Why Do Cats Only Come in Three Colors?

Especially white, black and orange Why do we never see red, green or any other color in the colors of cats, which are shaped around three colors?

This is actually There is a very simple answerall we have to look at is their genetics!

The colors of cats are determined by their genes and they can consist of several different colors.

The most common colors we see are black, white and orange. These colors, on the X chromosome It is determined by the genes present.

Because of this male cats, Because they only have one X chromosome, they carry a single color gene. Because female cats have two X chromosomes, they can carry two different genes that code for orange on one X and non-orange (usually black) on the other.

This allows different colors to emerge.

Cats can have a much wider range of colors than we think. Chocolate brown, yellow, grey, caramel and many other color variations are actually possible with genetic variations. These colors, different genes and combinations of these genes It is controlled by.

It is a genetic variation that changes the feather color to lighter shades. “dilution” gene, black to gray; Turns orange to cream color. Therefore, it is a general statement that cats consist of only three colors.

So why can’t we see cats with a color other than a mixture of these three colors?

Cats’ colors are based on two main types of pigments: eumelanin (shades of black and brown) and pheomelanin (red and yellow tones). Natural combinations of these pigments often create colors such as grays, cream, black, white and orange.

White hairs are caused by the complete absence of pigment. Gray feathers, small amount of black eumelanin; blond-cream feathers, small amounts of brown eumelanin; yellow feathers, small amounts of red pheomelanin; orange feathers result from the presence of a moderate amount of red pheomelanin and brown feathers from a moderate to high amount of brown eumelanin.

Here’s why 9 out of every 10 cats we see consist of three colors, this is found in the genetic structure of cats. The basic three colors explain it to us.

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