Heart shape on domestic cat.
- Thread starter zooman
- Start date
RowanGreen
Well-Known Member
I would be quite surprised if it were possible to reliably produce cats with a heart shaped marking (and I'd be interested to see details of where you have read about it!) Generally bi-colour cats do not breed with consitant patch patterns, and the genetics are not fully understood.
Examples: Tortoishell cats have the genes for both red and non-red (showing black or brown tabby where not red). The proportions shown are thought to be totally random, ranging from almost completely red cats to ones with just a small patch or two of ginger. Tortoishell cats which also have the white spotting gene (I'll get onto that...) tend to have defined patches of colour, those without tend to have a 'brindle tortie' look.
White spotting genes are responsible for just about any cat that is 'something' and white, whether the 'something' is tabby (as in your picture), black, grey or red. Again the cat might be almost all white, or almost all the other colour. I believe it's still generally unclear in the general population of cats how this variation is caused. It could be down to the number of copies a cat has (one copy causes less white than two), different genes for different patterns, or random, or caused by conditions in the womb. Or a combination of all of them.
This article on Snowshoe cats: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowshoe_(cat) refers to gene causing a facial blaze which is wider where the cat has two copies, and also to white feet being caused by either normal white spotting genes or a more specific 'gloving' gene. Apparently in spite of long term breeding they've not been able to get consitent markings in the breed.
In conclusion, if you can't control amount of white or red, getting anything in a specific patch shape seems far fetched!
PS: I'm also against sale of cats in pet shops. Can't comment so much on other countries, but here:
They tend not to be health checked or vacinated
Their parents could well be kept in bad conditions, and if they are pets females being allowed to breed unchecked with local toms they are at risk of viral diseases and health problems from overbreeding.
They are generally taken from the mother too young (and the buyer is unable to see the parents)
Kittens from rescues are likely to cost little more, but generally include vacinations and neutering
There is no control over who they are sold to.
Examples: Tortoishell cats have the genes for both red and non-red (showing black or brown tabby where not red). The proportions shown are thought to be totally random, ranging from almost completely red cats to ones with just a small patch or two of ginger. Tortoishell cats which also have the white spotting gene (I'll get onto that...) tend to have defined patches of colour, those without tend to have a 'brindle tortie' look.
White spotting genes are responsible for just about any cat that is 'something' and white, whether the 'something' is tabby (as in your picture), black, grey or red. Again the cat might be almost all white, or almost all the other colour. I believe it's still generally unclear in the general population of cats how this variation is caused. It could be down to the number of copies a cat has (one copy causes less white than two), different genes for different patterns, or random, or caused by conditions in the womb. Or a combination of all of them.
This article on Snowshoe cats: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowshoe_(cat) refers to gene causing a facial blaze which is wider where the cat has two copies, and also to white feet being caused by either normal white spotting genes or a more specific 'gloving' gene. Apparently in spite of long term breeding they've not been able to get consitent markings in the breed.
In conclusion, if you can't control amount of white or red, getting anything in a specific patch shape seems far fetched!
PS: I'm also against sale of cats in pet shops. Can't comment so much on other countries, but here:
They tend not to be health checked or vacinated
Their parents could well be kept in bad conditions, and if they are pets females being allowed to breed unchecked with local toms they are at risk of viral diseases and health problems from overbreeding.
They are generally taken from the mother too young (and the buyer is unable to see the parents)
Kittens from rescues are likely to cost little more, but generally include vacinations and neutering
There is no control over who they are sold to.
its a random pattern. You cannot selectively breed a heart shape onto a cat.
Thanks Childonias,
My mistake to assume it was selectively breed. I did not ask the pet shop the $ .
I will say the pet shop was located in a area that attracted a strong asian presence, who l think would be very attracted to a cat like this given their liking for luck!
No not April fool :]
I am going to fly to Hong Kong or Taiwaan with a bottle of black shoe polish, paint hearts on a bunch of stray cats, and make a fortune
