If Warriors Used Proper Genetics by Flintpaw

Flintpaw wonders what cats would look like if the series used proper genetics.

After learning just the basics of cat genetics, I find it oddly funny when the cats in Warriors are totally off from how they would be if realism was used in the characters.

Let’s start off with hotshot number one, Firestar. In short, male cats look like their mothers (or as close to them as they can) and females look like a mix of both of their parents. Nutmeg is a brown tabby cat with a white underbelly, Jake is the ginger tabby that they used to justify Firestar’s “fire” fur. Of course, if they’d gone the realistic route, the first prophecy “Fire will save the Clan” wouldn’t have been true and therefore kinda thrown off that entire first arc, but it’s still funny to think about.

Another result of them going the realism route would’ve also affected Leafpool and Squirrelflight’s coloring. Sandstorm is a pale yellow cat and going based on the knowledge females look like both parents, Leafpool and Squirrelflight would’ve been brown and orange or black and orange cats. Most likely brown and orange due to the fact that both of their parents have a dilute color gene that takes over their coat color.

With Leafpool and Squirrelflight’s colors changing, their kits’ colors would’ve also changed. Hollyleaf would’ve been a tortoiseshell due to Crowfeather being a black cat and Leafpool being brown and orange. Jayfeather and Lionblaze are actually pretty accurate because Lionblaze’s orange color could’ve come from Leafpool’s orange coloring which she would’ve gotten from Jake and Jayfeather’s gray could come from the dilute color gene Firestar and Sandstorm gave Leafpool. Though because of Crowfeather’s pure black fur and lack of dilute gene, Jayfeather should be black as well.

Squirrelflight’s kits next. Bramblestar isn’t genetically correct, so a quick fix here, he’d be golden-colored just like Goldenflower. Sparkpelt is canonically an orange cat, but since Squirrelflight would be a brown and orange tortoiseshell and Bramblestar would be a golden cat, Sparkpelt is more likely to be a brown and golden tortoiseshell. Dandelionkit, she is a light orange kitten, but like Sparkpelt, neither of her parents are fully ginger cats meaning she’d also be a brown and orange tortoiseshell. Alderheart is a lighter brown color, which is realistic, but Juniperkit is a very dark brown kitten. Juniperkit would more likely be a light brown or orange cat because of Squirrelflight’s realistic colors.

Before we jump into Lionblaze’s kits, Cinderheart isn’t correct. Brackenfur is a brown tom and Sorreltail brown and orange calico, this would make Cinderheart a brown and orange calico too. Spotfur’s coloring would change from gray to a brown and orange calico due to her mother’s marking pattern, this goes for Sorrelstripe, Hollytuft, and Flywhisker too. Fernsong and Snaptooth would either be brown cats or orange cats because males look like their mothers.

That’s all the fixing for this article, kinda did a family tree there! It was pretty fun writing this but I’ll be playing Among Us with my family now 🙂