LOST INSIDE THIS FOREST [x] PRIVATE.

[fancypost borderwidth=0px;text-align:justify;width:420px;font-size:7pt;]Okiee, what do you know about feline genetics already?

[fancypost borderwidth=0px;text-align:justify;width:420px;font-size:7pt;line-height:1.4;]That's fine! Most of my students start from knowing nothing about genetics so you're okay! You'll learn.

Dog genetics (with the knowledge that I know) are extremely different from feline genetics so it doesn't matter much. Knowing punnet squares is basically the only common thing they have.

Let's start with basic terms and black factor. If i'm moving too fast, please let me know!

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These are some basic terms i'll use throughout. As someone who struggled when my own mentor taught me genetics, I suggest memorizing them. However, I know that can be difficult so with each lesson, i'll put these terms in a spoiler for you in case you don't remember and I use them. c:

Dominant: Term used to state when a gene overrides another. For example, black fur is dominant over cinnamon fur. Therefore, only black fur will show.

Recessive: Term used to state when a gene is hidden by another. For example, cinnamon fur is recessive to black fur. Therefore, the cinnamon fur will not show (it has one copy). However, if it is coupled by another recessive gene or a cinnamon-furred cat, cinnamon fur can be expressed once again.

Homozygous: Having two copies of the same gene. For example, two copies of black fur or two copies of cinnamon fur.

Heterozygous: Having two copies of two different genes. For example, one copy of the cinnamon and black gene or one copy of the chocolate and cinnamon gene.

Genotype: Term used to state the actual gene being used. Symbols are used to expressed genotypes. For example, B stands for the black genotype.

Phenotype: Term used to state the physical appearance of a cat. For example, a black cat has a black phenotype. A red cat has a red phenotype.

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Black factor is recognized as the three common feline coat colors for geneticists. These colors include black, chocolate, and cinnamon.

Certain colors in black factor can dominant and override the other, like mutations. Depending on parents and their genes. When working with genotypes/cat colors in a punnet square, make sure you use TWO genotypes (ie. BB, Bb) and cross it with TWO other genotypes (ie. Bb1, bb).

Black is dominant and expressed using the genotype, B.
BB = homozygous, only passes black.
Bb = heterozygous, can pass black or chocolate.
Bb1 = heterozygous, can pass black or cinnamon.

Chocolate is dominant to cinnamon but recessive to black and it is expressed using the genotype, b.
bb = homozygous, only passes chocolate.
bb1 = heterozygous, can pass chocolate or cinnamon.

Cinnamon is recessive to both black and chocolate. It is expressed using the genotype b1.
b1b1 = homozygous, can only pass cinnamon.

When working, assume the dominant parent is carrying the recessive parent for realism and variety. Assume:
> black x cinnamon, assume the black cat is carrying cinnamon.
> black x chocolate, assume the black cat is carrying chocolate.
> chocolate x cinnamon, assume the chocolate cat is carrying cinnamon.

Does this make any sense or do you have any questions so far?

[fancypost borderwidth=0px;text-align:justify;width:420px;font-size:7pt;line-height:1.4;]Thanks ^.^

Yes, there are tons of different phenotypes including points, torties, red tabbies, etc. etc. I will cover all of this later. White is actually a mutation regarding removal of pigmentation, if I remember correctly. It falls under albino, point, mink, and sepia genes. White spotting is similar but occurs with piebaldism instead. I'll give a full, in-depth explanations and what not when we get there, I promise!

Let's wrap up black factor with a few more notes and practice litters.

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"WHEN YOU ASSUME" RULES
1. When someone is stating one cat is carrying a color but they don't state what the other is carrying, assume the other carries the exact same thing and make sure you state that is what you are assuming.
2. When there are two different colored parents, assume the dominant-colored parent is carrying the recessive-colored parent.

"WHEN COLORS APPEARS" RULES
Chocolate and cinnamon can not appear unless:
1. Chocolate is either bb (homozygous) or bb1 (heterozygous) in the punnet square.
2. Cinnamon is b1b1 in the punnet square.

