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
