Cat

Amber Coloration in Norwegian Forest Cats

In Norwegian Forest Cats, a recessive mutation in the melanocortin 1 receptor gene leads to the gradual replacement of black pigment in the coat with yellow pigment, producing the amber coloration.

Cat Coat Color Panel

This panel bundles together several coat color tests that are applicable to all breeds.

Agouti

The agouti signaling protein interacts with the melanocortin 1 receptor to switch between black and red pigments, creating a banding pattern in individual hairs. Mutations in the agouti signaling protein gene (ASIP) prevent this switch from occurring, resulting in hairs of uniform color.

Cornish Rex Coat

Cornish Rex cats have short, soft, curly coats inherited in an autosomal recessive fashion. This trait is fixed in the breed.

Selkirk Rex Coat

The Selkirk Rex breed has curled hair that can be short or long. A single copy of the variant that causes the Selkirk Rex coat produces wavy hair, and two copies produce a tighter curl as well as a slender body type with long ears.

Scottish Fold

The Scottish Fold breed produces cats with both straight and folded ears. A single copy of the fold mutation produces the breed's characteristic folded ears, and cats with two copies are prone to more extreme health problems affecting cartilage and bone.

Sphynx and Devon Rex Coats

The Devon Rex breed produces a curly coat and the Sphynx breed is nearly hairless. The nearly hairless coat of the Sphynx breed is recessive to normal coat, and the curly coat of the Devon Rex breed is recessive to the hairless Sphynx coat.

Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) in Maine Coon Cats

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is characterized by progressive instability with unsteady gait and posture abnormalities due to loss of motor neurons in the lower spinal cord and atrophy of muscles in the hind limbs.
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