Here are some practice litters to try. Use punnet squares to find the coat colors that would appear and for me to check if you made any mistakes. If you need an example, let me know! Also, with punnet squares, percentages are not needed. Just put the colors that could be available. c:

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lυcι∂вlαzє wrote:

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[fancypost borderwidth=0px; width: 400px][justify][size=8]Black (carrying cinnamon) x Chocolate (carrying cinnamon)

B b1

b Bb bb1

b1 Bb1 b1b1

Bb >> Heterozygous, black dominates over chocolate. ✔
bb1 >> Heterozygous, chocolate dominates over cinnamon. ✔
Bb1 >> Heterozygous, black dominates over cinnamon. ✔
b1b1 >> Homozygous, cinnamon.✔

Good!

Cinnamon x Cinnamon

b1 b1

b1 b1b1 b1b1

b1 b1b1 b1b1

b1b1 >> Homozygous, cinnamon. ✔
b1b1 >> Homozygous, cinnamon. ✔
b1b1 >> Homozygous, cinnamon. ✔
b1b1 >> Homozygous, cinnamon. ✔

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Awesome start! For the future since you know what is going on and how you got your answers, instead of explaining what genotype you got, if the coat is homozygous/heterozygous and what the colors are doing, just put your punnet square and the coat colors you got.

Try some more before we move on!

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lυcι∂вlαzє wrote:

[fancypost borderwidth=0px; width: 400px][justify][size=8]Black x Black

B B

B BB BB

B BB BB

100% black coats. ✔

Black x Chocolate

B B ✘

b Bb Bb

b Bb Bb

100% black coats. ✘
Remember, assume the dominant is carrying the recessive.

Chocolate x Cinnamon

b b ✘

b1 bb1 bb1

b1 bb1 bb1

100% chocolate coats. ✘
Assume the dominant is carrying the recessive.

Black x Chocolate (carrying cinnamon)

B B ✘

b Bb Bb

b1 Bb1 Bb1

100% black coats. ✘
This one is a little bit confusing. The chocolate parent is carrying cinnamon. Since the black parent is not said to be carrying anything, you need to assume it carries exactly what the other parent is carrying. So, by stating the litter title would be "black (assumed carrying cinnamon) x chocolate (carrying cinnamon)

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Does this make sense? If so, try them all over again. If not, let me know what you are confused on.

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lυcι∂вlαzє wrote:

[fancypost borderwidth=0px; width: 400px][justify][size=8]Oh, right! Is this correct?

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[fancypost borderwidth=0px; width: 400px][justify][size=8]Black x Black

B B

B BB BB

B BB BB

100% black coats. ✔

Black (assumed carrying chocolate) x Chocolate

B b

b Bb bb

b Bb bb

50% black coats. ✔
50% chocolate coats. ✔

Chocolate (assumed carrying cinnamon) x Cinnamon

b b1

b1 bb1 b1b1

b1 bb1 b1b1

50% chocolate coats. ✔
50% cinnamon coats. ✔

Black (assumed carrying cinnamon) x Chocolate (carrying cinnamon)

B b1

b Bb bb1

b1 Bb1 b1b1

50% black coats. ✔
25% chocolate coats. ✔
25% cinnamon coats. ✔

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Awesome! But, remember, don't put a percentage on what coats may appear. We do that to give realistic freedom. Basically, meaning, any of these coats can appear in the kittens with these parents but it's up to you to decide which one appears. So, instead of:

Black (assumed carrying cinnamon) x Chocolate (carrying cinnamon)
50% black, 25% chocolate, 25% cinnamon

We can just put:

Black (assumed carrying cinnamon) x Chocolate (carrying cinnamon)
black, cinnamon, chocolate

Make sense?

[fancypost borderwidth=0px;text-align:justify;width:420px;font-size:7pt;line-height:1.4;]Yea, I learned the same way! ^^ But, it's not needed to do litters on the site. Okie dokie! Onto dilutions.

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You already learned the basic of black factor, however, in order for a litter to be completely correct, you need to add dilution. Without dilution in a litter, a litter will always be incorrect. The genotype for non-dilution is D. The genotype for dilution is represented by d. Like using recessive and dominant, dilution needs two 'd' genotypes (dd) to be seen.

