Editing Bicolor cat (section)

==Genetics of coat patterns==
{{Main|Cat coat genetics}}

The basic colors and patterns of cat fur are defined by fewer than ten genes.<ref name="genome">{{cite web |title=Coat Colors & Fur Types |url=http://faculty.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/faculty/lalyons/Sites/color.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070630145353/http://faculty.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/faculty/lalyons/Sites/color.htm |archive-date=30 June 2007 |access-date=5 August 2007 |publisher=Feline Genome project}}</ref> Cats with white color in their coats are thought to have a mutant ''white-spotting'' gene that prevents the formation of coat color in patches over the cat's body. This gene has been investigated in several species, particularly mice, and is [[Dominance relationship|co-dominant]] to normal coat color as it prevents the migration of [[melanocyte]]s into the developing hair follicles.<ref name="pmid11764276">{{Cite journal |vauthors=Yoshida H, Kunisada T, Grimm T, Nishimura EK, Nishioka E, Nishikawa SI |year=2001 |title=Review: melanocyte migration and survival controlled by SCF/c-kit expression |journal=J. Investig. Dermatol. Symp. Proc. |volume=6 |issue=1 |pages=1–5 |doi=10.1046/j.0022-202x.2001.00006.x |pmid=11764276 |doi-access=free}}</ref> The genetics of this pattern are not as well understood in cats but at least some of the genes involved in melanocyte migration and survival may play a role similar as in other animals.<ref name="pmid16573531">{{Cite journal |vauthors=Cooper MP, Fretwell N, Bailey SJ, Lyons LA |year=2006 |title=White spotting in the domestic cat (Felis catus) maps near KIT on feline chromosome B1 |journal=Anim. Genet. |volume=37 |issue=2 |pages=163–5 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2052.2005.01389.x |pmc=1464422 |pmid=16573531}}</ref>

Three genotypes possible with the ''S'' (white spotting) gene, with capital ''S'' standing for a wild-type copy and lower-case ''s'' standing for the mutant.<ref name="genome" />

* SS (two dominant alleles) results in high grades of white spotting (sometimes resulting in a solid-looking white cat or a white cat with just a few color hairs)
* Ss (one dominant, one recessive allele) results in medium grades of white spotting
* ss (two recessive alleles) results in solid color or low grades of white spotting (sometimes as little as a few white hairs)

The lack of tabby striping in bicolor cats is controlled by the [[Agouti signalling peptide|agouti protein]], which inhibits the production of [[melanin]] and thus prevents the formation of dark hair colors.<ref name="pmid9300652">{{Cite journal |author=Jackson IJ |date=1997 |title=Homologous pigmentation mutations in human, mouse and other model organisms |journal=Hum. Mol. Genet. |volume=6 |issue=10 |pages=1613–24 |doi=10.1093/hmg/6.10.1613 |pmid=9300652}}</ref> In agouti cats the gene is turned on and off as the hair grows, producing hairs with alternating stripes yellow and black.<ref name="genome" /> In domestic cats, inactivation of the agouti gene by a [[Deletion (genetics)|deletion mutation]] causes all-black coat color.<ref name="pmid12620197">{{Cite journal |vauthors=Eizirik E, Yuhki N, Johnson WE, Menotti-Raymond M, Hannah SS, O'Brien SJ |year=2003 |title=Molecular genetics and evolution of melanism in the cat family |journal=Curr. Biol. |volume=13 |issue=5 |pages=448–53 |doi=10.1016/S0960-9822(03)00128-3 |pmid=12620197 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

=== Bicolored cat breeds ===
The bicolor coat coloration is not restricted to a specific breed of cat, as it can be found in many different types of pure-breed as well as mixed-breed domestic cats.{{Citation needed|date=June 2016}} However, some breeds have bicolor coats in their breed standards. These include the [[Ragdoll]], [[American Shorthair]], [[Manx (cat)|Manx]], [[British Shorthair]], and [[Turkish Angora]].<ref>{{cite web |title=CFA Breeds |url=http://www.cfa.org/breeds.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070629034229/http://www.cfa.org/breeds.html |archive-date=29 June 2007 |access-date=5 August 2007 |publisher=The Cat Fanciers' Association}}</ref> The [[Turkish Van]] and [[Snowshoe cat|Snowshoe]]<ref name="FIFe" /><ref name=":2" /> cat breed are restricted to cats with bicolored coats.

In contrast, other common breeds of cat have specific coat patterns specified in their breed standards. Cats with such specific coat patterns include the [[Russian Blue]], which has a coat of one solid color.

=== Possible bicolor colorations ===
[[File:Kola, the Kupal Kat.jpg|thumb|Comparison of a black colorpoint-and-white adult (left) and kitten (right).]]
White spotting is not limited to solid color-and-white combinations, and can also occur with any of the [[Tabby cat|tabby]] patterns, resulting in tabby-and-white bicolor coats. [[Point coloration|colorpoint]] cats can have bicolor points (colorpoint-and-white), although this variation is not recognized for showing in some cat breeds. An example of a bicolor colorpoint cat breed is the tuxedo patterned colorpoint-and-white [[Snowshoe cat]].<ref name="FIFe" /><ref name=":2" /> The body markings of bicolor colorpoints become clearer with age, as the body fur of colorpoint cats darkens as the cats grow older and the white patches become more distinctively visible.

White spotting can also occur in combination with tortoiseshell coats, these are known as [[Tricolor cat|tricolor cats]], tortoiseshell-and-white cats, or [[Calico cat|calico cats]] (US English). Tortoiseshell-and-white cats can also be found in combination with a tabby or colorpoint pattern.

Bicolor cats that are black and white are sometimes called "magpies". The cream and white bicolor cat is the rarest of the bicolors, while the black and white or "blue" (grey) and white are the most common.{{Citation needed|date=November 2020}}
[[File:Tuxedo cat bi-color paws.JPG|thumb|A female bicolor patterned black-and-white cat with pink and black paw pads]]

=== Skin coloration ===
Bicolor may also appear in the skin color. This feature may be seen in bicolored hairless cats.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}} [[Paw]] pad coloration may be black, pink, or a mixture of both. Paw pad coloration may match the pattern of a cat's coat that is nearby the paw. If the color boundary crosses the underside of the paw, the pads on either side may be different colors or even bicolored.{{Citation needed|date=June 2016}}