Tipping/shading causes the normally yellow-brown agouti band to be both lighter in colour and wider, starting closer to the root and ending nearer the hair tip than in tabby cats. This gene allows pigment at the tip of the hair, but restricts the amount laid down on the hair shaft, so that the shaft is either white/ivory (silver series) or golden (golden series). Smoke, shaded and tipped patterns are due to the Inhibitor gene (silver-restriction).

Mackerel (Mc) is dominant over blotched (mc). Ticked tabby (Ta) is on one allele while the tabby patterns are on a different allele. There are three identified alleles of the tabby gene. In cats with the Agouti version (allele), the actual pattern is due to a different gene. The recessive form, non-agouti 'a', means the hair is solid colour without lighter bands. The agouti gene, A, allows the hairs to be banded with alternate light and dark bands. Tabby patterns are cause by genes at two different places. The second section explains the genetics, including disproved theories you may come across elsewhere (even disproved theories come back to haunt breeders!).įirst some very basic genetics! The difference between chinchilla/tipped, shaded silver and silver tabby are largely due to the underlying tabby pattern (ticked, mackerel/spotted or classic). The first section explains the different patterns and a little of their history. There are many terms used to describe the different smoke, shaded and tipped cats and these are different depending on whether a cat is longhaired or shorthaired! Some terms are now only found in older books, so I've included the various alternative names. This article looks at the history and genetics of the silver and golden cats. INHIBITOR GENE: SILVER AND GOLD: SMOKE, SHADED AND TIPPED CATS

Grey ticked tabby