Research overview: convergent evolution of pigmentation across felids

Across the cat family, similar coat phenotypes such as melanism, pale or white morphs, and spotted-to-striped pattern shifts have arisen repeatedly in different lineages. This overview surveys the evidence that these recurrences often involve the same small set of pigmentation genes, including agouti signaling protein, the melanocortin-1 receptor, and pattern genes, even when the precise mutations differ. It discusses how this makes felid coats a powerful natural experiment in convergent molecular evolution, what selective pressures, from camouflage to thermoregulation to disease resistance, might drive parallel changes, and how comparative pigment genetics connects domestic cats to their wild relatives.