OVERVIEW OF THE DIFFERENT GENES USED

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The different gene combinations and their effects are detailed below. A capital letter denotes a dominant gene and a lower-case letter denotes a recessive gene.

Follow the 'Explanation' link beside each overview to link to the explanation of that gene.

The genes are:

Hair Length - Shorthair/Longhair

Hair Type:-

Cornish or German Rex (Rex1/RexI)

Devon Rex (Rex2/RexII)

Selkirk Rex (Rex3/RexIII)

LaPerm

Wirehair

Satin

Hairless

Tail Type:-

Manx (Tail-less)

Bobtail (Short tail)

Leg Length - Munchkin/Normal

Ear Type:-

Curled

Folded

Hair Colour:-

Base Colour (Black/Chocolate/Cinnamon)

Red (Red/Tortie)

Dilute (Blue/Lilac/Fawn/Cream)

Agouti (Tabby/Shaded/Chinchilla)

Base Tabby Pattern (Ticked/Mackerel/Classic)

Spotted Tabby

Inhibitor (Silver)

Wideband (Chinchilla/Silver Shaded/Silver Tabby)

Rufusing (Rufused/Golden)

Albino (Sepia/Point/Mink)

Ghostmarkings

White Spot (Bicolour/Harlequin/Van)

Mittens/Gloves

Dominant White (Solid White)

BODY TRAITS:-

Hair Length:-

Shorthair/Longhair (Explanation)
Shorthair (L) is dominant
Longhair (l) is recessive
LL - Shorthair
Ll - Shorthair (carrying Longhair)
ll - Longhair

Hair Type:-

Cornish or German Rex (Rex1/RexI) (Explanation)
Normal/non-Rex1 (R) is dominant
Rex1 (r) is recessive
RR - Normal/non-Rex1
Rr - Normal/non-Rex1 (carrying Rex1)
rr - Rex1

Devon Rex (Rex2/RexII) (Explanation)
Normal/non-Rex2 (Re) is dominant
Rex2 (re) is recessive
ReRe - Normal/non-Rex2
Rere - Normal/non-Rex2 (carrying Rex2)
rere - Rex2

Selkirk Rex (Rex3/RexIII (Explanation)
Rex3 (Se) is dominant
Normal/non-Rex3 (se) is recessive
SeSe - Rex3
Sese - Rex3 (carrying Normal/non-Rex3)
sese - Normal/non-Rex3

LaPerm (Wavy Hair) (Explanation)
LaPerm (Lp) is dominant
Normal/non-LaPerm (lp) is recessive
LpLp - LaPerm
Lplp - LaPerm (carrying Normal/non-LaPerm)
lplp - Normal/non-LaPerm

Wirehair (Course, Wiry Hair) (Explanation)
Wirehair (Wh) is dominant
Normal/non-Wirehair (wh) is recessive
WhWh - Wirehair
Whwh - Wirehair (carrying Normal/non-Wirehair)
whwh - Normal/non-Wirehair

Satin (Silky Hair with a Sheen) (Explanation)
Normal/non-Satin (Sa) is dominant
Satin (sa) is recessive
SaSa - Normal/non-Satin
Sasa - Normal/non-Satin (carrying satin)
sasa - Satin

Hairless (Explanation)
Normal/Haired/non-Hairless (H) is dominant
Hairless (h) is recessive
HH - Normal/Haired/non-Hairless
Hh - Normal/Haired/non-Hairless (carrying Hairless)
hh - Hairless

Most of these genes can be combined - e.g. you can have a Longhair RexI LaPerm Satin.

Tail Type:-

Manx (Tail-less) (Explanation)
Tail-less (M) is dominant
Tailed (m) is recessive
MM - this gene combination is lethal and will not produce kittens (see the explanation) Mm - Tail-less (carrying Tailed)
mm - Tailed

Bobtail (Short tail) (Explanation)
Normal/non-Bobtail (Jp) is dominant
Bobtail (jp) is recessive
JpJp - Normal/non-Bobtail
Jpjp - Normal/non-Bobtail (carrying Bobtail)
jpjp - Bobtail

Leg Length:-

Munchkin (Short Legs) (Explanation)
Munchkin (Mu) is dominant
Normal/non-Munchkin (mu) is recessive
MuMu - Munchkin
Mumu - Munchkin (carrying Normal/non-Munchkin)
mumu - Normal/non-Munchkin

Ear Type:-

Curled (Explanation)
Curled (Cu) is dominant
Normal/non-Curled (cu) is recessive
CuCu - Curled
Cucu - Curled (carrying Normal/non-Curled)
cucu - Normal/non-Curled

Folded (Explanation)
Folded (Fd) is dominant
Normal/non-Folded (fd) is recessive
FdFd - Folded
Fdfd - Folded (carrying Normal/non-Folded)
fdfd - Normal/non-Folded

These genes can be combined so that you can have Curled Folded ears.