DD = homozygous non-dilute, can not be diluted. Ignore this outcome.
Dd = heterozygous non-diluted, can't be diluted but can pass both diluted and non-diluted color
dd = homozygous dilute, can be diluted and will pass only diluted colors.

DILUTION RULES
1. If both parents are diluted (dd), the kittens will be only diluted.
2. Always assume a feline is Dd.

DILUTION COLORS
1. Black + dilution = Blue
2. Chocolate + dilution = Lilac
3. Cinnamon + dilution = Fawn
4. Red + dilution = Cream

Some of my students would add just dilution but you need to be adding the original black factor colors and dilution.

Dilution work in a punnett square just like how genotypes work as you previously did. However, you don't need to go to the extra length. Just remember:

dd x dd = dd
Dd x Dd = dd and Dd
Dd x dd = dd and Dd

Make sense or do you have questions?

[fancypost borderwidth=0px;text-align:justify;width:420px;font-size:7pt;line-height:1.4;]Yes. D represents dominant in dilution.

I don't really understand what you're asking here. There is no genotype for the diluted color itself. Is that what you're asking? You want to think of it like this:

blue x cinnamon
(Bb1, dd x b1b1, Dd)

Blue is the dilution of black so, B represents black and b1 represents it's carrying the other parent's color.
dd represents the dilution part which is blue.

Translate over to the mother's side (cinnamon).
b1b1 represents the mother is homozygous for cinnamon (as cinnamon only appears when homozygous).
Dd represents that mother is not diluted.

dd x Dd = dd and Dd soo, you'll just add black factor which is cinnamon and black (cross Bb1 and b1b1) and add their dilutions. The dilution of black is blue. The dilution of cinnamon is fawn.

blue x cinnamon
black, blue, cinnamon, fawn

Does that answer your question?

[fancypost borderwidth=0px;text-align:justify;width:420px;font-size:7pt;line-height:1.4;]Aaa, okay! Red is dealing with a different lesson. I just put that to cover all the dilutions, ignore it for now. Red is not an actual color, it's a mutation so it doesn't, theoretically, have a genotype. I'll explain in within a few lessons!

Okay! Here's some practice litters.

[fancypost borderwidth=0px;text-align:justify;width:420px;font-size:7pt;line-height:1.4;]You're okay! I understand. Take your time. ^.^

lυcι∂вlαzє wrote:

[fancypost borderwidth=0px; width: 400px][justify]Okay! Sorry, I've been busy! Correct me if I'm wrong.

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[justify][size=8]Black (assumed carrying chocolate) x Lilac
(Bb, Dd x bb, dd) ✔

Black, blue, chocolate, lilac ✔

Blue (assumed carrying cinnamon) x Fawn
(Bb1, dd x b1b1, dd) ✔

Black, blue, cinnamon, fawn ✔

Chocolate (assumed carrying cinnamon) x Fawn
(bb1, Dd x b1b1, dd) ✔

Chocolate, lilac, cinnamon, fawn ✔

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Beautifully done! Let's move onto dilution modifiers. These aren't on the test and afterwards, I won't give you them as a litter as we move forward so once you're done with these, that's it for dilution modifiers.

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Dilution modifiers are not on the test. However, they have appeared once in a blue moon in the genetics center.

Dilution modifiers only affect diluted felines. It makes the diluted color become more caramelized. Fawn is the only color that remains the same when dealing with dilution modifiers as it can not be caramelized any further.

Dilution modifiers are represented by the genotype Dm.

Blue + modifier = Caramel
Lilac + modifier = Taupe
Fawn + modifier = Fawn
Cream + modifier = Apricot

[size=10]DILUTION MODIFIER RULES
1. Always assume the cat carrying a modifier is Dmdm. If the fur is not modified, assume it's dmdm.
2. Modifiers do not appear unless at least one parent has a modifier itself. This does not include fawn. FOR EXAMPLE - The father is a BLACK cat and the mother is a FAWN cat. Because neither parent has modified-diluted fur, no kittens will have modified-diluted fur. As dilution modifier are so rare, we just assume the fawn is a regular fawn color.

Make sense?