Frostwillow takes a look at cat genetics and the inaccuracy of them in the series.
![](https://blogclan.katecary.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Leafstar-300x296.jpg)
Basically, there are eight main colors of cat fur, not including white. These colors are black, chocolate, cinnamon, red, cream, gray, lilac, and fawn.
There are four main genetic codes that control the color of a cat’s fur. One gene controls whether a cat is black, brown, or chocolate, the second one controls whether a cat is red, tortoiseshell, or not red, the third one controls whether a cat is dilute or not dilute, and the last one decides how much white a cat has on them.
White overrides all the other colors, so a cat can be both one of the eight main colors and white, although a cat can’t carry both black and chocolate or be both black and gray, although gray does carry black. The amount of white varies from cat to cat. Cats must have white touching their eyes to have blue eyes.
The dilute of black is gray, the dilute of red is cream, the dilute of chocolate is lilac, and the dilute of cinnamon is fawn. Dilute is a recessive gene, which is why more cats are black than gray. The other four colors are rare.
Male cats are either red or not red, and female cats are either red, tortoiseshell, or not red. Only 1 in 3000 male cats are tortoiseshell. Most red cats are male, and all red cats are tabbies. Tortoiseshell males are usually sterile, meaning they can’t have kittens.
-Warrior Cats Who Break These Rules-
1. Leafstar
Leafstar is a brown and cream tabby. First off, Leafstar is most likely a black tabby, which is way more common in the wild than brown tabbies. Second, Leafstar is both a dilute and non-dilute color. This is impossible. If Leafstar were genetically accurate, she would probably be a torbie/tortoiseshell tabby, both black and red tabby.
2. Spiderleg
Spiderleg is both black and brown, he can only carry one of those colors. If he weren’t male, he could be tortoiseshell, but it would be unlikely for him to be that color since he is a male with kittens. If Spiderleg were genetically accurate, he would most likely be all black.
3. Molewhisker
Molewhisker is described as brown and cream. He can only be one of those colors, as he is male. Molewhisker would most likely be cream, making him a tabby.
4. Firestar
Firestar is shown to have no stripes, but all ginger cats have stripes, meaning he would be a ginger tabby instead
5. Blossomfall
Neither of Blossomfall’s parents have any red on them and are both dilute. They don’t have any white on them, either. Blossomfall would most likely be just gray tabby, as both of her parents are tabby.
Actually there are dilute torties. Only that type of blossomfall design isn’t accurate. https://excitedcats.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/dolute-tortie.jpg
Oh so my cat is a dilute tortie :0!!!
wonderful article frostwillow! i’m planning on studying cat genetics, so this article is really interesting to me 😀
interesting topic good job
woah. that was awsome! i knew that most male cats were one color, but i didn’t know cats had to have white around their eyes to have blue eyes! awsome article!
Ru saying that that gentically speaking, two gray cats can’t give birth to a tortoiseshell (Even if one or both of the parents have tortoiseshell ancestery)?
Great article!
Cool article! Very interesting…
woah you are really taking notice of these cats, Frostwillow! good job
I enjoyed your article very much! Cat genetics are so interesting, and I actually learned some new things here! I appreciate all the details you packed in here, you really seem to know your stuff.
I love ❤ genetics! I looked at Squirrel Flight and Bramble Claw’s genetics .
Alder Heart and Juniper Kit would be red mackerel tabbies , shorthair or longhair.
Dandelion Kit and Spark Pelt would be black torbies,longhair or shorthair.