Mom usually thinks of tabbies as grey or brown cats with black or darker brown stripes orsplotches. However I am an orange tabby. Mom wasn't sure that I really qualified as "tabby", rather thinking of me as a striped "ginger cat". Out of curiosity, Mom looked up "Tabby Cat" on Wikipedia and learned this interesting fact about tabbies, orange tabbies and why you can never get a solid orange cat:
The tabby patterns are due to 3 distinct gene loci and one modifier:
The agouti gene, A/a,[7] controls whether or not the tabby pattern is expressed. The dominant A reveals the underlying tabby pattern, while the recessive non-agouti or "hypermelanistic" allele, a, prevents it. Solid-color (black or blue) cats have the aa combination, hiding the tabby pattern, although sometimes a suggestion of the underlying pattern can be seen (called "ghost striping"). However, the O gene for orange color suppresses the aa genotype, so there is no such thing as a solid orange cat.
This is from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabby_cat
There is more there if you are interested in Tabby Genetics!
Very interesting...
ReplyDeleteThat is very interesting information. Mumsy misses her orange tabby...he crossed the bridge many years ago. Nose kisses
ReplyDelete007 reviews your big secret...Very Interesting !
ReplyDeleteI guess that's a part of charming Tabby Simba : )
xoxo
Cool!! Happy Tabby Tuesday to you.
ReplyDeletepawhugs, Max
That is interesting! I didn't know. I know this though, Simba...you look absolutely delectable and fork tender there! Yummy. I see a stew pot in your future. Beware of Auntie Carole.
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ReplyDeleteSimba, mommy and I signed into my own blog but Blogger somehow truly on its own, switched her to her own account. That is un-nerving! I hope there is no further trouble. Let's see if this one will show me, the Admiral. Oh, and I have always wondered about those ghost stripes on some solid color kitties when they are lounging in strong sun spots. Now I know.
ReplyDeleteI always knew I was an AA cat :)
ReplyDeleteVery interesting post....thanks for sharing it with us, Simba.........we send our love to y'all.
ReplyDeleteSimba you are a very beautiful orange and cream tabby!! Mom says oranage and cream tabbies remind her of a bowl of orange and vanilla sherbet which is very refreshing.
ReplyDeleteMadi
Well, actually Huffle you are aa!
ReplyDeleteOur vet keeps telling #1 that, in her experience, tabbies are the nicest cats!
ReplyDeletePurrs,
The Chans
Hooray Tabby Simba, Tabby is the way to go!!!
ReplyDeleteThat is interesting! I am a different kind of agouti, which results in each strand of fur being ticked, or having multiple bands of color.
ReplyDeleteThat's very interesting, Simba! Guess I never realized there could be no solid orange cats! That's okay...I like being a tabby!!
ReplyDeleteWally
We hope we can leave a comment for you as Dreaded Blogger has been very bad today....Simba that is very interesting!
ReplyDeletepurrs
>^,,^<
♥Abby♥
You are a ginger tabby handsome cat!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing - that's really interesting!
ReplyDeleteMy Human read the first part but then she saw the word allele and then that made her remember the OJ trial so then her brain froze. Ha ha ha ha ha!
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