The Meaning Of The Color Of Cats
One of the most striking qualities of cats is the amazing variety of colors they have. It is not uncommon to find cats of many colors within the same litter, regardless of whether they are purebred or mixed-breed. Here are some of the most common patterns and the meaning of the color of cats.
Before continuing, you must bear in mind that the color of a cat does not correspond to a breed, the breeds are determined by the structural and genetic characteristics described in a standard.
The color of a cat’s coat is generated by a genetic condition derived from its main colors, red or black. That is why certain patterns are established, but this does not make all cats of the same color belong to a specific breed, for example not all grayish cats are Russian blue.
The most common patterns
Tabby
This is probably the most widespread mantle pattern in the world. It is directly related to wild cats and can be seen in large cats such as lions or lynxes.
The special characteristic of this coat is that it generates a pattern that can be striped like the Maine Coon, linear like the Bengali cat or dotted like the Ashera, with gray or orange animals being more common.
Possibly this type of pattern is due to its oldest ancestor, the Felis Lybica or Middle Eastern wild cat. The coat of this cat was of a gray color, covered with other shades of gray that helped it to generate an uneven color to camouflage itself.
The fur of cats that have this characteristic normally has three types of color in each hair, and it is from the mixture of each of these hairs that the sensation that they are striped is generated.
Three colors
They are also known as calic cats and the vast majority of cats with this characteristic are female, just as males that are born calic are usually sterile. The most common colors in this type of cat are a white coat with red and black spots. This type of combination is defined by the color orange, linked to the X chromosome, which is why it is thought that this is the reason why almost all of them end up being female.
A curious fact about these cats is that they are considered good luck and that they attract fortune. In the USA it is known as the money cat, while in Japan it is recognized under the figure of the Maneki Neko , or the cat that greets, and it is very common to find it as a custodian in business to attract prosperity.
Tortoiseshell
Cats with this characteristic, like calico cats, are mostly female. However, their fur is usually a mixture between black, orange and cream, forming a pattern similar to the shell of turtles (from where they get their name), also contrary to tricolor cats, they have little or no white in their fur.
It is said that cats with this type of fur are especially vocal, they like to receive attention, they are independent and they are usually very jealous of their owners.
Predominant genes
The predominant genes in the colors of the fur of cats are black and red, all other colors correspond to modifying genes that derive in them. In this way the red, in a lower concentration, drifts into the cream. Black in lower concentrations can turn gray (or blue) chocolate, tan or beige.
White cats
Cats with a completely white coat have the presence of the W gene, which masks the other colors making them white. Interestingly, this gene also carries the information of blue eyes and deafness, therefore a large number of blue-eyed white cats will be deaf from birth. Depending on whether the color of the eyes varies between green, yellow or another color other than blue, the level of deafness is also determined.
The most common colors in cats are black, red, white, gray or blue, and cream.
