Cat Color Genetics Chart

cats

It is recomended that you learn these probabilities below, because it helps to understand genetics
in other areas that are more important, but if you want a "crutch", you can use my Color Predictor.

Dilute Color Chart

Find the color of the sire from along the top of the chart. Find the color of the dam along the left side. The square where they intersect will show the color possibilities for their kittens. Dilute is a recessive gene, so both parents must carry that gene to get a dilute kitten.

Possible kitten colors:
Sire:

black [XoY,B_ ]
blue (dilute) [XoY,bb] red [XoY,B_ ] cream (dilute) [XoY,bb]

Dam:

black

black

blue

black

blue

black male

blue male

tortie female

blue-cream female

black male

blue male

tortie female

blue-cream female

blue

(dilute)

black

blue
blue
black male

blue male

tortie female

blue-cream female

blue male

blue-cream female

red

red male

cream male

tortie female

blue-cream female

red male

cream male

tortie female

blue-cream female

red

cream

red

cream

cream

(dilute)

red male

cream male

tortie female

blue-cream female

cream male

blue-cream female

red

cream
cream

tortoishell

black

blue

red male

cream male

tortie female

blue-cream female

black

blue

red male

cream male

tortie female

blue-cream female

black male

blue male

red

cream

tortie female

blue-cream female

black male

blue male

red

cream

tortie female

blue-cream female

blue/cream

(dilute)

black

blue

red male

cream male

tortie female

blue-cream female

blue

cream male

blue-cream female

black

blue

red male

cream male

tortie female

blue-cream female

blue

cream male

blue-cream female

How did I make this chart? With the understanding of basic genetics below.

Sex linked color

Red is attached to the X chromosome. It is dominant to black, chocolate and cinnamon. All the other colors you see are actually patterns that affect these basic colors.

A male cat has one X and one Y chromosome. The red color factor is on his X chromosome that he gets from his dam. He gets his Y chromosome( with no color designation) from his sire.

A female has two X chromosomes with two red color factors. She gets one from her sire & one from her dam. If a dam is black, she doesn't have the red color, and all her boys will be black or black with additional genes, none of her boy kittens will be red. If a dam is red, she has two genes for the red color and all her boys will be red (or red with additional genes), none of her boy kittens will be black. If a dam is tortie, she has one gene for red and one not for red, and half of her boys will be red and half will be black. The sire gives no red genes to his boys.

If a male is red & a female is black, all of their female kittens will be tortoishell.

Sire: red

RED (x)

(Y)

Dam: black

NO RED(X)
black
RED & black(XX) black (XY)

NO RED(X)
black
RED & black(XX) black (XY)

If we have a black female and a red male, we can guess the color of their kittens (add the color to the square across or down from it).

male = XY; female = XX

sire = red male; dam = black female

kittens = black/red (tortie) females, black males

Dilute

The color gene for red is the only color gene attached to the sex of the cat. The rest of the color genes are actually patterns that affect the black or red. The dilute gene is one such gene. It turns black into blue & red into cream.

A recessive gene needs two genes (one from each parent) to appear on a cat. A dominant gene needs one gene (from either parent) to appear on a cat. Dilute is a recessive gene. If a cat has two dilute genes it will be a dilute. If a cat has one dilute gene and one "normal" gene the cat will appear normal.

Since dilute is a recessive gene, you will only get dilute kittens if both parents contribute a dilute gene. If a black sire doesn't carry a dilute gene, you won't get any blues or creams. You can't tell by looking at a cat if it is carrying a recessive gene. You can guess whether he carries a dilute by looking at his parents. If he has one dilute parent he does carry the gene. If he has "normal" parents & some dilute siblings, he might carry dilute. If he has "normal" siblings, he probably doesn't carry dilute, although the gene can be passed down from his ancestors and be hidden until it is matched up with another dilute.

If you have a red (not dilute) male that carries dilute & breed it to a blue (dilute) female
you can show it like this:

Sire: red, carrying dilute

NOT DILUTE

dilute

Dam:blue (dilute)

dilute

NOT DILUTE
/dilute
dilute/dilute

dilute
NOT DILUTE
/dilute dilute/dilute

Remember, now the squares don't represent any sex.

NOT DILUTE (dominant; represented by uppercase letters);
dilute (recessive; represented by lowercase letters)

kittens:
NOT DILUTE/dilute = black, red or tortie, carrying dilute;
dilute/dilute = blue, cream, or blue-cream

If you add the dilute chart to the sex linked chart, the possible kittens from these two cats are: black, blue, tortie & blue-cream. Refer to the cat color chart above to see all the possibilities.

Now it's your turn! You can use these methods to create a chart of any of the combinations below.

Pattern & Color Chart

The basic colors are along the top. The patterns that affect the colors are along the left side. The place where they intersect will show the combination they produce. These colors are the TICA descriptions.

