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Cat People - help me figure out the kitty daddy


extendedforecast
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9 hours ago, extendedforecast said:

Mom/dam is blue, and 3 kittens are each solid white, black, and grey. Is there any way to figure out the dad/sire’s color? I’ve googled and all I can figure is that in order for a blue female to produce a black kitten is for the male to be a tortoiseshell. Any thoughts?

 

No. Males are almost never torties or calicos. The gene for orange fur is carried on the X chromosome, as is the gene for black fur. Since cats, like all mammals, use an XY system for determining sex, that means the only way for a male to have both orange and black fur is for him to be XXY.

Those are some cute kittens! Dad must be white masking black, carrying one copy of the recessive gene for dilute fur.

Watch that white kitten carefully. For reasons I don't understand, white fur in cats - particularly linked with blue eyes! - is associated with a high risk of deafness.

Edited by Tanaqui
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From what I've read, Dad is either black (for the black kitten) or white (for the white kitten). But I am no expert.

ETA: Thanks for the pictures. Will be looking for more as they grow!

Edited by RootAnn
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Thanks for the responses. It was interesting to read through them. I learned a few new things, like the possibility of multiple dads (lol). Tanaqui’s post was most interesting. I had read about the connection between white cats and  deafness. We will definitely be keeping an eye on him/her. 

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On 7/1/2019 at 5:16 PM, Selkie said:

Those are beautiful kittens! Are they yours?

Sorry, I have no idea about your question, but would be interested to find out!

They are ours. Mom is getting spayed as soon as possible. 

On 7/1/2019 at 5:28 PM, happysmileylady said:

They are so young, it's hard to say.  You may find that the grey one or the white one might develop other coloring or spots as they grow.  

The white one is changing a little. It looks like she’s going to have grey ears and tail. 

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12 minutes ago, extendedforecast said:

They are ours. Mom is getting spayed as soon as possible.  

 

You should also get the kittens done around 12 weeks, especially if you intend to give them away - you just can't trust other people to remember to do it for you.

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Yes, and sometimes younger! (They have to hit a weight limit, if my experience with my last batch of kittens is typical. I suggested 12 weeks because I don't recommend removing kittens from their mother earlier if it can be helped. If you intend to keep them, 8 or 10 weeks would be a better time.) And we're finding that pre-puberty neutering is associated with a quicker recovery time and fewer complications.

Edited by Tanaqui
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They’re adorable!  I know someone who especially likes white cats and would love a white kitten like that! 

 

So far as I can tell much of what I’ve read about cat color isn’t true.  

For example, I have read that a female black cat will have only black male offspring.  I had a mackerel tabby male kitten adopted from a black dam across street. 

The kids saw the kittens being born so it is very definitely the case that the male not black kitten came from the black cat dam. 

I’d take your google search on cat color with a grain of salt.  

Do get them neutered and spayed as early as possible. Cat populations can go geometric very fast. 

 

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