cat who also carries the dilute gene. Genotype: One parent carries two copies of the dense gene (homozygous), and one parent carries one copy of the dense gene and one copy of the dilute gene.Outcome: All offspring are homozygous for dense, and cannot pass on the dilute gene. Genotype: Both parents carry two copies of the dense gene (homozygous).

The Punnett squares below show what would happen between different matings with an average litter of four kittens. Possible outcomes between different matings:

dd (Heterozygous – Dilute) – The dd cat is dilute but can produce full-colour kittens if it mates with a cat carrying at least one copy of the dense ( D) gene.

#Calico kitten full#

Dd (Homozygous – Full colour, carries dilute) – The Dd cat is full colour, but has one copy of the dilute ( d) gene.DD (Heterozygous – Full colour) – The DD cat is full colour and cannot pass on a copy of the dilute ( d) gene to offspring.The dilute gene is autosomal recessive to non-dilute (dense colour), this means the cat must inherit two copies of the dilute gene (one from each parent) to show the dilute coat colour. In the dilute cat, melanin synthesis is normal, but the pigment granules are enlarged and deposited into the hair shaft unevenly, some areas will contain clumps of pigment granules while other parts of the hair contain none. Melanosomes synthesise, store and transport melanin out of the cell via the dendrites to neighbouring keratinocytes (keratin producing cells). Menalocytes are specialised cells that contain organelles known as melosomes. This protein is essential for the even distribution, transport, and translocation of pigment granules. The cat must inherit two copies of a non-dominant gene for it to be expressed.ĭilution is due to a single base deletion 1 bp in the melanophilin (MLPH) gene which provides instructions for making melanophilin, a carrier protein that is found in the pigment-producing melanocytes. If each copy is different, the dominant gene will be expressed over the other. The cat inherits two copies (versions) of each gene (known as alleles), one from each parent.

Grey calicos owe their paler colours to the dilute gene which as the name suggests, dilutes the full-color version. This unusual combination is the dilute form of the more traditional black, red and white calico. Also known as a muted or dilute calico, a grey calico cat is a type of coat color and pattern which consists of grey and cream markings on a white background.