| If I mate a Natural with a Platinum and all the kittens are Naturals, does
this mean the Natural is not carrying brown or dilute? |
The tables give you odds and in some cases tell you what you can't get. A
single test breeding will not eliminate the possibility of a cat having hidden
genes. Probabilities are based on what the results will be - on average - if
an event (kitten birth) occurs many, many times, forming a large population
of many thousands of kittens. A large litter may seem huge to a Queen but in
the mathematical world a litter is a small population. In small populations,
there can often be a considerable difference between what the odds predict and
what actually occurs. On the positive side, some things are impossible even
with small sample populations. For example, it is not possible for two
Champagne parents to produce a Natural or blue kitten. |
| If I breed a Natural with a Platinum and I get a Platinum does that mean the Natural
is carrying brown and dilute alleles? |
Yes. Since Platinum can have only brown and dilute alleles, then each parent has to have one
of each of those to contribute. Therefore the Natural is BbDd. |
| Is there any way of knowing if a Natural has hidden genes before
breeding the cat? |
Yes. In some cases, logic and the colors of the parents can identify the hidden genes. If a parent was a Platinum, the Natural must carry both brown and dilute. If a parent was a Champagne, the Natural carries brown with dilute possible but unknown. With a Blue parent the Natural carries dilute with brown possible but unknown. With both Champagne
and Blue parents, the Natural would carry both brown and dilute. |
From: http://www.fanciers.com/breed-faqs/tonk-genetics.shtml
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