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Red Cat Research Paper

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The coat of the domestic cat is very diverse, considering all the patterns and colors that a cat can have. From the hairless sphinx to the rough-and-tumble calico, genetics play a large part in determining a cat’s coat length, color, and feel. Melanin seems to play an influential role in the makings of the color of a cat coat because it is what causes the color of hair and eyes.
The coat of a female cat is more likely to be diverse because they have two X chromosomes. The male only has one X chromosome, which makes some of the combinations for coats, like calico or tortoiseshell, almost impossible to occur. “The Red gene (O) is carried on the X chromosome; for this reason it is sex-linked. Males normally only have one X chromosome and so if a male carries the Red gene at all, he will be Red. Females have two X chromosomes; if both X chromosomes carry the Red gene, then the cat will be Red.” (Cat Colors FAQ: Cat Color Genetics.” Cat Fanciers Chat, www.fanciers.com/other-faqs/color-genetics.html) Most cats are not one solid color because of the genetic diversity.
There are at least eight different loci that are involved in making up a cat’s coat color. A combination of different genotypes and phenotypes often lead to many different cat coat colors. “The first coat color gene in the domestic cat was characterized only recently. …show more content…

A lot of melanin can make a cat’s eyes amber, while a low concentration can make a cat’s eyes blue. A medium concentration of melanin can make a cat’s eyes green. The eye color of a cat can indicate how much melanin they have in their system. The darker a cat’s eye color, the more likely it will be that a cat has a darker coat, because of the melanin concentration. As previously mentioned, the albino cat’s eye color is blue or pink, and this is because of the lack of melanin in the body, which also shows on the coat of the cat, because the coat is

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