Pattern:
Color:

black
red tortie (female)

dilute blue cream blue-cream

tabby brown(black) tabby red tabby brown(black) torbie

tabby + dilute blue tabby cream tabby blue torbie

silver black smoke red smoke tortie smoke

silver + tabby silver tabby red silver tabby silver torbie

silver + dilute blue smoke cream smoke blue-cream smoke

silver + tabby + dilute blue silver tabby cream silver tabby blue silver torbie

shaded golden shaded red shaded golden shaded torbie

silver + shaded silver shaded(chinchilla) silver red shaded(cameo) silver shaded torbie

silver + shaded + dilute silver blue shaded silver cream shaded blue shaded torbie

white white white white

white markings (spotting) black/white red/white calico

white markings (spotting);
homozygous (2 copies,
one from each parent) black/white van red/white van calico van

colorpoint seal point red point tortie point

colorpoint + tabby seal lynx point red lynx point seal lynx torbie point

colorpoint + dilute blue point cream point blue-cream point

sepia seal sepia(sable) red sepia seal sepia tortie

colorpoint + sepia seal mink red mink seal mink tortie

cinnamon cinnamon red cinnamon tortie

cinnamon + dilute fawn cream fawn tortie

chocolate chocolate red chocolate tortie

chocolate + dilute lilac cream lilac tortie

Patterns & colors

black; black

"Purrbody" - black

red; orange

tortoishell; black and orange

dilute; (recessive to normal color) Makes the original color appear lighter, as if white was mixed in. (blue, cream, blue-cream)

"Jake" - blue

tabby; (dominant to solid) Stripes with white chin & underside. There are additional genes for classic (wide stripes), mackerel (thin stripes), spotted, ticked, agouti (Abysinian), & marbled (Bengal).

"Tina Turner" - brown(black) tabby

shaded; (includes about 5 different genes, some dominant, some recessive) A tabby cat with no stripes, just colored tipping at the end of each hair with white chin & underside.

"Uzi" - shaded silver

silver; (dominant to brown) A white undercoat, as in the silver tabby instead of a brown tabby, or with the solid gene, makes a smoke.

"Do Do" - silver spotted tabby

golden; (recessive to silver) Brown undercoat of a shaded cat that doesn't have the silver gene. Like the brown of the brown tabby.

"Goldie" - shaded golden

white; (dominant to all other colors) Solid white with blue eyes, odd eyes(two different colors) or eye color corresponding to underlying recessive coat color.

"McFurry" - blue eyed white

white markings; (spotting); (an accumulative gene dominant to solid) White markings ranging from white toes to white covering everything except the tail(van). Contributing polygenes also affect the amount and distribution of white.

"Pollyanna" - blue & white bi-color

colorpoint; (recessive to solid) Restricts color to the face, feet & tail. Body is off white. Mutes black into dark brown. Eye color is blue. Siamese & Himalayans have this pattern.

"Nosey" - seal smoke point

sepia; (recessive to solid) Dark face, feet & tail. Back as dark as face, feet & tail gradually getting slightly paler on chest & underside. Eyes are not blue or aqua(they are usually gold, but can be any of the other colors). Burmese have this pattern.

mink; Actually colorpoint & sepia together. Has color on face, feet & tail with beige body color. Usually have aqua eyes. Tonkinese have this pattern.

- blue mink

chocolate; (recessive to black, dominant to cinnamon) Takes the place of black and is dark brown.

lilac; Is the chocolate gene combined with the dilute(blue )gene. Looks like taupe, with roseberry nose leather and paw pads.

"Lila" - lilac, bred by Natalia Foster

cinnamon; (recessive to black & chocolate) Takes the place of black and is light brown.

fawn; Is the cinnamon gene combined with the dilute gene.

OK, here's one more chart to get you started.

Tabby X Solid Chart

Possible kitten colors:	Sire: black(brown) tabby	blue tabby (dilute)	red tabby	cream tabby (dilute)
Dam: black	black black(brown) tabby blue blue tabby	black black(brown) tabby blue blue tabby	black(brown) tabby black male blue tabby male blue male torbie female tortie female blue-cream female blue-cream torbie female	black(brown) tabby black male blue tabby male blue male torbie female tortie female blue-cream female blue-cream torbie female
blue (dilute)	black black(brown) tabby blue blue tabby	blue blue tabby	black(brown) tabby black male blue tabby male blue male torbie female tortie female blue-cream female blue-cream torbie female	blue tabby male blue male blue-cream female blue-cream torbie female
red	red tabby male cream tabby male tortie female torbie female blue-cream female blue-cream torbie female	red tabbymale cream tabbymale tortie female torbie female blue-cream female blue-cream torbie female	red tabby cream tabby	red tabby cream tabby
cream (dilute)	red male cream tabby male tortie female torbie female blue-cream female blue-cream torbie female	cream tabby male blue-cream female blue-cream torbie female	red tabby cream tabby	cream tabby
tortie	black black(brown) tabby blue blue tabby red tabby male cream tabby male tortie female torbie female blue-cream female blue-cream torbie female	black black(brown) tabby blue blue tabby red tabby male cream tabby male tortie female torbie female blue-cream female blue-cream torbie female	black male black(brown) tabby male blue male blue tabby male red tabby cream tabby torbie female tortie female blue-cream torbie female blue-cream female	black male black(brown) tabby male blue male blue tabby male red tabby cream tabby torbie female tortie female blue-cream torbie female blue-cream female
blue/cream (dilute)	black black(brown) tabby blue blue tabby red tabby male cream tabby male torbie female tortie female blue-cream torbie female blue-cream female	blue blue tabby cream tabby male blue-cream female blue-cream torbie female	black black(brown) tabby blue blue tabby red tabby male cream tabby male torbie female tortie female blue-cream torbie female blue-cream female	blue blue tabby cream tabby male blue-cream torbie female blue-cream female

Now, make one of your own, that describes your cats!

It is recomended that you learn these probabilities, because it helps to understand genetics
in other areas that are more important, but if you want a "crutch", you can use my Color Predictor!

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animal artwork by Donna MacMillen

British Shorthair
kittens cats colors

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