Hair Colour:- (Explanation)

Base Colour (Black/Chocolate/Cinnamon) (Explanation)
Black (B) is dominant to both Chocolate (b) and Cinnamon (b¹)
Chocolate (b) is recessive to Black (B) but dominant to Cinnamon (b¹)
Cinnamon (b¹) is recessive to both Black (B) and Chocolate (b)
BB - Black
Bb - Black (carrying Chocolate)
Bb¹ - Black (carrying Cinnamon)
bb - Chocolate
bb¹ - Chocolate (carrying Cinnamon)
b¹b¹ - Cinnamon

Red (Red/Tortie) (Explanation)
The red 'gene' is 'carried' on the 'x-chromosome' - one of the two chromosomes that decide the sex of a cat. A male is 'xy' and a female is 'xx'. The symbol for a red gene is 'x^o'. Red covers all colours except white. xy - Male, non-Red (e.g. Black, Chocolate etc.)
xx - Female, non-Red
x^oy - Male, Red
x^ox - Female, Tortie (1 red 'gene', 1 black 'gene'; therefore patches of each)
x^ox^o - Female, Red

Dilute (Blue/Lilac/Fawn/Cream) (Explanation)
Normal/non-Dilute (D) is dominant
Dilute (d) is recessive
DD - Normal/non-Dilute (i.e. Black, Chocolate, Cinnamon or Red)
Dd - Normal/non-Dilute (carrying Dilute)
dd - Dilute (i.e. Blue, Lilac, Fawn or Cream)

Agouti (Tabby/Shaded/Chinchilla) (Explanation)
Agouti (A) is dominant
Self/non-Agouti (a) is recessive
AA - Agouti
Aa - Agouti (carrying Self/non-Agouti)
aa - Self/non-Agouti (Solid)

Base Tabby Pattern (Ticked/Mackerel/Classic) (Explanation)
Ticked Tabby (T^a) is dominant to both Mackerel (t) and Classic (t^b)
Mackerel Tabby (t) is recessive to Ticked (T^a) but dominant to Classic (t^b)
Classic Tabby (t^b) is recessive to both Ticked (T^a) and Mackerel (t)
T^aT^a - Ticked Tabby
T^at - Ticked Tabby (carrying Mackerel)
T^at^b - Ticked Tabby (carrying Classic)
tt - Mackerel Tabby
tt^b - Mackerel Tabby (carrying Classic)
t^bt^b - Classic Tabby

Ticked tabby also masks Spotted Tabby (see below), making it the most dominant form of tabby

Spotted Tabby (Explanation)
Spotted (Sp) is technically dominant, but because of the way it works, Ticked Tabby (T^a) will show anyway
Non-Spotted (sp) is recessive, but only makes a visible difference if the cat is Mackerel (t) or Classic (t^b)
SpSp - Spotted Tabby (unless the cat is also Ticked Tabby)
Spsp - Spotted Tabby (carrying non-Spotted)
spsp - non-Spotted Tabby (i.e. Mackerel or Classic)

Inhibitor (Silver) (Explanation)
Silver (I) is dominant
Normal/non-Silver (i) is recessive
II - Silver
Ii - Silver (carrying Normal/non-Silver)
ii - Normal/non-Silver

Wideband (Chinchilla/Silver Shaded/Silver Tabby) (Explanation)
Wideband (Wb) is dominant
wideband (wb) is recessive
WbWb - Chinchilla
Wbwb - Silver Shaded
wbwb - Silver Tabby

Rufusing (Rufused/Golden) (Explanation)
Non-Rufused (Rf) is dominant
Rufused (rf) is recessive
RfRf - non-Rufused
Rfrf - non-Rufused (carrying Rufusing)
rfrf - Rufused (or Golden, if combined with Inhibitor/Silver)

Albino (Sepia/Point/Mink) (Explanation)
Full-Colour/non-Albino (C) is dominant to both Albino alleles (c^b/c^s)
There is no dominant/recessive relationship between the albino alleles
CC - Full-Colour/non-Albino
Cc^b - Full-Colour/non-Albino (carrying Burmese/Sepia)
Cc^s - Full-Colour/non-Albino (carrying Siamese/Point)
c^bc^b - Burmese/Sepia
c^sc^s - Siamese/Pointed
c^bc^s - Tonkinese/Mink

Ghostmarkings (Explanation)
Non-ghostmarked (Gm) is dominant
Ghostmarked (gm) is recessive
GmGm - no Ghostmarkings
Gmgm - no Ghostmarking (carrying Ghostmarkings)
gmgm - shows Ghostmarkings

White Spot (Bicolour/Harlequin/Van) (Explanation)
White Spot (S or S¹) is dominant to non-White Spot (ss)
Bicolour is dominant to all other forms of White Spot
Harlequin is dominant over Van
SS - Bicolour
Ss - Bicolour
S¹s - Bicolour
SS¹ - Harlequin
S¹S¹ - Van
ss - no White Spotting

Mittens/Gloves (Explanation)
Non-Mitted (G) is dominant
Mitted (g) is recessive
GG - non-Mitted/non-Gloved
Gg - non-Mitted/non-Gloved (carrying Mittens/Gloves)
gg - Mitted/Gloved

Dominant White (Solid White) (Explanation)
White (W) 'covers' all other colours (epistatic) and is dominant to non-White
Non-White (w) is recessive
WW - White
Ww - White (carrying non-White)
ww - non-White (e.g. Black, Blue Mackerel Tabby, Red Point, etc.)

Go to:
Genetics Help Home
Colours
The basics
Overview of the different genes used (current page)
Explanations of the genes
How to work out the results of a breeding
Some examples of breeding calculations
Further help