Research overview: the genetics of coat colour and pattern in cats

Cat coat colours and patterns are a classic teaching example of genetics, and this overview surveys the genes and interactions behind them. It covers the X-linked orange gene that produces the sex-linked tortoiseshell and calico patterns and explains why most calicoes are female, the agouti and tabby pattern genes including the Taqpep gene controlling mackerel versus blotched markings, dilution, white spotting and the dominant white and deafness association, and the temperature-sensitive enzyme producing the pointed coloration of Siamese cats. The survey explains how these loci combine to generate the enormous visible diversity of cats and how coat genetics has served both as a population marker and as accessible illustration of inheritance. It presents feline coat colour as a well-characterized, richly interacting genetic system with practical and educational relevance.